what just happened?
h e l l o t h e o
this week’s style inspo:
what I’m clicking:
Fan Bing Bing is still missing | May I Come In? Wendy Goodman travels the world to find houses with personality | We’re in the midst of a pants paradigm shift | The comforting fictions of dementia care | An underground railroad for immigrant victims of domestic abuse | Maybe we should try and fix this | Another thing my generation has killed--American Cheese (tbh, I still eat American Cheese on the ~7 burgers I eat every year) | Rooms where famous books were written
what I’m wanderlusting:
Luca Guadagnino’s Lake Como villa
what I’m listening to:
Teacher’s Pet, which is one of the most disturbing podcasts I’ve ever listened to. Please listen to this so we can spend hours talking about it and passing judgment about the Sydney police force.
what I’m coveting:
I can’t decide if I want to eat cheese off these plates or hang them on the wall.
what I’m writing about:
what I’m reading:
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Otessa Moshfegh
We discussed this book at bookclub and I firmly believe the whole thing is a “fuck you” to the literary world. It’s essentially an art project about how much she can get away with and still be called brilliant, and the answer is: a lot. It’s like she challenged herself to come up with the worst, most unrelatable character, threw in an over-the-top boring plot that’s so mundane it’s almost interesting, a couple of one-dimensional and trite secondary characters, and an ending that’s borderline offensive. But she still managed to write a book that will get awarded, talked about, praised, and emulated. I think it’s brilliant.
Did it make me cry: No.
Did it make me laugh: Yes.
Did it make me miss a subway stop: No, but I read it in almost one sitting.
Would I recommend it: To a certain type of person, but I think it would be really easy to read this book and be like “wtf, that was awful”. But you should read it. I’m curious to hear what you think.
Would I read it again: Maybe….?
Would it be a good movie: No I think these characters would be even more atrocious on-screen.
Lauren Groff
This is the second book I’ve read by Lauren Groff (the first was Fates and Furies--read it!) and I truly enjoyed it. I didn’t realize it was short stories when I picked it up, but it works--all of them have overlapping themes and I feel like sort of know her now. I’m sort of obsessed with Florida and I think this book manages to somehow sate my morbid curiosity about the place--poisonous snakes, abandoned buildings, hurricanes, and all. My only critique is that I actually wish some of the stories were full books. Tell me more about these people and this place!
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: Yes.
Would I read it again: No.
Would it be a good movie: None of the stories really has enough depth for a movie, but maybe with a little embellishment.
what I’m bookclubbing:. We’ll be discussing The Pisces on October 23! Email me if you want to join.
the best book I read in…
September: My Year of Rest and Relaxation
August: Sing, Unburied, Sing or The Book of Essie
July: Black Chalk
June: An American Marriage
May: The Perfect Nanny
April: Conversations with Friends
March: History of Wolves
February: Homesick for Another World
January: Anthropology of an American Girl