Bookish Newsletters to Savor While You Sip
More newsletters for your reading pleasure
Hi readers,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday (US) and had the opportunity to spend some time with family and friends and recharge a bit. I can’t believe it’s already December; where has this year gone? I moved to my new apartment, and I’m somewhat settled. I still have some boxes I need to unpack and some organizing to do, but I feel like I’m finally home. So far, I’ve had no problems here, and the apartment management has been so helpful—a pleasant change from the past.
The bookish community on Substack has grown by leaps and bounds since I started writing here in May 2021. At that time, maybe a hundred newsletters focused on books and reading. In a newsletter I received over the weekend, a writer indicated that there were now eight hundred book-related newsletters. I haven’t actually counted, but based on all the newsletters I subscribe to, that count makes sense to me. Besides being heavy on bookish newsletters, my newsletter diet contains many food, travel, and culture newsletters. In the past, I’ve shared links to other bookish newsletters. It’s been a while since my last share, so let’s do it again!
My choices in the newsletters I’m sharing relate to my reasons for reading newsletters. I want to know more about the books, authors, and subjects that occupy my time and bring joy to my life. More recently, I’ve begun to want more from my reading life—to think about why I read the books I do, to learn how to think critically about what I read, and to take more away from my reading.
Enjoyment, fun, and maybe a little bit of learning, too
A recent find blends books, culture, and Gen Z with an “easy on the eye” aesthetic and reviews of books that leave the reader wanting to read more.
shares books (we read many of the same books) and culture (we have very little in common, but still fun), and provides a peek into the reading life of another reader. In the latest issue of her newsletter, talks about the merits of a “strict reading list” and shares her reads for November.
I wouldn’t call the next newsletter “fun” per se, but it sheds light and understanding on something I know very little about and have gone down the rabbit hole trying to learn more. I’m always a little slow to recognize when new things become popular or talked about, especially culture-type things, and “Trad Wives, Shiny Happy People, and The Secret Lives of Morman Wives,” to name a few, just showed up on my radar in the last year or so.
is a newsletter by , author of the book A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy. I first heard about her from the Culture Study Podcast, and after listening to it, I wanted to dig deeper. I’ve recently become a paid subscriber to her newsletter after reading the free posts for a few months, and I’m slowly catching up on the posts I’ve missed. If this subject interests you, this is one of the best sources of factual information I’ve found.
If you are concerned about local libraries and book banning, I’ve shared a couple of BookRiot sources in the past, but I don’t think I’ve ever shared one of the newer sources I’ve discovered.
is a “newsletter connecting folks interested in defending, strengthening, and expanding public libraries.” There are plenty of action items, training, and “updates from library land” to keep you reading for days. The newsletter is for everyone, not just those employed by a library. For The People promotes joining library boards and commissions and offers training to help you do that. They promote joining your local “friends of the library” group and interview people who have joined to learn more about their experience being a member.
I read for enjoyment, escape, and fun, and it never occurred to me to “think critically” about what I read, to have thoughts and concerns about where those books come from, and about who writes and publishes those books. The newsletters below have provided so much “food for thought” about more than just the storyline in the books I read.
Critical Thinking and Introspection
I’ve spoken in the past about my newfound interest in “literary criticism,” and that interest ticked up from another Culture Study Podcast episode with former podcast creator, LitHub contributor, and Substack newsletter creator,
. I had never heard of her before listening to the CS podcast episode, “How Did Goodreads Get So Bad,” but once I listened to the episode, I knew I needed to learn more about her and her writing. She says that “working in and around books, it is so incredibly easy to become disillusioned… but despite it all, I still love books. And I am still constantly thrilled by so many of the authors working today.” Her newsletter is a mostly paid newsletter, but she writes a couple of issues a month that are free for a short time. I’ve linked below to the only free issue, so read it quickly before it is locked down when the next one comes out.
Becoming a Close(r) Reader, a mini-series publishing weekly for eight weeks in the
newsletter, lands squarely in the middle of “introspection” by helping the reader “explore and define analytical style and aesthetic, brainstorm reading habits and goals, and learn to write about your closely reading methods.” I’ve enjoyed the weekly lessons so far and saved each newsletter to come back to when I have more time. I want to be more intentional in my reading life and would like to go from “flying by the seat of my pants” to a more structured schedule and method of reading. I’m hoping I can use this series to make some changes.
I’ve written about this newsletter previously, but always in the “enjoyment and fun” context. It is still both of those things, but there is an ongoing series in the
newsletter, Reading in Public, that embodies “critical thinking and introspection.” Throughout fifty-six (plus a few extra) newsletters so far, I have learned what it means to “read in public,” “discerning what a book is trying to do,” and one of my favorites is “how to keep book reviews from tainting my reading experiences.” Best of all, even though her newsletter offers a paid subscription, most of the “Reading in Public” series is free, as is much of the other writing.
I hope one or more of these newsletters piqued your interest. The bookish universe on Substack is so much fun, and I learn a bunch by reading many of the newsletters I subscribe to. Do you have any favorite bookish newsletters you like to read? Do you read them for fun or to learn something? Tell me all about it in the comments below.
I got bogged down in my reading during November, but hopefully, I’m back on track and can finish a few more books before the end of the year. If only someone could teach me how to read all the books I’d like to—that would be wonderful; unfortunately, there are probably not enough hours in the day to do that. I’ll be back on Friday with some links I collected during November. Until then, happy reading!
Some of the links in this newsletter may be affiliate links. That means that if you click through and purchase anything, I may earn a small commission. This costs you nothing and helps me feed my voracious reading habit, and for that, I thank you.
800 bookish newsletters?! Amazing! You always have the best recommendations and are such a champion for other writers on here, Gayla. I appreciate your work.
Gayla, thanks for this bookish bounty of newsletters! Merry Christmas. I look forward to connecting with you more in the coming year ...