quarantine reads
h e l l o t h e o
this week’s style inspo:
Orville Peck has inspired me to buy a plethora of fancy (fringed, tie dye, sequined, and more!) masks on Etsy.
what I’m clicking:
What’s it like being a street performer in New Orleans during coronavirus? | I keep lamenting the fact that from now on, every novel I read is going to have to address the pandemic in some way and I’m not looking forward to it | Gabrielle Hamilton’s eulogy to her restaurant is some of the best first-person coronavirus writing I’ve read so far | Eating toward immortality | Alison Roman is dating during lockdown | Alison Roman is canceled | People have gone full 1800s with Victorian-era crafts | What’s happening to celebrity faces without plastic surgeons? | The downfall of Arielle Charnas and the end of influencers | I am Caroline Calloway | Is Caroline Calloway the new Tommy Wiseau? | Women are essential workers | We are not essential. We are sacrificial | Val Kilmer is still alive | Ahmaud Arbery should still be alive | An astronaut returns to earth in the middle of a pandemic | The rise of a Hindu vigilante in the age of What’s App | Images around the world from a Ramadan like no other | Inventive ways out of lockdown | We’re still living and dying in the slaveholder’s republic | The insanely dumb plot to stage a coup in Venezuela | What happens to Manhattan when we all start working from home? | Even though nobody is flying, carbon emissions are at an all time high
what I’m wanderlusting:
A road trip through Montana to see my sisters.
what I’m listening to:
I made the tragic mistake of briefly transitioning from Opera to showtunes and now I can’t get “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from Les Mis out of my head. Send help.
what I’m coveting:
One of these fancy-ass puzzles.
what I’m writing:
A hotel review of my apartment.
what I’m reading:
Anthony Bourdain
I don’t know why it took me so long to finally read this book. I love Anthony Bourdain! I love this book--it’s a really fun read.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: Yes.
Is it a good quarantine book: Ooooh, yes! It’s a love letter to the restaurant industry--including all the disgusting and nitty-gritty parts. It will make you appreciate them even more when they open back up. And, it might inspire you to elevate your home cooking. At the very least, it could make you laugh.
Would I read it again: It’s a series of individual essays with a loose narrative arc, so I could definitely see myself rereading certain chapters--I will definitely reread the Tokyo chapter before I go there one day.
Would it be a good movie: I can definitely say that there aren’t enough great movies about the restaurant industry, so yeah, why not?
Claire Vaye Watkins
This book reminds me of the way I felt about the book Swamplandia. While I was reading it I was like “what the fuck” and then after I finished it I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It’s so vivid.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: No.
Is it a good quarantine book: No. It’s a little bit scary and a little bit depressing and also maybe the kind of book that gives you really weird dreams, so no.
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: No.
Kevin Barry
This book is basically Waiting for Godot, but with a much better cast of characters. I love a charming criminal, I love crust punks, and I love accents. But I have to admit, I do not understand all the critical acclaim.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: No.
Is it a good quarantine book: No.
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: Not at all, but you could take the characters and the tension and add much more action to make it into something good.
The Outline Trilogy (Outline, Transit, and Kudos)
Rachel Cusk
I somehow loved devouring this trilogy of books about absolutely nothing.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: Yes.
Is it a good quarantine book: I think so. This book is essentially a series of conversations that the author has with strangers. It’s the opposite of small talk. Big talk.
Would I read it again: Yes.
Would it be a good movie: I’m not really sure what this movie would be about, so no.