Project Bookshelf: Emma Goss

If I had to define the genre that enthralls me the most when it comes to my own reading habits, I would probably go with Female Rage Novels. I’m deeply moved by authors who explore a complex woman, whether it be by indulging in qualms about her embodiment, explorations with her body and agency, or with the power structures around her. I find novels that entertain this kind of tender, flawed, fierce female character to be significant.

My favorite book of all time is The Vegetarian by Han Kang. I find her exploration of embodiment and agency to be profound and deeply saddening at the same time. Told via triptych, Kang pushes the boundaries of fiction by engaging with elements that verge on the fantastical. This book is nothing short of brilliant and remains my favorite Kang book. Some other novels I’d personally assume under the moniker of Female Rage are Animal by Lisa Taddeo, I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, and Big Swiss by Jean Bagin.

I would, however, hate to not mention the grip that literary fiction as a whole has on me. Kazuo Ishiguro, Ocean Vuong, Sally Rooney (duh), Ann Napolitano and R.F. Kuang are among by favorites as well. I like to organize my bookshelf by genre rather than author and have the aforementioned writers bunched together as if at dinner with one another. I’m also absolutely obsessed with Irish writers. I studied abroad at Trinity College in Dublin, and while living there I was introduced to many Irish writers such as Ian McEwan, Colm Toibin, Sean Hewitt (who taught my poetry seminar!), and Chloe Michelle Howarth. Brooklyn and On Chesil Beach explore the impact setting can have on a novel like no other novels I’ve ever read. I also want to highlight Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth, my favorite queer narrative in a fiction novel. This takes me to another genre of literature I enjoy: Queer/Gender-bending novels. I’d include Julia Armfield’s Our Wives Under the Sea and Fun Home by Allison Bechdel in this beloved category.

And while we are on Julia Armfield, I have to mention short story collections, AKA the most underrated rated genre of literature (second to poetry). Salt Slow by Julia Armfield and Bliss Montage by Ling Ma are original, speculative, and depict courageous instances of nuance. If nothing else has sounded appealing from my bookshelf, take these two as a guaranteed 5 Stars of Goodreads pick. There is something for everyone in these collections.

Summer books! With college courses eroding some of my pleasure reading time—and replacing it was the finicky syllabi and reading, ranging from incredibly engaging to the lack thereof—I relish summer and the time to read (and listen) to books (I’m obsessed with audiobooks, have I mentioned that?). My summer faves are all over the place, which accurately reflects my overall reading taste. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman, The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors, Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy, and Educated by Tara Westover are summer reads that have inspired me to write, reflect, journal.

And yes, many of my books are stacked virtually as my bookshelf is criminally small… Anyway! I couldn’t end this post without mentioning poetry. Poetry is perhaps the only reason that reading is a part of my life now. I was introduced to reading poetry by my elementary teacher Holly, the first activity I really connected with. The first type of literature that moved me deeply. While Ada Limon was my starting point, and remains my home base, I’ve enjoyed Richard Siken, Charles Simic, Maggie Nelson, Marie Howe, Chen Chen, Mary Ruefle, Solmaz Sharif, Brenda Shaughnessy and Ocean Vuong. These are the books that I will take with me everywhere.

And to finish this post off, I’d have to mention Audible, my sacred multi-tasking activity. Walking to a coffee shop? Audible. Waiting for your laundry? Audible. Doing a puzzle? Audible. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro are some of my favorite listens from the past couple of weeks.

I enjoy reading in all its forms and genres, and am so grateful to have access to such a comprehensive selection of stories to read and learn from. I’ve just learned that the minimum number of books to count as a personal library, officially, is 1000 books—so, rightly, that is my next goal (I have a very long way to go).

Emma Goss (she/her/hers) is a senior English major with minors in Film and Linguistic Anthropology. A passionate reader, she prefers to always be juggling a poetry collection, a literary fiction novel, and an audiobook. Emma is especially drawn to poetry rooted in nature symbolism and metaphor. Some of her favorite collections include The Tradition by Jericho Brown, War of the Foxes by Richard Siken, What the Living Do by Marie Howe, and Jane: A Murder by Maggie Nelson. Her poetry has been published in Pangyrus Magazine and by the Princeton Leonard L. Milberg ’53 Poetry Contest. Originally from Los Angeles, she spends her time hiking local trails or browsing the poetry shelves at Barnes & Noble Studio City when not at Vassar.