Emo History, Lesbian Bars, and Just a Bunch of Uncles
We have a hilarious half hour comedy, a quest to track down America's last standing lesbian bars, a trip down an emo rabbit hole, and more Book Riot favorites in this edition of The Splash Pad.
Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest To Track Down The Last Remaining Lesbian Bars In America by Krista Burton
This book really just needed to live up to its title for me to love it, and I’m happy to say it did. It’s part travelogue, part elegy to lesbian bars, and part celebration of queer community — with some personal writing mixed in. I already knew and loved Krista Burton’s writing from when she wrote the blog Effing Dykes, and I was fascinated by the conversations she had across the country about the nature of lesbian bars, why they keep closing, and why they matter.
— Danika
Where Are Your Boys Tonight: The Oral History of Emo’s Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008 by Chris Payne
Calling all scene kids! Find your angst, smudge your eyeliner, and get ready to scream the lyrics to the soundtrack of your adolescence. Music journalist Chris Payne interviewed basically everyone involved in emo’s big moment for this comprehensive oral history, and it’s a hell of a ride. If, like me, you’ve spent the last 15 years telling some version of a story about how you saw Dashboard Confessional (or Jimmy Eat World or My Chemical Romance) play in a friend’s basement in 1997, you will eat up every last word.
— Rebecca
WordDaily
I’m not sure what TikTok rabbit hole led me to subscribe to the WordDaily email, but I’m glad it did. It’s exactly what it sounds like - a new word emailed to you daily, like a little dictionary excerpt in your inbox! It even includes audio clips for pronunciation guides. I’m trying to fill my inbox with emails I enjoy reading, and this has added whimsy to my morning routine.
— Hannah
Join your local Friends of the Library group!
Does your local branch have a Friends of the Library? Chances are, it does. I discovered mine when I moved to a new neighborhood – not only do they organize fundraisers, including the classics like Bake Sales and Book Sales, but they also advocate for their specific branch. (My local group got a broken boiler replaced thanks to an organized phone call campaign!) Libraries rely on these groups to supplement funding and support often missing from their budgets and systems, and they also might have cool swag (I am just saying that the tote I got from mine is the best tote I own – zipper, side pocket, AND water bottle pouch). In these times of banning and slashed budgets, your branch could use your support more than ever. Just Google “friends of library” and your branch’s name to check!
— Jenn
Yoga Where You Are: Customize Your Practice for Your Body and Your Life by and Dianne Bondy and Kat Heagberg
I reach for this book over and over in this Late 30s season of life where a mildly aggressive sneeze might put my back out of commission for weeks. It is a wonderful companion for adapting individual poses or even your entire yoga practice to work for your body and meet you, as promised, where you are. Maybe you need coaching on form and technique. Maybe you’re recovering from an injury or are experiencing changes to your mobility. Maybe your body shape or size means a pose has never been felt doable. All of it is fine! This book is a really accessible intro into the basic principles of yoga, a glossary of poses, a guide for making yoga inclusive, and an encouraging reminder that the point of yoga isn’t to match the hyperflexible, thin, white model so often now associated with this ancient practice. This book came in so clutch while I dealt with a tricky injury last year, I hope it will speak to you, too.
— Vanessa
Primo on Amazon Prime/freevee
Is it Abbott Elementary but for a Latine suburb somewhere in Dallas? Or is it more 30 Rock for the Latine teenager? Or maybe Full House but just a bunch of Uncles?
Anyway, Primo, which is the brainchild of two writers I have followed for a long time (Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion), is sharp, warm, candid, bracing, and maybe most importantly really damn funny. There are eight unbelievably watchable episodes all available for free on Amazon’s FreeVee. Full confession: I am recommending this in part so that more people watch it so that maybe enough eyeballs are on it to justify a Season Two.
— Jeff
Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
Putting Irby’s latest at the top of my TBR was a no-brainer. I was first introduced to this hilarious voice via We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. Listening to that collection of essays gave me that magical feeling I’ve sought out again and again of hearing from a very funny friend who tells it like it is, no shame. Quietly Hostile is my third Irby read and it delivered yet again. I love hearing about the minutiae of her life–yes, including her bowel issues–I love the playlists she creates that make me think fondly of my younger years, I love her devil may care humor. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, read by Irby. It makes for excellent company.
— Sharifah
Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani
I’m in my cozy manga era and feeling myself. The past few weeks, I’ve been devoting large parts of my weekend days to reading the coziest, cutest manga I can find in my library. One of the series I’ve gotten into is Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani.
It follows Riko, a 29-year-old office worker who is the embodiment of I-didn’t-come-here-to-make-friends. She goes to work, does her job, and goes home. She never wants to drink after work with her coworkers and keeps personal details to herself. How does she spend her time? She games. Hard. Like, sis sometimes low-key goes broke spending money on video games and related accessories. So when a stray kitten is found in her job’s parking lot by the security guard, she’s surprised that she volunteers to take it home. Once reality sets in, she realizes she really has no clue about caring for kittens, and the resulting hijinks that come with her learning is super precious. I love how, when her kitten learns new cat things, he levels up as per the many RPGs she’s played. There are also cute moments when we see things from the kitten’s perspective — in one of these moments, we find out that he finds Riko to be beautiful like his momma cat. *cries in adorable*
And when I happen to read these at home at the end of a long day, I like to pair them with a glass (or two) of wine and one of these sampler masks by Peter Thomas Roth.
— Erica