December 2020
Two new reads + my favorites from the year, an absolutely delicious squash dish, and a few extra links
So long, 2020. It was long, difficult year for most, and I’m glad to see it go. But there were a number of bright spots along the way for which I am grateful. I got a job I sincerely love, we welcomed home little Twyla, and we got extra acquainted with our hyper-local neighborhood as we sought to stay safe but also support the business that make South Williamsburg feel like home.
I’m a few days late with what should have been my December 2020 issue, but I hope you’ll still enjoy my compilation. It’s structured mostly according to normal, with a mild deviation in the Bookshelf section where I talk about my two December reads but also recap my reading year.
Thank you for being a part of my little From Holly community!
Bookshelf
The month of December was bonkers busy, and I was in a serious reading slump to boot! I finished two titles, reviewed below.
Reads in December
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam |★★★★☆
I’ll start of by saying that thrillers are not my usual genre, but this one is dubbed a “literary thriller” which makes it a little closer to my usual bookish fare. It is devoid of chainsaws and running-barefoot-through-the-woods-from-a-serial-killer scenes. What it does have is ample psychological suspense and a sufficient dose of chill-inducing moments. It’s hard to succinctly describe without giving too much away, but Leave the World Behind follows a family from New York City as they head out to Long Island for their summer vacation. A day into their stay, the owners of the AirBnB where they are staying show up, saying something frightening has happened in Manhattan, and could they please stay here with them until they figure out what to do?
The best way I have to explain this book is pop culture references: the protagonists reminded me of the wealthy family in the movie Parasite & the book’s vibe evokes the same feelings as the beginning of The Walking Dead with Rick wakes up and doesn’t quite know what’s going on except that something about the world is dramatically different.
Alam rides the line between satire and high literature, which actually makes the book that much more powerful. The reading community is pretty polarized on this one, with some people arguing that the ending was unsatisfying or that the book was slow. That said, if any of the above description appeals to you, I’d consider giving it a go. It’s a pretty quick read.
Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo | ★★★★★
This book is phenomenally written, deeply researched, and especially important. Oluo typically writes long form articles, so her chapters are concise and engaging, each with a focus on a relevant topic spanning Westerns to the NFL. I really urge you to pick this one up — it’s got real significance for the moment we are in. Ultimately, Oluo argues that the construct of white supremacy and patriarchy traps us all in a system that benefits a minuscule few and her hope is that we can all (including the white males the titles mentions) experience a truer freedom by recognizing this history and building a better future.
2020 Reads In Review
I put together a longlist of favorite reads for WORD that you can read here. I also awarded some fun superlatives to a few books that I shared in a post on @fromhollysbookshelf.
In 2020, I read 67 books. The majority of them were good which is such a treat — there are so many books and so little time! Below are a few standouts, sorted by genre. My very favorites are bolded. For a full set of what I reviewed, check out my Bookshop list.
Memoirs
What Is A Girl Worth? by Rachael Denhollander
Killing It: An Education by Camas Davis
Out of Sorts by Sarah Bessey
Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford
Fiction
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Augustown by Kei Miller
Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Nonfiction
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Unsettling Truths by Soong-Chan Rah and Mark Charles
The Myth of the American Dream by D.L. Mayfield
The Address Book by Deirdre Mask
A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
Underwater by Ryan Dezember
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
A Lab of Own’s Own by Rita Colwell, PhD
How the Post Office Created America by Winifred Gallagher
The Organ Thieves by Chip Jones
Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison
The Liturgy of Politics by Kaitlyn Schiess
Prison by Any Other Name by Maya Schenwar & Victoria Law
This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
Impact by Tammy Tibbetts & Christen Brandt
Mediocre by Ijeoma Oluo
For regular posts & reviews, follow along at @fromhollysbookshelf and in my Bookshop storefront. For my monthly staff picks, visit my WORD page.
*Note: Links listed above are to Bookshop, where I'm an affiliate. I make a small commission off any purchases using those links, and Bookshop uses its profits to support local bookstores. If you have a favorite indie shop, please purchase from them instead!
Kitchen
I was the lucky recipient of Local Dirt as a birthday gift back in November and, let me tell you, it’s a fantastic cookbook! The author, Andrea Bemis, set out to eat hyper locally for a year, and produced this cookbook as a reflection on her experience. It is structured seasonally, and every recipe as a “localize” it open with ingredients that can be swapped based on what’s available to you. The recipe below has already become a regular in our weekly rotation. I usually make a batch of toasted couscous to accompany.
Winter Squash Wedges with Gorgonzola Butter and Hazelnuts
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temp
• 3 Tbsp Gorgonzola (or any blue cheese)
• 1.5 lbs winter squash (like butternut, acorn, or delicata), cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 2-3 Tbsp melted butter
• Minced parsley
• 2 Tbsp toasted & crushed hazelnuts
Directions
In a medium-sized bowl, pound the garlic and a hefty pinch of sea salt with the back of a spoon until a paste forms (Note from Holly: I simply use a microplane grater on the garlic clove, then mix with the salt). Add the butter and cheese. Mix until well-incorporated (Note from Holly: I’ve found that a fork is the best tool for this). Set aside.
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and brush the squash wedges with a little melted butter. Add teh squash to the skillet and cook, undisturbed, for a few minutes. Once the squash begins to brown up a bit, turn the wedges and continue to cook, turning them every few minutes, until they are tender, about 25 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt. (Note from Holly: If you’d prefer a slightly more hands-off method, you can also roast the squash in the oven at 400*F for about 25 minutes — just toss with melted butter or olive oil first).
Smear a layer of the Gorgonzola butter mixture onto a platter and top it with the squash. Sprinkle with minced parsley, hazelnuts, and freshly ground black pepper.
For snippets of my home cooking with occasional tips & recipes, follow along at @fromhollyskitchen.
Miscellany
WORD Bookstores, where I work, is launching virtual book clubs. I’m hosting one called Show Me the Women to read nonfiction accounts of underappreciated women in history. There are lots of options for lots of tastes!
Our puppy Twyla has really thrown off our exercise regimens, but Jackson gifted me a wonderful new yoga mat for Christmas. I’m hoping to get back into a rhythm with the virtual Pilates classes I’ve been taking since 2016. The Balanced Life by Robin Long takes the approach that even 15 minutes a day is better than nothing. Her routines are approachable and always make me feel better.
I’ve followed Taylor Schumann for a while now. She is a thoughtful writer and gun control advocate after her own experience in a school shooting. In June, her first book comes out: When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough. Pre-orders help first-time authors, so consider it if you’re interested in the topic!
Is increasing your reading one of the resolutions you set for 2021? You probably have heard of Goodreads as a platform to track your books and find new things to read. It works fine, but there’s a new kid on the block called The StoryGraph and it’s fantastic. There are all sorts of stats plus a way to search for new books based on the mood you’re in. The founders Nadia Odunayo and Rob Frelow are responsive and dedicating to making the experience a good one. Check it out!
Anne Helen Peterson is a brilliant writer of social commentary. Even with my above mention of resolutions, I appreciated her piece: is it a resolution or is it capitalism.
And for today’s moment of delight: Jimmy Fallon’s 2020 Recap Musical.
I hope that your 2021 is a good one (and brings an end to COVID). Enjoy a few Twyla pictures below, including her desire to be a mountain goat.
Warmly,
Holly
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