NONFICTION
Unf*ckology: A Field
Guide to Living with
Guts and Confidence
by Amy Alkon
Picking one of the thousands
of self-help books out
there claiming to have all
the answers seems like a
harder task than actually
putting the "experts" advice
into practice. Novelist and
self-proclaimed loser Amy
Alkon offers up a long-
term solution to the issues
surrounding self-worth
and the daunting process of
learning to assert yourself.
Before you move to the next
recommendation, you can
take solace in the fact that
Alkon's groundbreaking
advice isn't just standing
in front of the mirror and
believing in the innate
power of your own hidden
self-confidence. Using
psychological studies backed
by science, Alkon unpacks
and dissects the root of
confidence and how to live
with it.
Too Much and Not
the Mood
by Durga Chew-Bose
Titled aer Virginia Woolf 's
famous last words in "A
Writer's Diary," this very
sentiment inspired Durga
Chew-Bose to create her
own collection of lyrical
essays, "Too Much and Not
the Mood." Reading more
like poetry, Chew-Bose's
essays are full of loose,
playful prose that oen
go off in a dozen different
directions. Chew-Bose excels
at writing between the lines,
painstakingly drawing out
every last detail — seen most
effectively in her first essay
"Heart Museum" — a 90-
page analysis of a popularly
used emoji.
I Was Told
There'd Be Cake
by Sloane Crosley
e impact of a book,
no matter what style it
is delivered in, can be
determined by the length of
time it remains relevant and
relatable to its readers. For
exactly 10 years now, Sloane
Crosley's "I Was Told ere'd
Be Cake" has lived among
the ranks of the best-sellers
lists. Crosley provides a dry,
comical perspective on her
life and rather eccentric
thought process as a young
and successful publicist
in a post-9/11 New York
City. Witty and self-aware,
Crosley's collection of essays
effortlessly capture the
strangely familiar thoughts
that every city dweller can
chuckle at in agreement.
Rom Com
by Dina Del Bucchia
and Daniel Zomparelli
A well-versed
portrayal of both
poetry and pop
culture, "Rom
Com" provides
a humorous
glimpse into the
film genre we all
know, love and
continually poke
fun at. Inspired
by the cliché
conventions of
romantic comedies
(i.e. Matthew
McConaughey's
abs or Hugh
Grant's hair), the
poems explore
how Hollywood
has idealized
our own versions of love and how these movies
have shaped our perception of gender roles and
modern romance. "Rom Com" manages to both
simultaneously embrace and tear down the film
genre with its whip-smart attitude that'll have you
laughing out loud.
The Sun and Her Flowers
by Rupi Kaur
Everyone loves a good comeback story and Rupi
Kaur delivers with her newest poetry book, "e
Sun and Her Flowers". As a follow-up to her wildly
successful debut poetry collection, "Milk and
Honey", "e Sun and Her Flowers" references the
emotional, social and mental health issues that
Kaur combats continuously. e progression of
the book relates Kaur's breakup from an unhealthy
relationship to the death and rebirth of a flower in
five sections: "Wilting," "Falling," "Rooting," "Rising
and Blooming", each of which dives unabashedly
headfirst into Kaur's vulnerabilities. e poems are
equal parts trauma and triumph, leaving the reader
with a sense of strength and empowerment at the
end of this briefly-written, yet fulfilling journey of
heartache and healing.
POETRY
Rom Com
by Dina Del Bucchia
and Daniel Zomparelli
V U E N J . C O M
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