01 Jun 2026 9 min read 2026

may 2026, leaving (my wallet on the plane to) las vegas

The view coming into Seattle from the plane; note the shadow

I flew to Las Vegas last week to celebrate my brother's nuptials. The wedding and all that it brought up, celebratory and traumatic, happy tears and sad ones, is a story for a different day.

This story is about how I left my wallet in the big pocket on the back of the seat in front of me on the airplane on the way to Las Vegas. Which means, when I landed in Las Vegas, my wallet was in a big pocket on the back of someone's seat rather than in my purse.

It's not the first time I've done this; in fact, it's the second time I've left my wallet on an airplane, but it is the first time I've left it on an airplane in Las fucking Vegas, a place where one will be carded. Even if you aren't actively consuming alcohol, Vegas is a place where you need to prove that you are of legal age to be in many places, regardless of substance intake. It's not a totally unfamiliar feeling; acting like I'm very cool and chill while doing something I can't legally prove I am allowed to do. But it was my first time I'd done that in Las Vegas, during a trip I was full to the brim of social and familial anxiety; of nerves and hopes and desires and the deep need to distract myself.

I was lucky. My brother was getting married, but I have a few brothers, and one of them hadn't left our hometown for Vegas yet. I let him know I'd left my wallet on the plane–I had realized it right away, after all, just not right away enough–and if he'd be so kind, could he drive to my house and get my passport?

And he did at 9 pm. The next day, I was deeply bored in Vegas because I wasn't united with my family and passport until late afternoon. I killed time walking around the casinos, imagining asking someone for a cigarette, which I hadn't smoked in nearly ten years, or fantasizing about asking a kind older woman if she'd buy me a mai tai so I could drink by the pool with my book.

Instead, I found a bookstore and spent a full hour there. As much as I am a book person who loves bookstores, I don't actually find the need to spend a lot of time in them. I'm more of a library girl and start to itch if I own too many books. But regardless, I let myself take a lot of time looking at the cute shelves, the layout, the weird dolls, the things that reminded me of home, and even bought a card, a book, and a sticker.

And then I practically ran to see my family. And my passport.

A few things: if you don't have multiple forms of ID, I recommend getting them now in case you lose one; I'd also recommend an "airtag" or some kind of wallet-tracking device, because that saved me time and time again. And lastly, don't ever put anything in the big airplane pocket on the back of the seat. You are going to forget it, and if you're not, you're better than me! But you should still not do it.

Here's what I read, in and outside of Vegas, in May.

[books i read]

Phoebe's Diary by Phoebe Wahl (2023) | Quick summary: An illustrated diary of the writer and illustrator's teenage adolescence.
I'm a huge fan of illustrator and writer Phoebe Wahl, a local hometown sharer of mine. I've read all of her children's books, sell a lot of them at my day job, and talk about her a lot because of the nature of my job at a kids' store. Though I've known of her YA graphic novel for years, I had never read it, and why not? I took my time with it, probably read it over more than a month, and have desperately missed it since it ended. I love a good graphic novel and YA book anyway, but the illustrations featuring Bellingham youth in the 2010s made it even more relevant, special, and exciting for me. A perfect book.
[YA fiction-ish, coming-of-age, written by a white children's book author, illustrator, and surface designer, longer read]

Daughters of the New Year: A Novel by E.M. Tran (2022) | Quick summary: Five generations of vietnamese american familial stories centered on astrological signs.
I wanted to love this book because it has everything I like! Families, siblings, tense parental relationships, astrology, The Bachelor!!! But for some reason, it just didn't hit. I was bored a lot, and I never connected to any of the characters or their storylines. It felt like a chore at the end, which I am still surprised by.
[fiction, family, written by a vietnamese-american fiction and creative nonfiction writer, longer read]

A picture of a hand holding In Love by Amy Bloom, and Talking About Death Won't Kill You — Outside of my local library

In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom (2022) | Quick summary: The memoir of a wife who supports her husband through ending his own life.
Inspired by one of my grad school classes this quarter about life-limiting illnesses, death, and grief, I picked up In Love, which is about Amy Bloom's late husband's death. But more importantly, it's about his death by choice. Amy and her husband Brian Ameche traveled to Zurich for him to take a lethal dose of pentobarbital, legal in Switzerland, because he didn't want to slowly die from Alzheimer's. Maybe y'all don't know this but I have a real interest in yes, grief, loss, and death, but also specifically the decision to end one's own life on one's own terms. This was one of many books I imagine I'm going to read about "death with dignity," "medical aid in dying," or, an outdated term, "assisted suicide."
[nonfiction, memoir, grief, death, written by a fiction and creative nonfiction writer, longer read]

Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family by Erika Hayasaki (2022) | Quick summary: A deep dive into three Vietnamese-adoptees growing up in America, and their families at home.
This book is everything I like and care about. Erika Hayasaki did a gorgeous job diving into the histories and stories and present-day realities of Hà, Loan, and Như, also known as Hà, Isabella, and Olivia. This is a carefully constructed parallel between growing up in Vietnam and growing up in a wealthier America. I appreciated how careful Hayasaki was with all parties, even the Solimene family, the white family who adopted and supported these three girls. This story is not easy, it's not happy, it's emotional, and it's a realistic look at adoption, especially international adoption.
[nonfiction, biography, family history, adoption, written by a writer, professor, and journalist, longer read]

[books i heard]

Are You Mad at Me?: How to Stop Focusing on What Others Think and Start Living for You by Meg Josephson (2025) | Quick summary: An in-depth look into how to stop being a people-pleaser.
This was a delicious deep dive into "fawning," which is something I have learned plenty about over the past decade of talk therapy, personal research, and being in a master 's-level social work program, but something I always need a reminder about. I am a recovering fawner and love to learn all about trauma responses.
[nonfiction, psychology, written by a white-american psychotherapist, licensed clinical social worker, and author, quickish read, narrated by the author]

Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online by Fortesa Latifi (2026) | Quick summary: An investigation into the sickening child influencer industry.
I sort of think everyone should read this book before logging onto social media ever again? I'd say I've started to question what I share online in the past five years in a different way than I had previously. I am The Internet Generation in that I remember a time before it and a time after it. I remember when we (my generation) first introduced social media to the world and algorithms weren't a thing and worrying about someone taking your image and altering the way you look wasn't a thing and being worried that sharing a photo of a newborn baby was sweet and not an invitation for the richest, whitest, most powerful people on the planet to make it nefarious; to ruin lives. Because I'm of the generation where this all started, I have a thousand thoughts, feelings, and critiques about people who have raised their kids as products of online culture. But luckily, because of Latifi's book, I don't need to share them past recommending this book.
[nonfiction, social sciences, written by an albanian-american journalist, writer, and author, medium-length read, narrated by the author]

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande (2014) | Quick summary: An exploration into how medicine can improve life, and the process of its ending.
Another book that came up in my life-limiting illnesses class, Being Mortal, explores the limitations of modern medicine in dealing with aging, decline, and death. This book came out over ten years ago, and though things haven't shifted drastically since its publication, the argument for a shift in focus from simply extending life to improving quality of life has only grown more compelling and relevant. Or maybe it feels that way because I am quite a bit older than I was in 2014.
[nonfiction, health sciences, written by an indian-american surgeon, writer, and public researcher, medium-length read, narrated by robert petkoff]

The Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead Secrets Are Done, Man — *Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead*.

You with the Sad Eyes: A Memoir by Christina Applegate (2026) | Quick summary: The actor and comedian Christina Applegate's memoir.
Christina Applegate is gorgeous, funny, realistic, and honest. Her memoir wasn't very good, if I'm being honest, but I am still glad it exists. This memoir reads like one from someone in their early 20s who hasn't experienced much yet, but Christina Applegate has experienced plenty. While I have the utmost empathy for her struggling with MS, this memoir felt like someone suggested she write it and she used it to process her anger at Hollywood (fair), MS (fair!!!), and how unclear the rest of her life will look. It's not that I don't support her or agree with her feelings; it's that it didn't feel like the time for her to write a memoir, or at least not this one.
[nonfiction, celebrity memoir, written by a white american actress and advocate, shorter read, narrated by the author]

Brandy & Monica - The Boy Is Mine (Official Video) — The girls

Phases: A Memoir by Brandy Norwood (2026) | Quick summary: The singer and actress Brandy's memoir.
I actually went into Phases lazily, and assumed I wouldn't enjoy it all that much. Brandy is fully from my generation, though, and I guess it's her whole thing; she was never everything to me. I don't think she was ever anything to anyone, which is kind of what her memoir is about. Regardless, I think she presents her talent, her reputation, and her story in a realistic, honest, and touching way. I never realized I enjoyed Brandy's voice until I listened to her read her memoir; I was desperate to hear every word from her mouth. I'm proud of her, which I hadn't realized, and I'm glad she's with us.
[nonfiction, celebrity memoir, written by a Black american singer and actress, longish read, narrated by the author]

And So It Is...: A Memoir of Acceptance and Hope by Jamie-Lynn Sigler (2026) | Quick summary: The actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler's memoir.
And So It Is is what I wanted Christina Applegate's memoir to be, and not just because Sigler and Applegate have a podcast about MS together. I learned a shit ton about Sigler while listening to this book, which I wanted from Applegate's, and is what I want from all memoirs! Sigler is honest, funny, and insightful. I could tell that Sigler has spent a lot of time reflecting and getting to know herself, and her disease. I didn't think her memoir was perfect; I actively cringed a few times, sure she was about to suggest some kind of weird fruit juice diet to cure MS, but ultimately, I trust and like her. I learned a lot about what she went through on The Sopranos, Entourage, and as a mother. Her voice is gorgeous, she's gorgeous, and I enjoyed this greatly.
[nonfiction, celebrity memoir, written by an american-greek-jewish-romanian-cuban actress, longish read, narrated by the author]