Can we talk about the debut authors of 2023? Because it’s an incredible cohort! One of my favorites of this year is Thao Thai’s Banyan Moon, a stunning novel that spans across three generations of Vietnamese-American women, all connected through the Banyan House, a crumbling manor that’s been in the family for decades. I love a novel that centers around a family home (hello Dutch House!), and Thai does such a beautiful job exploring themes of motherhood, family, and inheritance across decades and continents in this sweeping narrative.
I’m so excited for you to get to know Thai and her work—trust me, you’ll be seeing her name a lot in the coming months and years!
— Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus book buyer
I’ve been listening to: Everything Is Fine. This is a podcast for women over forty, and though I haven’t technically reached that milestone yet, I have appreciated the way the hosts and guests talk about ambition, identity, and all the midlife feelings. It makes me feel seen as an elderly Millennial!
I love to watch: Reality TV. It’s what I turn on when I’m at the gym, and something about the repetitive drama, as well as the ability to completely tune my brain out, is so soothing. I’m especially into Selling Sunset right now—the houses and the clothes are pure fantasy!
Something I saw online that made me laugh, cry, or think: “We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’re Getting Married in Florida” (TIME). There’s a lot of (justifiable) despair around the political happenings in Florida, my home state, and many tend to dismiss Florida altogether. I was very moved by how Kristen Arnett wrote so honestly about what it’s like to—in her words—love a place that doesn’t love you back.
A creator who’s doing something I admire: Just one? Impossible! I love following Michelle Yeoh’s rich acting career. I can’t get enough of the way Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai highlights the Vietnamese diaspora with her writing and social advocacy. And as a food-loving person, I really enjoy the way Justine Doiron approaches home cooking with such genuine enthusiasm and thoughtfulness.
A book I recently recommended to someone else: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. These short stories floored me—each full of passion, rich interior lives, and unforgettable reckonings. This book will change you!
If I could teleport anywhere in the world right now, I’d go to: Vietnam, no question. I haven’t been back in over a decade, and I have a dreamy itinerary in my head. Seafood pulled in from nets on the coast, staying overnight in the huge Phong Nha caves, shopping for custom áo dài in Hội An. And skipping past that whole 20-hour flight sounds downright heavenly.
I wish I knew more about: Music! There is so much to explore and I’m terribly behind (I still rely on the old ‘90s standbys). My DMs are open for recommendations, especially anything folk/Southern Gothic.
My favorite thing about bookstores: How safe they make me feel.
Thank you to Thao Thai for joining us on this edition of Authors IRL! Banyan Moon will be released tomorrow, June 27, 2023.
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