hi!
Hello!
I’m back from my trip to India (I loved it so much - expect to see some stories about it soon). Here’s what I’ve been up to for the past two weeks:
what I’m clicking:
This super snowy road in Japan | The story behind one of my favorite twitter accounts | This TV show actually sounds fantastic. It should be the plot of the next Christopher Guest film | Elizabeth Taylor’s home
what I’m watching:
This video of a little girl who mistakes a hot water heater for a robot.
A Bigger Splash
I loved this movie and honestly it’s worth watching just for the fashions alone. It’s Tilda Swinton as a rockstar! Also, it will make you want to spend a very chic few weeks recovering from throat surgery in Pantelleria. And even if you hate Dakota Johnson, you might actually love her in this.
La La Land
No. Just, no.
what I’m wanderlusting:
what I’m reading:
E.M. Forster
I wanted to read this book for a few reasons and I’m glad I finally did, because now I don’t have to wonder about whether or not I’m missing out on one of the best books of the 20th century. This book is bad. It's insipid, misogynist, and racist. Also the title is really misleading. Don't read this book. What is with "classics" anyways? I don’t even understand how this could have been a good book when it came out. Please enlighten me.
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: No.
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: No.
Kamala Markandaya
I think this is billed as one of those quintessential India books, but there’s something a little off about it. I felt like I was reading a version of a story that had been edited to suit a PG audience.
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: I would recommend it to somebody between the ages of 11 and 15. If you, as an adult, want to read an utterly heartbreaking novel about India, please read A Fine Balance instead. (Just don’t read it on vacation).
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: I don’t think so. It’s just a sad story but it’s so poorly written that you don’t really care about all the bad stuff that happens.
Mohsin Hamid
My only critique of this book is that I wanted more of it. It’s basically a novella, but I could have read 1,000 more pages of this story. I think this will easily end up being one of the best books of 2017.
Did it make me cry: Yes, and pretty quickly too!
Did it make me laugh: Yes.
Did it make me miss a subways stop: No.
Would I recommend it: Yes. The topic is extremely relevant and it’s just one of those books that’s so beautifully written that you find yourself rereading passages.
Would I read it again: Yes! It was so short.
Would it be a good movie: I generally don’t think magical realism translates very well to film, but hey, why not.
what I’m reading right now:
Death on Windmill Way. It’s like one very long episode of Scooby Doo: The Hamptons.
the best book I read in March:
the best book I read in February:
The Bone Clocks and Days of Abandonment
the best book I read in January:
what’s on my bookshelf waiting to be read:
what books are on my list to buy (this will take me months to actually do):
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
The new Bernadette book
Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
M Train by Patti Smith
That Patty Hearst book
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born
What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell
After interviewing Helen Ellis, I added a few books from her “classic trashy” book club to my list.
What are you reading? (You can reply to this email and tell me)
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