In celebration of bad taste
There was a time, some years ago, when every wannabe IG influencer and her bestie were posting photos of milk & honey—the minimalistic cover and the poetry inside. The book was artfully placed on a rustic wood tabletop, perhaps, beside some leafy green plants and a cold brew, or held open to a 7-word poem with lavender-painted nails.
You know who you are. Look, I’m not judging. I say all of this with love, affection, and tender-hearted amusement:
Instead of posting poems from milk & honey, you can just admit you don’t like poetry, you know?
Of course, there’s a lot to be said for creating a personal aesthetic, and yours just might include faux-deep platitudes you could find next to any Live, Laugh, Love sign. We all have an image to maintain, and that one is as valid as any other.
But is it worth it?
I’m oddly inspired, honestly. I might start my own TikTok doing dramatic readings of this very newsletter.
As we move on to the greatest hits of gentle jokes, keep in mind that I spent the first months of 2021 willingly rewatching seasons 1-4 of Supernatural and reading pages upon pages of analysis about it. I plan on watching more, and that is a promise.
So. Grain of salt.
Truly anyone can write, which is why I started this newsletter. <3
Since this is already a deeply literary edition, I thought I’d include some book recommendations.
If you like visceral, gorgeous, and political historical fantasy: The Devourers by Indra Das, in which the stories of a 21st century professor and a peasant woman in 17th century India intertwine in harrowing and brilliant ways.
If you like darkly funny apocalypses (that are entirely too on the nose): Severance by Ling Ma, in which a millennial corporate drudge finds herself one of the last survivors of a pandemic.
If you like clever, challenging historical fiction: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, in which Thomas Cromwell (#teamtomcrom) helps Henry VIII break from the Catholic Church and secure a divorce from Katherine of Aragon.
If you like devastating, humanizing true crime: The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, in which the author explores the lives of the five canonical victims of Jack the Ripper, giving them back their dignity and exploring the injustices of 19th century England.
Finally, if you need something more light-hearted, such as an enemies-to-lovers rom-com: You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle, in which an unhappy couple tries to get out of their engagement by annoying and sabotaging each other.
In other news, I tried to do my own acrylic nails last week, and it was a disaster. There is no photographic evidence, for your own sanity and for my protection. But please have this poem:
My nails were
ugly
just like
his
heart.
—Alexa