Hi everybody. If you’re reading this, thank you for supporting my work by subscribing with dollars. It is so appreciated.

As always, the regular monthly newsletter will stay free, but paying readers will receive an additional letter (ta-da). I’ll be experimenting with the type of content for these—reading recommendations, mini-AMAs or interviews with writer friends, and ASL content—but to start us off, I thought I’d give you an old reliable: books on the nightstand.

I often find questions like, “what’s your favorite book?” or, “who is your favorite author?” completely brain-freezing in interviews. I love so many books; I admire so many writers! I cannot pick one, or even ten. I also have terrible recall, and when I get nervous, it feels like my brain just fully empties of everything I’ve ever read.

In contrast, the question of books on the nightstand is comforting and low-stakes. One needn’t have even read the books on their nightstand yet—they just happen to be around. Being surrounded by books makes me feel better, more at peace, even if I can’t always articulate why or rank them according to what I like best. SO, I’m teaching myself to mentally unfreeze this discussion point by offering up a few things I’ve read recently, even things I haven’t finished, but am enjoying so far. And now here I am, practicing on you.