"how DARE you" - Greta Thunberg
h e l l o t h e o
this week’s style inspo:
Greta Thunberg, defender of earth. If you haven’t seen her speech at the UN already, please watch this video.
what I’m clicking:
Surf moms and instagram influencers in Byron Bay | Cats is an ill-conceived disaster and that’s great, actually | The absolutely insane Hunter Biden profile in the New Yorker | How the world’s most instagrammed slot canyon is changing everything | Lauren Duca’s “revolution” | Caity Weaver discusses Spice Girls | The paternity trap | Help! I’m totally obsessed with Caroline Calloway and I cannot look away |True crime novels from every state | The cult of the boy mom | What instagram did to Tavi Gevinson | What is chronic lyme, anyways? | The insane true story of the creepy work wives
what I’m wanderlusting:
Uzbekistan and the silk road.
what I’m listening to:
The Ballad of Billy Balls. If you love the East Village, you should listen to this.
what I’m coveting:
I’m suddenly obsessed with rugs and I now fantasize about quitting my job to become a textile importer. In the meantime, I want everything on Frances Loom.
what I’m writing about:
I went to Australia in May and wrote about Sydney, Kangaroo Wine Country, and the Central Coast.
what I’m reading:
When people ask me about my favorite new book of the summer, this is my answer. It’s so beautifully-written, thought-provoking, and fascinating, but it’s also a thriller and absolutely unputdownable. I loved this book and I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t win any awards this year.
Paul McLain
To some, Paula McClain is just a slight step above grocery store novels, but I LOVE her work. I don’t actually like reading Hemingway, but I have to admit that he had really great taste in places and a definite thirst for adventure, so when somebody repackages his life into a more interesting and digestible book, I can’t NOT read it.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: No.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: No.
Would I recommend it: I love Martha Gellhorn and I think you do too, even if you don’t know it yet. I would also highly recommend The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun.
Would I read it again: Possibly! Especially if I were going to Spain.
Would it be a good movie: I think it was an HBO movie but it looks so dumb I’m afraid to watch.
Edward St. Aubyn
So, this is actually five books in one, but you have to read them all and it’s all pretty fast reading. I was averaging 1/day. I loved every minute of these books and I was devastated when they were over. It turns out I have a real soft spot for fancy people doing drugs.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: Yes! It’s very funny in a sometimes scary kind of way.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: I devoured this book.
Would I recommend it: Yes, I truly loved it! If the 5-books-in-1 thing disturbs you, you can also just buy the first book and see if you like it. (Although the second and third are the best.)
Would I read it again: Someday.
Would it be a good movie: It has been turned into a tv show that I’ve been meaning to watch.
Patricia Highsmith
Pro tip: If you’re going on vacation somewhere fabulous, check to see if Patricia Highsmith has ever written a book based there because she is GREAT vacation reading.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: No.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: No.
Would I recommend it: If you’re looking for a thriller set in Greece, yes!
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: The ending is all sorts of dumb, but maybe!
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry
Fredrik Blackman
I read this book because it was lying around and I sort of wish I hadn’t. It was a fine but completely unnecessary and unbelievable read.
Did it make me cry: Yes.
Did it make me laugh: No.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: No.
Would I recommend it: No.
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: No, they made this movie already and it’s called Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
Viet Thanh Nguyen
Not as good as The Sympathizer but it’s still an excellent read.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: Yes.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: No.
Would I recommend it: Sure.
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: Some of the stories, especially the darkly funny ones, would be great movies.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
Lori Gottlieb
The more distance I get from reading this book, the more disturbed I am by it, for a few reasons. The first reason is that it shows how obviously troubled most therapists are. I don’t believe in taking advice from people who aren’t happy, and not one of the “professionals” in this book seem remotely happy or satisfied with their lives. The second thing is that it all feels a little bit too Hollywood to me. Each of the characters in this novel is starring in their own Nancy Meyers film. It feels like a cheap ploy from a failed writer to make it big, somehow. And third, the person who wrote this book also wrote a book called Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough.
Did it make me cry: Yes, it’s meant to be a tear-jerker.
Did it make me laugh: No.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: No.
Would I recommend it: No, but if you are a licensed medical professional and/or a therapist and/or in therapy, I want you to read this book and tell me what you think of the author.
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: Actually, it would easily make three good movies.
Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Both Fleischmans are in trouble, and I! Am! Deeply! Disturbed! This book makes marriage, kids, and adulthood look like the grimmest prospect on earth. Do not read this book on your honeymoon, but please read it so we can talk about it. This book is fucked up. Also the writing is weird.
Did it make me cry: I think so, actually.
Did it make me laugh: There were some clever one-liners.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: No.
Would I recommend it: No, but I’d like you to read it.
Would I read it again: No!
Would it be a good movie: No, it has serious Blue Jasmine vibes and that movie was disturbing AF. Sometimes I still want to call Cate Blanchette to be like “Are you ok?”
DBC Pierre
I hated everything about this book. I’m not quite sure why I finished it and I’m not quite sure why it ever won the Man Booker Prize, but it did not age well.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: No.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: No.
Would I recommend it: No.
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: No.
Mahesh Rao
I had extremely high hopes for a book that was touted as “Crazy Rich Indians” and it’s not like I was necessarily let down by this book, but I wanted So Much More. I wish this book were much longer, with much more character development and a much bigger scope.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: It’s funny.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: No, but I was trying to savor it.
Would I recommend it: If you’re looking for something light, yes.
Would I read it again: If they make a sequel (I’m not sure how that would work) I would 100% read this again.
Would it be a good movie: Absolutely.
what I’m bookclubbing: We’ll be discussing Ask Again, Yes tomorrow in Brooklyn! Join us!