I don’t endorse judging a book by its cover, but I’ll admit that’s why I picked up Honey at Strand a few weeks ago.
I still did some diligence! I asked an employee about it. Unfortunately, I can’t leave Strand without asking an employee what they’re reading, what’s selling, or for help finding what I’m looking for. The store is overstimulating! I promise I’ll stop during the holidays.
Anyway, they recommended Honey, and so do the editors at Goodreads, Indie Next, PEOPLE, and ELLE. It was called the book of the summer.
I was excited to find out that Isabel lives in Brooklyn, and even more excited when she agreed to write for us!
Her list is perfect for Open Book Club. We looove a complicated female character. Girlhood and coming of age are themes we’ve talked about (and will keep talking about) for hours.
Give the list a read, then go pick up Honey. Let me know if we should host a book club meeting about it!
P.S. There’s a fun surprise at the end of the letter about one more October meeting 🎃
Girlhood
Hey OBC! I’m so honored to be here because reading is my favorite hobby and also my full-time job. When I’m not writing, I’m a bookseller, so I live to recommend books. Literally, it pays my rent! My childhood self still can’t believe it!
Though it’s about a 90s/y2k pop star, my debut novel Honey (published this summer!) is first and foremost a coming of age novel. I’m fascinated with girlhood, particularly the ways in which women are compressed by public opinion until they can’t recognize themselves or their own desires. So here’s a list of my favorite bildungsromans that I’ve loved and squeezed throughout the years. That’s my favorite feeling ever: when I run around my apartment hugging a book. Maybe you’ll hug Honey one day! That would honestly be my dream.
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Twenty-two, and knowing no one, Tess leaves home to begin her adult life in New York City. Thus begins a year that is both enchanting and punishing, in a low-level job at “the best restaurant in New York City.”
Though it might not seem like it based on Honey’s initial themes, Sweetbitter influenced it a lot, mostly because I loved the frame of having a newcomer enter a certain toxic industry and learn about herself through trial and error. I loved the protagonist Tess, even though I also wanted to shake her a little. Same for my younger self, though. Relatable!
Tess of the D'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy
The ne'er-do-well sire of a starving brood suddenly discovers a family connection to the aristocracy, and his selfish scheme to capitalize on their wealth sets a fateful plot in motion.
Another Tess! This is one of my all-time favorite novels, and while less of a typical coming-of-age story than the others on this list, Tess is a heroine who you’ll root for, emphasize with, cry for, and her perseverance and hope is something that has stayed with me for years.
All This Could Be Different, by Sarah Thankam Mathews
A beautiful and capacious novel rendered in singular, unforgettable prose, All This Could Be Different is a wise, tender, and riveting group portrait of young people forging love and community amidst struggle, and a moving story of one immigrant’s journey to make her home in the world.
The language in this novel genuinely made me gasp. I loved its frank assessment of sexuality and discovery. The entire time I just wanted to give Sneha a hug or get a glass of wine with her. Either or.
Writers & Lovers, by Lily King
Blindsided by her mother’s sudden death, and wrecked by a recent love affair, Casey Peabody has arrived in Massachusetts in the summer of 1997 without a plan. A former child golf prodigy, she now waits tables in Harvard Square and rents a tiny, moldy room at the side of a garage where she works on the novel she’s been writing for six years. At thirty-one, Casey is still clutching onto something nearly all her old friends have let go of: the determination to live a creative life.
As Casey strives to publish her first book, the reader strives along with her. I felt so seen by this and cried a lot. My partner asked what was wrong and I think I just kept sobbing into my pillow.
Thanks again for having me, and for loving books.
x Isabel Banta
Thank you, Isabel!
And now the surprise 🕷️
I’m adding one more meeting in October, and I’m partnering with Everand to host it!
This month, the Everand Everything Club theme is “Plot Twist” and the guest hosts are leaning into thrills and chills. I’ve gotten a bunch of requests for a Halloween themed meeting, so this is a great fit.
We're going to listen to Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
You can use this link to start an Everand free trial that includes the Frankenstein audiobook!
Then we'll meet up to discuss the novel and plot twists over drinks and snacks at Bedford Studio.
Tickets are free (thank you, Everand!) and you can get one here.
See you next week,
Liz