What’s on your nightstand? Vol. 6: Michelle Martin
Introducing one of my oldest & dearest Bookstagram friends.
Hello and happy Thursday!
I am so thrilled to welcome my dear friend
to this week’s edition of What’s on your nightstand? Fun fact: Michelle’s absolutely stunning Bookstagram account is what finally inspired me to start my own back in 2019. Her beautiful photos drew me in, but ultimately our shared literary taste—and thoughts on the creative life, social media, and cozy rituals—has continued to anchor our bookish friendship over the years. Welcome, Michelle!
Alexandra: How do the books on your nightstand reflect where you are in life right now?
Michelle: At the moment, they perfectly represent my reading taste. Which isn't always the case! I love to read something calming before bed on my Kindle, and right now I'm reading The Matchmaker by Catherine Walsh. Like many other readers, I started reading more romance during the pandemic and quickly discovered a love of British rom-coms. Catherine Walsh is Irish, so it's been fun to discover her books.
I'm also currently reading Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. I love literary fiction, and my husband read this a few months ago and kept telling me I should read it because I would love it. I've recently been thinking about what 2024 releases I want to read before the end of the year. This was at the top of the list, so here we are.
The rest of the books on my nightstand are books on my TBR shortlist. They represent my aspirational reading queue. I don't always stick to this pile, and it often changes, but at the moment it's a good mix of big titles from this year that I want to read, some new books I picked up at the bookstore lately, and my short stack of holiday books I want to read.
A: What's a book that's brought you peace or a new perspective during a difficult time?
M: I read This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett last November while I was grieving. We had to say our final goodbye to our sweet cat, Quincy, who had been with me for 17 years. Pet grief is a weirdly isolating experience, given that you experience it mostly alone since your relationship with your pet is so personal, so I was struggling.
Two weeks after she passed, as we were preparing to travel to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family, Dean and I got COVID. We had to stay home for the holiday. What was supposed to be a bright spot during a sad time was no longer happening, and I felt even worse than I had already.
I picked up Patchett's book of essays, and it was such a balm. So soothing. In it, she writes about family, loss, love, failure, joy, and pet loss. She wrote one essay about the passing of her 17-year-old dog, Rose, that I particularly connected with:
"I came to realize in the months following Rose's death, months that I referred to myself as being in the ditch, that there was between me and every person I had ever loved some element of separation, and I had never seen it until now. There had been long periods spent apart from the different people I loved, due to nothing more than circumstances. There had been arguments, and disappointments, for the most part small and easily reconciled, but over time people break apart, no matter how enormous the love they feel for one another is, and it is through the breaking and the reconciliation, the love and the doubting of love, the judgment and then the coming together again, that we find our own identity and define our relationships.
Except that I had never broken from Rose. I had never judged her or wanted her to be different, never wished myself free from her for a single day."
I still think of this quote often and share this essay with folks when they experience their own pet loss.
A: Besides books, what other treasures do you keep on your nightstand?
M: A few years ago, I stopped keeping my phone in the bedroom so I bought a cute analog alarm clock that I love. I charge my Apple Watch nightly and have a stand to put it on each night. I'm a light sleeper, so a white noise machine is a must. The small jewelry dish was a wedding gift from a dear friend. Each night I take off my rings and earrings and put them in before bed. And I have my five-minute journal, which I try to write in each morning and evening (and mostly succeed!). It's fun looking back at previous journals to see a small snapshot of what was going on in life. On the small shelf above my nightstand, I have some seashells I've collected on seaside walks and a small framed print of a pine tree, the state tree of Maine.
A: Do you have a seasonal reading ritual or a specific type of book/genre you gravitate toward during the cooler months?
M: Definitely. I lean into the cozy vibes this time of year and love reading stories that feature family, food, and gentle domesticity. A few authors that come to mind that fall into those categories are Laurie Colwin, Katherine Heiny, Ann Patchett, and Anne Tyler. All these authors hit the mark for me this time of year.
They write about life in a realistic way that feels joyful while still feeling real, messy, and sometimes hard. I don't love sappy reads: it's the literary side of me, so I always count on these authors to be comforting while still being realistic.
If you're looking for a place to start with any of them, here's what I'd recommend. Homecooking by Laurie Colwin is a perfect blend of her life in New York City and reflections on cooking. Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny is such a treasure of a book if you love small-town settings, whip-smart dialogue, and quirky characters (a la Gilmore Girls). My favorite Ann Patchett novel is hard to pick, but The Dutch House remains at the top because of its astute portrayal of changing family dynamics as we age. Any Anne Tyler novel is the right one, but recently, I read Back When We Were Grownups, and it felt very cozy and perfect for this time of year.
A: What book are you always recommending to friends, and why do you think it deserves a spot on everyone's nightstand?
M: Oh, gosh. This is constantly changing based on whatever I've read and loved lately. But two of my enduring favorites are The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien, which was my gateway into Irish literature a few years ago. The second is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, a beautiful exploration of what shapes a family through generations.
More recently, I've been recommending Louise Kennedy's Trespasses, which is an incredible collection of short stories. And, for my romance readers, one of the best romances I read all year that I love telling folks about is How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang.
To read more from Michelle and follow her work, subscribe to her Substack, Literary Leanings:
Thank you so much, Michelle ◡̈
Have a great weekend,
Michelle would have the most aesthetically perfect book lineup on her nightstand! Catherine Walsh has THE BEST Christmas books
Thank you Alexandra for such great interviews.