Our Stories Will Save Us
The news will panic us, our stories will inspire
Reading has always been important to me and a huge part of my identity. No matter what is going on in my life I am also reading. This year of practice and actual retirement I have been reading like it's my job. I joined three book clubs and formed two more plus started an ambitious reading challenge. I subscribe to several bookish newsletters so my libby app is full of tags so no matter my mood there is an embarrassment of choices. I am very proud of how I have really expanded my reading habits and so excited when those explorations have led me to find new favorites. In fact, I’ve already smashed through my Fable goal for 2026. I am also pleased with the way I have leaned into the Pantsuit Politics Book and Film Club 2026 Movie Challenge which has led me to watch more movies this year than possibly I watched over the previous decade! My movie watching has improved in quality as well as pushing me outside my comfort zone. I have always believed that our stories will save us and my reading, watching, and writing in community experiences have only confirmed this truth.
I believe in the importance of journalism, but I do not engage with the news on a daily basis. I have found I feel better about the world and the future when I can balance the big picture with exploration of the human experience through storytelling. Many of the stories I’ve engaged with this month and this year are dark and depressing, but there I have also found a lot of hope and inspiration. I truly believe we would all be happier and better citizens of the world if we simply engaged more with the stories that our fellow humans tell in books and on screen. Humans have always used stories to remember, instruct, and understand our humanity and we ignore the lessons these stories tell at our peril. The best stories show us who we are - warts and all - and that is information we all desperately need to make a better world.
July Reads
I read a whopping 35 books in July (see what I mean by reading like it is my job?) including some very good reads and possibly the book that may win out as my favorite read for 2026. I continue to be a huge fan of the slow read and will accept no questions at this time.
My Reading the USA journey is continuing apace and I am now up to 25 books read and 10 of those I highly recommend and only two I would not. I currently have one in progress which will definitely be a slow read so I might add another in the near future. I have four regions completed and three in progress. I may be due for another update, but for now I will focus on the four that made my top reads for July. Life Is Short But Wide by J. California Cooper is beautifully written with challenging characters, but is a bit of a heartbreak in many ways. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson was a deliciously comforting read that appealed to me in so many ways although I’m not ready to dive into the rest of the series yet. I have to say that Tayari Jones’ Kin came highly recommended and exceeded my expectations. This book works on so many levels. Will definitely pick up other books by this author. Ever since I completed Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead I have been pushing everyone I know to read it. This is definitely the book to beat for my favorite book of the year. It is truly a masterpiece.
I also read Kristen Loesch’s The Last Russion Doll which was a heavy read at times and maybe too dark for some but I’m glad I took the journey. I also recommend Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker. It is an emotional roller coaster but not as dark and certainly takes the reader some interesting places. After falling in love with Ivan Doig on my Reading the USA journey I recently completed his Two Medicine trilogy. English Creek was my favorite. It is a wonderful snapshot of a specific place and time, but also a delightful coming of age story full of interesting characters. Last, but certainly not least, one of my book club friends has been pushing me to read Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman and now I understand why. This is an entertaining read but has unexpected thought-provoking layers.
Check out all my 2026 book recommendations as well as my 2026 book bracket! You can always check my current reads thanks to Fable.
July Watches
Most of my July watching involved movies. My Letterboxd diary reports I watched eight movies - including two in the theater. I recommend four of those movies on my July Screen Showdown. Captain America: Civil War of course is part of my Road to Doomsday watch but also a longtime fav that I rewatch on the regular. I went to the theater to see Supergirl because I loved Superman so much and I do love Millie Alcock. I think it is a better movie than many reviews suggest but it is definitely uneven. Both the character and Alcock deserved better than this movie but I’m not sorry I saw it in the theater
My son put The Wind Rises on my Pantsuit Politics Book and Film Club 2026 Movie Challenge list and I really wish I didn’t watch it the same month that The Odyssey came out because it is a wonderfully beautiful and thought-provoking film. I can see why it is a favorite of his. Then I rounded out my month with The Odyssey. I was blown away. So much to think about and definitely found it a terrific writing inspiration.
The Odyssey was my favorite movie for July (see 2026 movie bracket) and I can’t wait to see if Project Hail Mary can handle the matchup!
July Writes
Much of the month I was obsessed with the Cento and shared that obsession with both the Rebel Cartographers and Sawstone Poets. I also had Blessings on my mind. I also found inspiration with the Lexington Poetry Gauntlet. I started the month in a bit of a panic as I needed a poem for a gauntlet workshop and had used all my completed works during LexPoMo, but in the end I had enough poems to offer me a choice and my cohort responded positively to my choice. I leave you with these writing invitations:
What fun can you imagine finding with the Cento?
What blessings do you hope for our children? What blessings do you hope for the world?
Reading Is My Job
As I stated at the beginning, I have been reading like it is my job and I regularly engage in multiple reads. I have always been a reader but for much of my life that has simply meant reading emotional support books (nod to Pantsuit Politics). I still like to have at least one of these books on rotation for the times when my stretch books (outside my comfort zone), challenge books (Reading the USA), and/or book club books (five!) have gotten a bit much. Sometimes my emotional support book can be my bedtime book but not always. What kind(s) of books do you keep in your reading rotation? Do you agree that our stories will save us?