Ashley Holstrom

Plus, an announcement!

Crooked Reads is a monthly newsletter offering bite-sized reviews of three books fitting to a theme—like weird science or sports romance or realistic financial advice—and sometimes other things, like today’s missive, from a professional book person.

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Oh, hi.

Since quitting some of my writing gigs earlier this year, I realized a lot of brain space has opened up for me to write the things I want to write. I’m journaling again and considering doing more in this space: Little essays about being bookish, personal bits about being alive, and maybe—get ready—things I learn while writing my book.

That’s right. I’m finally doing it: Writing a memoir of my life with scoliosis, blended with history, science, medicine, and whatever else I stumble upon in my research. It’s currently a single document titled “Word Vomit,” followed by another endless document (and a variety of notes on my phone) filled with articles to read, books to check out, memories to mine, and a slew of potential topics to peruse.

One of the first steps I’m taking is to read every scoliosis book I can find, starting with the rereads: Deenie and Braced. I didn’t read these books until I was older than the intended audience, but they’re so powerful in bringing me back to feeling like a 13-year-old again.

Rereading was once my main form of reading. Why delve into new books when you could return to the books you already know you love? But then I saw that TBR calculator (which doesn’t seem to exist anymore) that took the number of books on your TBR, how many books you read last year, and your age, and spit out some horrifying “you’ll finish all your books in the year 3032!” statement.

So I quit that rereading nonsense.

I had a wee bit of an existential crisis this spring and my solace was burrowing into myself and the things that brought me comfort when I was a teen. I reread the Twilight books, rewatched all the movies—and bonus content, which come in the deluxe 10-disc box set that Anthony got me for Christmas last year—and started to feel a little better.

Needing more fantasy, I devoured the A Court of Thorns and Roses series—and promptly reread them all on audiobook. I’m planning on rereading Fourth Wing before Iron Flame comes out in November. I’m revisiting more books I loved in some of my darker days so I can read them and feel cozy again.

There’s a sort of magic to rereading that I never considered before. You get to revisit a place with hindsight and deepen your understanding of the world within the pages. If you annotate your books, maybe you find joy or surprise in the passages that resonated with your younger self. Maybe you’re reminded of the person you were the last time you read the book.

For me, it’s fun because my memory is absolute garbage. I forget all plot points as soon as I finish a book; all that remains is how it made me feel. So, in a way, rereading is kind of like reading a book for the first time again.

So far, my rereading has remained in the world of fiction. As I begin the (very) early stages of writing a book, I’m dipping my toes into some of the classic writing guides I read a decade ago, and I can’t wait to see what old ideas become new for me in this new phase.

What about you? Are you a rereader?

The nightstand

In the Dream House is a masterpiece. It’s a memoir about queer domestic abuse and writing and how to exist in the world. The format here is perfect, with most chapters just a page long and focusing on a single moment in time. Tales of the past are told in second person, putting you right in the middle of the horrifying story. It’s just magnificent—and a book I see myself returning to again and again.

Note: This book is on sale for Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month at Bookshop! Use code HHM2023 to get 20% this and other fabulous nonfiction titles.

xoxo

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