Reading & Writing With Rebecca: Issue 21
Last week, I mentioned there wouldn't be a newsletter this week because I'm on vacation, but we caught a rainy day today, and in a moment of radically magical thinking, I thought it might be the universe giving me an opportunity to check in with you all. There are some new faces around here this week, thanks to Issue #106 of "The Week In Newsletters" from Anna here at Revue, which generously featured my efforts here. Welcome, and thanks for being here!
If you're part of the bookstagram community over on IG, you might have seen posts about a certain book blogger who decided to throw a tantrum because she was told (gently! respectfully!) by a publisher that BIPOC reviewers were being prioritized to receive physical ARCs (advance review copies) for an upcoming title. The book was written by a BIPOC author, for a BIPOC audience, and so it stands to reason that a publisher would want to secure reviews from the title's target readership ahead of publication. This white bookstagrammer proceeded to ask if she would be given priority for future releases from white authors.
If you physically gasped or gagged or rolled your eyes so hard you think they might be permanently stuck that way, you are not alone.
White fragility is an embarrassing scourge generally, but when it intrudes on sacred space -- the space around storytelling, author support, and the spirit of generosity that should permeate the book community -- it's especially repugnant. Let's not forget that this reviewer has the same chance as the rest of us to buy the book on release day and post a review at her leisure; her upset is about not being given something for free in advance of its general availability. The entitlement inherent to this kind of thinking is abhorrent, but carries an important gut-check: What do we believe we deserve? What do we think we are owed?
In scanning responses to the reviewer's outrage, one post said: "When you're used to privilege, equality can feel like oppression." This idea struck to the heart of me, and maybe it resonates with you, too. I'm going to be thinking about this a lot, not only because the truth of it is so pure, but because it calls me in to examine how I interact with the world around me. Now more than ever, we can't hide from ideas that challenge our relationship to the world beyond our direct experience.
If you're on IG, I hope you'll join me in following some of the BIPOC creators/bookstagrammers/reviewers who are doing the hard, soulful work of educating the ignorant (myself included). In particular, I've been appreciating Jina (@romanticdeception) and Jayanna Monique (@_litmedown). Jayanna's powerful response to this situation is available in her story highlights, and I can't recommend strongly enough that you watch it in full. Her words will undoubtedly resonate with you as they have for me, especially this: "You can keep the f*cking ARC if I can have your civil rights."
The internet can be an ugly place, but it is also an invaluable resource for self-education and -improvement, meaningful allyship, and the destruction of pervasive, insidious white supremacist ideology. Join me in seeking out the creators who challenge our internalized beliefs and unconscious biases. We can be better, if we resolve to listen close and take to heart the words that echo long after we've logged off.
Weekly Writing Tip
I don't know about you, but sleep is always a strange experience for me when I'm on vacation. Maybe it's because we're staying in an unfamiliar house, or because the winds this close to the ocean are loud and unpredictable in ways I'm unaccustomed to. Whatever the reason, my dreams this week have been vivid and immersive -- I'm so involved in the little stories my subconscious is playing out each night.
I've been scribbling down random, mostly-incoherent notes when I wake up, and I have to tell you -- there are some gems amid the chaos. For the next week, why not join me in keeping a notepad and pen near your bed? Before you reach for your phone, doom-scroll your newsfeed, or check emails, spend a few moments remembering the sensations, images, or plot points from your "private myths." Who knows? Maybe your subconscious is trying to hand you the concept for your next book.
My Week in Books
Hot Desk by Zara Stoneley. This UK workplace romcom releases next week (on Aug 31). Despite the publisher's comps to Beth O’Leary, Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella, I'm finding the writing childish and inelegant. There's a preponderance of telling-not-showing, and most of the narration feels like stream-of-consciousness journaling rather than composed narrative. The poor writing is compounded by a shaky premise and a love interest with approximately zero chemistry. I'll keep reading for another few days, but if things don't get better by the 50% mark, I'm out.
League of Dukes series (books 1-4 out of 6) by Scarlett Scott. After my whirlwind love affair with Elisa Braden's Rescued from Ruin series, I was hoping for another character-driven historical romance series with a good number of installments to listen to while I'm on vacation. The Hoopla app brought Scarlett Scott's work to my attention, and while I've enjoyed the series so far, I'm not quite as invested in the characters as I was with Braden's work. Rosalyn Landor narrates the series, and she's a legend in the audiobook community for a reason. Book 4's American heroine seems to be throwing Landor for a bit of a loop; she employs a fairly flat American accent 90% of the time, but randomly inserts a deeply southern inflection that feels out-of-place. I think any historical romance series was bound to let me down after the sky-high excellence of Rescued from Ruin, but Scott is holding my attention with well-plotted intrigues and sympathetic-enough characters. For die-hard HistRom fans, she'll be a welcome addition to your catalogue.
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy. I know I wrote about this book last week, but wanted to circle back around one last time since I've both finished the novel and had time to reflect since my last missive. McConaghy is a master of character, nuance, mystery, and tension. Her writing is like a vast, open plain -- stark and sumptuous, finite yet somehow universal. Reading her work makes me feel like I'm holding my finger to the heartbeat of the world; she connects me to something bigger than myself, her work the very definition of "achingly beautiful." Migrations still holds as my favorite novel of all time, but OTWW is a feast of delicate prose and harsh reality. I loved it, and I hope you will too. If -- when -- you read McConaghy's works (click here), I genuinely hope you'll reach out to let me know what you think.
First Line Frenzy
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