The Books I Read This Year (2021) and the Places I Read Them

This is not a list of recommendations, but a personal catalog of place, time, and titles. I remember the books vaguely, the places vividly, and the order I read them in, just barely.

1. THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett

Early January, in bed. I like to lie diagonally across the bed, leaning over the page until I start to wish my body had something stronger and sturdier than a neck to hold up my heavy head.

“How real was a person if you could shed her in a thousand miles?”- Brit Bennett, Vanishing Half.

2. LAZINESS DOES NOT EXIST by Dr. Devon Price

Late January, on the concrete steps outside of that Starbucks at the bottom of the Hancock tower. The jackets filled with meat pass me by, hurried and going to pray to the work god, the only religion they know. Big cups of coffee in hand, wind blowing at ties and resolves.

“When employees are unable to slack off using the Internet, they find other ways to mentally escape. They “waste” time making cups of tea, sharpening pencils, or popping into coworkers’ offices to say hello.”― Devon Price, Laziness Does Not Exist

3. MILK FED by Melissa Broder

February. On the clock, at the stand up computer behind the counter at Women and Children First. We shut down the shop again for in-store browsing because of high covid-19…