$20 Superpack: Elly's Picks!

These are the books that made Elly, MCP's VP, fall in love with Microcosm. 

Before I started working here officially in 2015, I spent a lot of time traveling and tabling events with Joe, which involved a lot of reading to pass the time, and so I could recommend things. I love so many books that have come out in the last decade, but these original favorites will always have a special charm for me.

• On Subbing - The first Microcosm book I read, found on the shelf of a cool friend of a friend when I got sick during a visit. It felt like finding a secret personal letter full of meaning and humor. One of Microcosm’s oldest books, the writing holds up, even if the title doesn’t—it’s about substitute teaching!
• White Elephants - I read this on an overnight Amtrak train, Montana scrolling past the window while Katie Haegele’s smooth, moody writing about grief, family, and yard sales hit just right.
• Cambodian Grrrl - There’s a lot going on in this intense, self-reflective story about zines, teaching, travel, feminism, history, and human frailty. I gave a stack of Microcosm books to my skeptical sister who reported “actually liking this one.”
• Sick - I was sunbathing while reading these super personal stories about the authors’ experiences with physical illness, and became so engrossed that I got sunburned. Somehow appropriate.
• The Dvorak Zine - One summer in college, I had joint pain so I taught myself to type on this lower-stress alternative to the QWERTY keyboard layout and never looked back. Occasionally I meet another Dvorak user and we give each other the nod. Join us!