What to Read While Exhaling Deeply
I can finally concentrate on things other than swing states again!
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Hi there. Like many of you, my household found out about the presidential election results from hearing cheers and honking cars from outside. I hope you’ve been celebrating safely!
My Books
The cat I visit from time to time approved of these two books.
Last Week’s Books
I read The Dry by Jane Harper, a critically-acclaimed murder mystery set in rural Australia. After my dad picked it up at The Mysterious Bookshop a few weeks ago and finished it, I spent the rainy weekend curled up with it as well. It was quite a good and distracting page-turner.
I also read Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo, which tells the story of an everywoman in South Korea who has a dramatic psychic deterioration after years of misogynistic mistreatment. When the book was first published in 2016, it spurred a “feminist wave” in South Korea and quickly became a bestseller there. But anti-feminists raged against the story after it was adapted into a movie in 2019; actors and actresses in the film were harassed, as were K-pop idols and other celebrities who supported the film or book publicly. It was published in English earlier this year. I found it maddening, compelling, and deeply familiar.
This Week’s Books
I started Piranesi by Suzanna Clarke, which has been heralded as a fantastical and escapist novel worthy of comparison to holy-grail-text Circe!!!! I also finally got a copy of My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante from the library at the behest of literally all of you, so I’ll start that soon.
Because I tend to panic-buy books, I checked out the temporarily-relocated Three Lives & Company bookstore earlier this week and bought 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak on a whim. It was delightful to overhear conversations between regulars in the new space. I also visited Barnes & Noble on my lunch break one day and bought Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth for a book club. It was on a shelf so high that I had to ask a friendly stranger to grab me a copy, and the book is so thick that he nearly knocked down several neighboring titles. With less dramatic flair, I also bought The Library Book by Susan Orlean.
I also received my first batch of book recommendations from TBR! I received three recommendations and a thoughtful explanation about why each book should suit my tastes, which my “bibliologist” accurately referred to as “revenge-y type stories with an academic setting.” As is my wont, I immediately bought a copy of the recommended Confessions by Kanae Minato from Bookshop.org and will read it upon arrival.
Your Books
A reminder that you can complete this Google form or reply to my newsletter any time to let me know what you’re reading. Maybe you’ll end up here.
Amateur Bibliotherapist: Ellen Smith
The Recommended Read: The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
It takes place in a tiny village in England in 1666 and tells the story of how a small community dealt with the plague. It’s a beautifully written piece of historical fiction that is so very relevant for our circumstances today. I read this book years ago and loved the story but decided to read it again to see how it holds up to the pandemic we are facing right now. I don’t want to give away too much but any reader can see parallels to current times. The bonus part of reading this book is getting to visit the village of Eyam after you finish.
During a quieter time while visiting an arboretum and wildlife preserve last week, I saw this very cute little lending library. Now you get to see it, too. Please imagine it nestled sweetly between enclosures for rescued owls.
For even more book recommendations, here are the 10 best books about North Korea, according to the experts; crime books that encapsulate a “tropical cozy” vibe; and 12 mystery novels with Black, Indigenous and POC protagonists.
On your way out of here, allow me to pitch to you that we should bottle the feeling that I get from reading this incredible Bossip headline. It would sell like crazy. Bye!