I missed you!
Hi Friends!
I am home for now and already thinking about my next vacation. If you’re not receiving these emails in your inbox, make sure to add moushkaa@gmail.com to your contacts. And if you’d like to forward to a friend, please do so! Friends can sign up here: http://tinyletter.com/theodora
If you missed my end-of-the-year email, I highlighted all the best (and worst) books I read in 2016. You can see it here: http://tinyletter.com/theodora/letters/the-best-book-i-read-this-year
What I’m clicking:
Our abusive relationship with cats | 2016 was the worst year ever | 2016 in photos | Move over Guy Fieri’s American Grill, there’s a new worst restaurant in America | Solange X Beyoncé
What I’m watching:
I recently went to a screening of the Lost City of Z. I liked it! The plot is pretty nonexistent, but there are some really beautiful scenes. Based on the movie, I’m really not sure I would recommend the book, but the movie reminded me of a couple of favorite jungle books that I would definitely recommend: Euphoria and State of Wonder.
If you haven’t already watched Insecure on HBO, you should. It’s funny and relatable and I think it would probably be even funnier and more relatable if you live in L.A. or if you’ve ever worked for a non-profit. (Not pre-requisites though) Mostly it’s just a really honest portrayal of a friendship.
The Crown. This is 100% not the kind of thing I’m interested in, but I really enjoyed watching this. The clothes, houses, and cars are great eye candy and the episode where she goes to Kenya and stays at Treetops is really fun to watch.
The Intervention. If you’re somebody who likes indie rom-coms or if you’re somebody who has ever gone on a misguided vacation with other couples, you need to watch this movie. It’s cute, it’s funny, it’s relatable, and it checks all the boxes without being a totally cheesy happy ending. You won’t regret watching this movie.
What I’m wanderlusting:
I’m just back from the Philippines and there are so many little islands left to explore. I was in Palawan for 10 days with my family and I feel like we barely scratched the surface. Apulit Island looks especially inviting (and nearly impossible to get to).
What I’m reading:
Emily Ruskovich
This book had a lot of potential. A unique setting in the mountains, a creepy story, vivid details, and decent (I guess) writing. But, there was just something…bad….about it. I didn’t like any of the characters, the plot was hideously contrived, and I just couldn’t get excited about reading this. Finishing it felt like a task.
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 don’t know! I don’t think so. I could totally see somebody liking this book and I could totally see a place like The Skimm recommending it, but it just was not my kind of book. I’m very curious to know if this book does well and if any of you hear anything about it besides in this email right now.
Would I read it again: No
Would it be a good movie: It’s really possible. For some reason I think an overly-contrived plot works better on film and I think as long as you don’t have to be inside the main character’s insipid brain you might actually like her. I wish I had spent 2 hours watching this movie instead of however many hours reading the book.
Katherine Boo
Wow. I have never read a nonfiction book that manages to suck you in so quickly. I really love books about India and this book was everything I hoped it would be.
Did it make me cry: I got a little teary, yeah.
Did it make me laugh: Yes! This is a surprisingly fun and funny read. There are lots of fun misunderstandings, superstitions, and all kinds of irony.
Did it make me miss a subways stop: I didn’t read it on the subway.
Would I recommend it: Yes! Even if you think you don’t like nonfiction (like me) you should read this book. It’s really fast-paced, there aren’t any annoying numbers or dates, and it’s an extremely well-reported account of the lives of a few key characters. It’s a better novel than most novels. I would also especially like to recommend this to anybody who has read Shantaram.
Would I read it again: Yes. It’s a really quick read.
Would it be a good movie: Yes, even as a documentary it would be thrilling.
Liane Moriarty
I decided to read this book because I keep seeing ads for a VERY juicy-looking HBO series based on the book. The book is actually total garbage, but it’s very fun garbage.
Did it make me cry: No
Did it make me laugh: I think it tried, but no.
Did it make me miss a subways stop: I didn’t read it on the subway but I could see that happening.
Would I recommend it: I would recommend only if you’re on vacation or if you’re in a reading rut where you haven’t read anything lately that you couldn’t put down. Sometimes you just need to read a book like this to get you back into the swing of things.
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: Yes! It’s one of those books like Gone Girl where you just know while you’re reading it that it will work better as a movie than a book.
John Irving
I bought this book because I was going on vacation to the Philippines and I wanted to read a novel set there. (I have already read When the Elephants Dance). I should have paid attention to a major red flag - that John Irving is a famous writer and this book came out in 2015, published by the company where I used to work, but I had still somehow never heard of it. But I loved the cover! I wish I had never picked up this book and I wish I didn’t try and finish all the books I pick up because my life would have been better without ever reading this. However, there were some redeeming qualities to the book. The part where he’s in the Philippines was pretty close to my trip: he was there over New Year’s, we were there over New Years; He stayed at the Makati Shangri-La, we stayed at the Makati Shangri-La; He stayed at Lagen Island , we stayed at Lagen Island. Beyond that, I found this book to be a total bore. The whole thing is basically just some old guy complaining about his bodily aches and pains and how many heart medications and viagras he has to take every day. I don't actually know anything about John Irving but I felt like this book was uncomfortably autobiographical to the point where I was like "I’d rather I didn’t know this about you, John".
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: Please don’t read this book. If you haven’t dabbled in John Irving yet, I really liked The World According to Garp.
Would I read it again: NO.
Would it be a good movie: Here’s the funny thing: it might actually be a decent movie. But you’d have change a lot. Remove everything about childhood, remove all the medical ailments, cast some sexy old man like Javier Bardem in the lead role and just have this be a movie about a writer who meets two mysterious women while on vacation searching for his grandfather’s grave in Manila.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This is the perfect book and it's exactly the kind of book I love. Honestly I had never even heard of Biafra, and now I wish every country had a book like this. She did an excellent job of explaining history and getting to the heart of the matter while telling an interesting story with complicated relationships and characters that you truly care about and get attached to.
Did it make me cry: Yes, it’s devastating.
Did it make me laugh: I don’t think so.
Did it make me miss a subways stop: I didn’t read it on the subway, but it’s possible.
Would I recommend it: Not only would I recommend this book, I would recommend every thing she’s ever written. Americanah is one of my top 25 favorite books ever.
Would I read it again: Yes! Especially if I ever make it to Nigeria.
Would it be a good movie: Yes, but it would have to be SO bloody.
What I’m reading right now:
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. So far I am unimpressed.
What’s on my bookshelf waiting to be read:
This One is Mine by Maria Semple
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Eileen by Otessa Moshfegh
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
M Train by Patti Smith
That 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? (You can reply to this email and tell me)
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