Books & Links & Fun Stuff (no politics, I promise)
Happy Election Day!
For those of you who missed my last few emails, just add the “from” address to your contacts to make sure these emails wind up in your inbox (if you care). I’ll also be posting on Instagram (and facebook & twitter) every time I send out a new letter. You can see all of my previous emails in the archive. Here’s what I’ve been up to lately:
What I’m watching:
Beyonce’s performance at the CMAs (and all the disapproving white dudes in the audience - this song really should be their NRA anthem but they’re too racist and sexist to let it happen). A tiger and a swimming pool.
I used to live near the greatest indie theater (shout out to Sunshine!) but since I moved to Bushwick I never go to the movies anymore. It’s sad, but I just wait and watch movies on apple tv. I finally watched Captain Fantastic and I loved it. I don’t think anybody can watch this movie and be like “ugh, what a drag, I hated it” so you should add it to your list (if you haven’t already - it came out this summer).
I started watching Divorce on HBO and it’s pretty funny! Although the pilot might have been the funniest episode, which is disappointing.
I also just finished season 3 of Transparent on Amazon, which I think is the best tv show period, no qualifiers.
What I’m clicking:
Untold stories of the women who built New York. The parallel lives of Clinton and Trump in 1990s New York (OK fine, one political article). The literary brat pack. A Q&A with Helen Ellis (by me!). Tilda Swinton, chameleon.
What I’m wanderlusting:
PARIS, PARIS, PARIS! I’ll be spending 3 days there over Thanksgiving. I’ll be travelling alone and all I want to do is walk around and look at stuff and eat a croque monsieur while I read some Romantic book (any recommendations? I mean Romantic, not romantic).
What I’m coveting:
I read that November is going to have a monster of a full moon, so I’d like to channel my inner Wiccan cult leader with a full moon meditation kit. And taking some inspo from Jeffrey Tambor, Queen of Caftans, I’d like to perform the rituals wearing this.
What I’m reading:
And now for the books I’ve read since the last time we talked, in order from least best to best.
Kate Christensen
This book surprised me. The premise seems a bit boring (somebody is writing a biography about a dead artist) but the book is actually pretty dramatic and fast-paced. The entire book takes place over the course of a few days, so it’s a quick read. My only criticism is that it’s a little too quick - this book could have been EXCELLENT with a little more backstory and maybe some flashbacks to the swinging sixties in NYC. Places like Studio 54 and jazz clubs in Greenwich Village are mentioned off the cuff, but it would have been more fun to dive in.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: No.
Did it make me miss a subways stop: No.
Would I recommend it: Yeah, it’s pretty good and I definitely don’t regret reading it.
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: Yes! I think this film would be so great and also just really fun to cast. Almost all the characters are women in their 70s-80s and it would just be So. Much. Fun. There are two characters in particular that are the role of a lifetime. It definitely needs to be renamed though. The name makes no sense, especially as a film.
Phil Klay
I know I am so late on this one, but Oh My God I Loved This Book. None of the stories was a dud - they were all excellent and different and depressing and funny. I think people like to make the comparison to The Things They Carried, which is also great, but this might be better.
Did it make me cry: Yes! It made me cry right off the bat in the first story.
Did it make me laugh: Yes! Parts of this book are so funny.
Did it make me miss a subways stop: No.
Would I recommend it: Yes. I don’t think anybody would regret reading this book and I don’t think anybody would be like “meh, I couldn’t get into it.” Just read it. At least buy it and read the first story and if that doesn’t make you want to read the rest of the book then I don’t know what’s wrong with you.
Would I read it again: Yes.
Would it be a good movie: I think every single one of the stories would make a great movie. But I think the best candidate would be “Money As A Weapons System” because it’s darkly funny and complex and has a great cast of characters.
What I’m reading right now:
Homegoing by Yaa Gyaasi. It’s incredible so far and I can already tell it’s going to be one of those sweeping historical sagas that end up teaching you something new.
What’s on my nightstand:
I spent like $100 on books last week, so my pile grew a little bit.
The Vegeterian by Han Kang
The rest of those damn Neapolitan books
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Also I read this article and I remembered that I bought The Beautiful Forevers a while ago, so I’m moving it up in the queue.
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
This One is Mine by Maria Semple
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Eileen by Otessa Moshfegh
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth (on sale in January but I found an advance copy and it looks super juicy)
Should I read The Bone Clocks? I found a paperback at work…
What books are on my list to buy (this will take me months to actually do):
Now that I have established myself as a Miriam Toews fan, I want to see what else she has up her sleeve: A Boy of Good Breeding, A Complicated Kindness, Irma Voth, and her memoir, which sounds like it was inspiration for AMPS.
Since I read this article, I added a few more books to my list. This list is growing faster than I can keep up.
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
The new Bernadette book
Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
M Train by Patti Smith
That new Patty Hearst book
H Is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
After interviewing Helen Ellis, I added a few books from her “classic trashy” book club to my list.
What are you reading this month? (You can reply to this email and tell me. Or just text me)
Do you like my book banter? Tell your friends to sign up! http://tinyletter.com/theodora