Show & Tell: Is Anyone Okay?
Unstacked Digest for the week of October 28 - November 3
This is Show & Tell where I tell you some things I loved from the week and the one thing I hated, plus round up everything else going on around these parts. The first half of Show & Tell is free to all. The adoration and hateration are for paid subscribers only.
I am not ok. How dare American have Halloween, daylight savings1, and a majorly consequential election within 6 days of each other? Like, can we not get a better national schedule going here? Maybe next time we could do one of these things in August?
You know what I am not doing these days? Reading any fucking books. I finished my last book on Monday of last week. I have read about 100 pages since then. I have been able to read about 35,324 tweets from morons on X, lucky me. I am hanging on by a thread — eating only pizza, PB&J, and candy — so I will be giving you a Show & Tell digest (just a mini version) this week.
This is the best I can do. Thank you for being patient with me. I hope you’re being patient with yourself. This is also you reminder to go out and stock up on your favorite snacks, books, flowers, or whatever else makes you feel nice. And to remind your friends who “don’t really care about politics” to get out and vote for Kamala Harris.
This Week on Unstacked
An Election Anxiety™ edition of Show & Tell.
My October reads ranked from least to most favorite.
Our November book club pick is a polarizing novel about a Black woman who enters into an open marriage with a white couple. Get ready for mess.
Books I Read This Week
Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky
This poetry collection tells the story of a fictional country during a time of political unrest. I really enjoyed this collection, it feels a lot like an epic poem or a play perhaps. Each poem is in service of telling the story of this town. I loved how Kaminsky played with silence and what we chose to bear witness to and how.
Into the Uncut Grass by Trevor Noah, illustrated by Sabina Hahn
A children’s book about a boy who wants to get away from his mother’s rules and travels (with his teddy bear) outside the gates and into the uncut grass to gain new perspective on his world. I read this book aloud to the Mini Stacks a chapter at a time (there are only four) and we all loved it. This is a book about community and communication and how to trust and listen to others and be open to change. It feels like the exact right book for this moment. It is tender and big hearted and so sweet.
Fave of the week!
Housekeeping
Franklin Leonard was back on the podcast for The Stacks Book Club to discuss The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead.
Things I Love…
Politics
I really hope she wins.