what I read on my honeymoon
Hi!
this week’s style inspo:
Adam Rippon in a Jeremy Scott harness tuxedo
what I’m clicking:
The godmother of feminist art | Man Repeller and Kimberley Drew’s take on iconic 90s black sitcom fashion | The couple that beat the lottery | An interview with my favorite artist, Solange
what I’m coveting:
This golden poo statue, which can only be found in a certain neighborhood in Tokyo
what I’m writing about:
How extra I am when I fly and the 1,000 accessories I bring with me on the plane.
what I’m listening to:
Before my honeymoon in Brazil, my travel buddy @elindhomie gave me some great music recommendations, including Joao Gilberto, who was the unofficial soundtrack to our first few days at UXUA.
what I’m watching:
I finally watched Murder on the Orient Express on my flight last week and it was D.U.M.B. The setting is lovely and wander-lust inducing, but the rest of the film (especially the acting and the tweaks to the plot to make it a bit juicier) is garbage.
what Haley’s reading:
Since this is my first newsletter as a married woman (!), I thought I’d share some of Haley’s favorite reads from our honeymoon last week:
This epic story in the New Yorker about an explorer obsessed with Antarctica
The Atlantic’s undoing of Paul Manafort in The Plot Against America
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks
what I’m reading:
I have FINALLY started reading Game of Thrones, but I'm not going to bother reviewing it until I get to the end and I can talk about all the books at once. Here's what I'm reading in between 800-page medieval fantasy sagas:
Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me
Pattie Boyd
I LOVED reading this book. It’s not particularly well-written (it seems like it’s an “as told to”-style book) and it definitely falls apart at the end, but her life is incredible. The amount of gossip and intel she reveals is astounding. I wish somebody had given me this book when I was 16 and obsessed with the White Album. Also, Eric Clapton is a psychopath.
Did it make me cry: No, but it’s heartbreaking in many ways.
Did it make me laugh: Possibly?
Did it make me miss a subway stop: No, but it's a quick read.
Would I recommend it: Yes - if you’re remotely interested in the Beatles, Eric Clapton, or the just the acid scene in 1960s London, this is a must-read.
Would I read it again: No, but this book made me want to listen to every single Beatles album in chronological order.
Would it be a good movie: I think this is the kind of thing where you have to wait until everybody’s dead, and it’s too hard to cast because all the critics will be like “ugh, this random actor does not live up to George Harrison”
Elizabeth Alexander
Perhaps you think it’s inappropriate to read a memoir about somebody’s dead husband on your honeymoon, but I didn’t realize that until just now. This book is fine, but it really didn’t do it for me. I think it’s because I generally do not “get” poetry. I understand it’s value and appeal to the world at large, but it’s my least favorite form of words. This memoir is about a poet, and then her husband dies. IDK.
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, but these people sound lovely and I wish I could have gone to one of their parties because it sounds like they really knew how to have a good time.
Would it be a good movie: No.
Ottessa Moshfegh
Here’s a bold statement, but this might be the best collection of short stories I have ever read. This book was so disturbing, so provoking, and also so hilarious that I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this before.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: YES.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: I didn’t read it on the subway.
Would I recommend it: YES.
Would I read it again: Again and again. I will read anything this woman writes.
Would it be a good movie: Any one of these short stories would be EXCELLENT
the best book I read in…
February: Homesick for Another World
January: Anthropology of an American Girl
what I’m reading right now:
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
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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