one-of-a-kind characters
Here’s what I’ve been up to:
what I’m clicking:
This new way of reading really seems like it would take the fun out of reading | This story about fashion is somehow beautiful and moving and about so much more than fashion | Cruising on a cruise | If getting enough sleep is now “cool”, consider me Miles Davis | Women and men can’t be friends, even if you used to be a man too | The Trader Joe’s taste test | Beyonce’s pregnancy photographer has a new art show
what I’m wanderlusting:
Georgia O’Keefe everything. Take me to Abiquiu!
what I’m writing about:
what I’m listening to:
The Missing Richard Simmons podcast. I know there’s been a whole lotta hoopla about the ethics of this podcast, and here’s my stance on it: As a celebrity you open yourself up to people obsessively talking about you, so I don’t think this podcast crosses the line. But, Richard Simmons doesn’t owe anybody an explanation about why he has gone underground. (Also, I’m pretty sad that the podcast never explored my personal theory of what happened, which is that Richard Simmons had surgery on his knee and stopped exercising and has spiraled into obesity.)
what I’m reading (GUEST POST):
It’s time for another guest post*, this time from my friend and former colleague Megan Mills, who is an Assistant Editor in the Audiobooks department at Penguin Random House. She’s also really good at making you want to read books via her instagram book reviews. (@mjoymills) Here’s Megan on her favorite female characters:
Of some of the novels I've read most recently, I've had the pleasure of coming across one-of-a-kind female characters in settings where I wasn't exactly expecting to find them. In no particular order:
Colson Whitehead
Even before all of the (deserved) awards and recognition were showered on this book, I was so intrigued by the concept of transforming the metaphorical railroad into the actual thing. Jumping into the book, I gave little thought therefore to the main character, though she stayed with me long after its ending. Cora is a heroine for the ages, whose strength and conviction pour out of the pages both subtly and powerfully.
Mohsin Hamid
A couple at the start of their relationship must leave their city through mysterious doors when it is overtaken by militant forces. Though Nadia is a bad-ass as her own motorcycle-riding, record-playing, convention-denying self, what really allows her stand out is her distinct contrast to calm and gentle Saeed because Mohsin Hamid says “to hell with your gender norms.”
Danielle Dutton
Margaret Cavendish wrote poetry, philosophy, and science fiction in the 17th century, before women had any semblance of independence or rights (a contradiction that clearly eats away at her). Margaret the First is historical fiction at its finest, taking a little known figure and bringing her to life in a relevant, illuminating fashion.
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*would you like to write a guest post for me?
what I’m reading right now:
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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