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Books were like my moods this year. I got on with them erratically.
Not entirely sure whether this is a newfound talent, inhaling pages and pages when I'm upset or can't sleep. What I know is now I found out a few things about my taste.
I really like coming-of-age themes. Especially if it involves protagonists who are scholars, fairly awkward, and are secretly in love with that one other character that's just as awkward as them but everybody is in denial about it. Cases in point: [b:The Idiot|30962053|The Idiot|Elif Batuman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474782288s/30962053.jpg|51577226] by Jeffrey Eugenides, [b:The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.|16045140|The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.|Adelle Waldman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361026301s/16045140.jpg|21823357] by Adelle Waldman, [b:Call Me By Your Name|36336078|Call Me By Your Name|André Aciman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519203520s/36336078.jpg|1363157] by André Aciman.
Several feminist books got my attention. I will devour more of them. This year I was hard in sisterhood with [a:bell hooks|10697|bell hooks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1229626374p2/10697.jpg], [a:Rebecca Solnit|15811|Rebecca Solnit|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1535567225p2/15811.jpg]t, and Zadie Smith who wrote an essay about Beyoncé in another impressive, fat collection [b:Feel Free: Essays|35581653|Feel Free Essays|Zadie Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499085125s/35581653.jpg|57015353].
Or generally, I was into witty essays. [a:Durga Chew-Bose|15171684|Durga Chew-Bose|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1512697892p2/15171684.jpg]Durga Chew-Bose,[a:Lorrie Moore|11746|Lorrie Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1224046427p2/11746.jpg], [a:Cheryl Strayed|155717|Cheryl Strayed|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445820056p2/155717.jpg], [a:Anne Lamott|7113|Anne Lamott|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1489601640p2/7113.jpg], [a:Anne Carson|34336|Anne Carson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1380283628p2/34336.jpg].
My heart swelled reading poetry by women. [b:Bright Dead Things|24945396|Bright Dead Things|Ada Limon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424307716s/24945396.jpg|44603834] by Ada Limon, [b:Bone|35084223|Bone|Yrsa Daley-Ward|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494857481s/35084223.jpg|42059068] by Yrsa Daley-Ward, [b:The Terrible: A Storyteller's Memoir|36316300|The Terrible A Storyteller's Memoir|Yrsa Daley-Ward|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1524529337s/36316300.jpg|57990204] by Yrsa Daley-Ward, [b:No Matter the Wreckage|18288210|No Matter the Wreckage|Sarah Kay|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394597872s/18288210.jpg|25768313] by Sarah Kay, [b:Red Bird|2282485|Red Bird|Mary Oliver|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389536305s/2282485.jpg|2288681] by Mary Oliver, and [b:Our Men Do Not Belong To Us|28367423|Our Men Do Not Belong To Us|Warsan Shire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451248059s/28367423.jpg|48441907] by Warsan Shire.
Li Young-Lee's [b:The Undressing: Poems|35187158|The Undressing Poems|Li-Young Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497193799s/35187158.jpg|56526634] is as sexy as the title suggests. Michael Odaatje's [b:The Cinnamon Peeler: Selected Poems|5944|The Cinnamon Peeler Selected Poems|Michael Ondaatje|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388197822s/5944.jpg|1510183] is real captivating. Leonard Cohen was the soundtrack to my summer sadness so I consulted Google about him and learned that he wrote poetry too. I read the compilation of poems called [b:Book of Longing|158005|Book of Longing|Leonard Cohen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320524706s/158005.jpg|1026304].
To pay respect to my fairy godmothers, I read rare curated writings of Sylvia Plath. [b:Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: Short Stories, Prose and Diary Excerpts|11628|Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams Short Stories, Prose and Diary Excerpts|Sylvia Plath|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1166483127s/11628.jpg|2015211] captures a different, subdued but still sharp style compared to her intense confessional poems. It's edited by that bastard Ted Hughes though, so take my three cents and skip his introduction. It made me fume. I also read a biography of Plath, beautifully reimagined by Elizabeth Winder in [b:Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953|15818183|Pain, Parties, Work Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953|Elizabeth Winder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355992859s/15818183.jpg|21545789]. We already know my intimate obsession with Plath so every year I read something of her. I started [b:Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume 1: 1940-1956|29490074|Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume 1 1940-1956|Sylvia Plath|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507325039s/29490074.jpg|49773281] and have yet to go through it slowly to savor it. I'm reading it along with [b:The Letters of Frida Kahlo: Cartas Apasionadas|187881|The Letters of Frida Kahlo Cartas Apasionadas|Frida Kahlo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433173438s/187881.jpg|181596].
I couldn't decide which [a:Joan Didion|238|Joan Didion|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1335450818p2/238.jpg] to read again or to explore from ones I have yet to read. I ended up taking up [a:Slouching Towards Bethlehem|7848614|Slouching Towards Bethlehem|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] again, which I do so often. It's really close to my heart and grounds me. I read South and West which compiles Didion's travel and political observations.
And the ghost of [a:Nora Ephron|5691|Nora Ephron|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1366180104p2/5691.jpg] blessed my memories another time. I read her essay collections again to remember what it felt like when I read them for the first time.
Remember what I sad about inhaling pages? I did that with cookbooks, too. And I've read in a night's notice more than I'm willing to admit. But my favorites related to food this year are Vegetable Dishes I Can't Do Without by Mollie Katzen, Prune by Gabrielle Hamilton, Food Rules by Michael Pollan, Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain, and The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook by Mireille Guiliano.
Craig Thompson's Habibi is so special.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran is a slim but poignant read.
Clarice Lispector is a pleasant mindfuck.
The Lover's Discourse by Roland Barthes is the book I took to bed most for many slow nights.
A book I didn't finish: The Odyssey because I was reading this with a friend. We'd read it aloud to each other. At some point, I was super annoyed with the friend. We stopped reading. Should I finish it alone?
In the beginning of 2018, I realized I barely read literature anymore. I was still reading all the time but I'm reading politics, magazines, current events, short fiction, and nonfiction. And it made me quite mad, so I decided to avoid that for a while and go back to the racks. I set a goal to read a little more than 3 books a month, so that's 40 books. I ended up reading more than 100, sometimes one a day. So I'm happy about this but there are still adjustments I'd like to do.
My 2019 main reading resolution is: to read despite my mood.
When life is roses and dreamy and I'm quite in love, I tend to abandon the books and my head remains in the clouds. It's quite a terrible excuse when I say to myself that I must not indulge in fantasy and make-believe and fiction because my reality is as sweet and as rare as it can be. But like all excuses, it must come to an end. I would actually want to have memories of calm readings as opposed to the frantic ones that resulted to this year.
I want to read 100 books again. My boyfriend suggested some 30 for my to-be-read. The man is a real hero. I asked him for recommendations and he put it on the table the next day. So I'm going to have to read from his list which is going to be a stretch for me since they are mostly history and anthropology books. But hell, I love a good challenge.
I also have the evil plan to reread the YA books I liked as a teenager but in French translation since I'm learning the language. So far I sound like either a child or a grandmother with my sentence constructions. Sounding like a teenager might be a nice compromise. Actually, if you guys read in French, I would love to know what's fun. Don't give me Balzac and the likes, I can't handle that yet.
I wish could have read more philosophy. I'll really battle with Nietzsche this year. And other stoic gods.
I'll read those Russian authors. Take Anna Karenina to a lake and read by a campfire? We'll see. And I'll also strive to keep up with literature at home and people of color, even though surprisingly they're so fucking hard to find.
These are ideas that I have yet to refine. I still haven't fully decided what to read. I'll come back to those monthly.
Maybe I'll celebrate a 10 year anniversary with Austen and Brontë. Get myself cute leather editions. I was 13 when I first read them, and they shaped me up for life.
Anyway I'll keep you posted. You can check my blog, too, for that.
Not entirely sure whether this is a newfound talent, inhaling pages and pages when I'm upset or can't sleep. What I know is now I found out a few things about my taste.
I really like coming-of-age themes. Especially if it involves protagonists who are scholars, fairly awkward, and are secretly in love with that one other character that's just as awkward as them but everybody is in denial about it. Cases in point: [b:The Idiot|30962053|The Idiot|Elif Batuman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474782288s/30962053.jpg|51577226] by Jeffrey Eugenides, [b:The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.|16045140|The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.|Adelle Waldman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361026301s/16045140.jpg|21823357] by Adelle Waldman, [b:Call Me By Your Name|36336078|Call Me By Your Name|André Aciman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519203520s/36336078.jpg|1363157] by André Aciman.
Several feminist books got my attention. I will devour more of them. This year I was hard in sisterhood with [a:bell hooks|10697|bell hooks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1229626374p2/10697.jpg], [a:Rebecca Solnit|15811|Rebecca Solnit|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1535567225p2/15811.jpg]t, and Zadie Smith who wrote an essay about Beyoncé in another impressive, fat collection [b:Feel Free: Essays|35581653|Feel Free Essays|Zadie Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499085125s/35581653.jpg|57015353].
Or generally, I was into witty essays. [a:Durga Chew-Bose|15171684|Durga Chew-Bose|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1512697892p2/15171684.jpg]Durga Chew-Bose,[a:Lorrie Moore|11746|Lorrie Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1224046427p2/11746.jpg], [a:Cheryl Strayed|155717|Cheryl Strayed|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445820056p2/155717.jpg], [a:Anne Lamott|7113|Anne Lamott|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1489601640p2/7113.jpg], [a:Anne Carson|34336|Anne Carson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1380283628p2/34336.jpg].
My heart swelled reading poetry by women. [b:Bright Dead Things|24945396|Bright Dead Things|Ada Limon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424307716s/24945396.jpg|44603834] by Ada Limon, [b:Bone|35084223|Bone|Yrsa Daley-Ward|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494857481s/35084223.jpg|42059068] by Yrsa Daley-Ward, [b:The Terrible: A Storyteller's Memoir|36316300|The Terrible A Storyteller's Memoir|Yrsa Daley-Ward|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1524529337s/36316300.jpg|57990204] by Yrsa Daley-Ward, [b:No Matter the Wreckage|18288210|No Matter the Wreckage|Sarah Kay|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394597872s/18288210.jpg|25768313] by Sarah Kay, [b:Red Bird|2282485|Red Bird|Mary Oliver|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389536305s/2282485.jpg|2288681] by Mary Oliver, and [b:Our Men Do Not Belong To Us|28367423|Our Men Do Not Belong To Us|Warsan Shire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451248059s/28367423.jpg|48441907] by Warsan Shire.
Li Young-Lee's [b:The Undressing: Poems|35187158|The Undressing Poems|Li-Young Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497193799s/35187158.jpg|56526634] is as sexy as the title suggests. Michael Odaatje's [b:The Cinnamon Peeler: Selected Poems|5944|The Cinnamon Peeler Selected Poems|Michael Ondaatje|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388197822s/5944.jpg|1510183] is real captivating. Leonard Cohen was the soundtrack to my summer sadness so I consulted Google about him and learned that he wrote poetry too. I read the compilation of poems called [b:Book of Longing|158005|Book of Longing|Leonard Cohen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320524706s/158005.jpg|1026304].
To pay respect to my fairy godmothers, I read rare curated writings of Sylvia Plath. [b:Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: Short Stories, Prose and Diary Excerpts|11628|Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams Short Stories, Prose and Diary Excerpts|Sylvia Plath|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1166483127s/11628.jpg|2015211] captures a different, subdued but still sharp style compared to her intense confessional poems. It's edited by that bastard Ted Hughes though, so take my three cents and skip his introduction. It made me fume. I also read a biography of Plath, beautifully reimagined by Elizabeth Winder in [b:Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953|15818183|Pain, Parties, Work Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953|Elizabeth Winder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355992859s/15818183.jpg|21545789]. We already know my intimate obsession with Plath so every year I read something of her. I started [b:Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume 1: 1940-1956|29490074|Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume 1 1940-1956|Sylvia Plath|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507325039s/29490074.jpg|49773281] and have yet to go through it slowly to savor it. I'm reading it along with [b:The Letters of Frida Kahlo: Cartas Apasionadas|187881|The Letters of Frida Kahlo Cartas Apasionadas|Frida Kahlo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433173438s/187881.jpg|181596].
I couldn't decide which [a:Joan Didion|238|Joan Didion|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1335450818p2/238.jpg] to read again or to explore from ones I have yet to read. I ended up taking up [a:Slouching Towards Bethlehem|7848614|Slouching Towards Bethlehem|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] again, which I do so often. It's really close to my heart and grounds me. I read South and West which compiles Didion's travel and political observations.
And the ghost of [a:Nora Ephron|5691|Nora Ephron|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1366180104p2/5691.jpg] blessed my memories another time. I read her essay collections again to remember what it felt like when I read them for the first time.
Remember what I sad about inhaling pages? I did that with cookbooks, too. And I've read in a night's notice more than I'm willing to admit. But my favorites related to food this year are Vegetable Dishes I Can't Do Without by Mollie Katzen, Prune by Gabrielle Hamilton, Food Rules by Michael Pollan, Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain, and The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook by Mireille Guiliano.
Craig Thompson's Habibi is so special.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran is a slim but poignant read.
Clarice Lispector is a pleasant mindfuck.
The Lover's Discourse by Roland Barthes is the book I took to bed most for many slow nights.
A book I didn't finish: The Odyssey because I was reading this with a friend. We'd read it aloud to each other. At some point, I was super annoyed with the friend. We stopped reading. Should I finish it alone?
In the beginning of 2018, I realized I barely read literature anymore. I was still reading all the time but I'm reading politics, magazines, current events, short fiction, and nonfiction. And it made me quite mad, so I decided to avoid that for a while and go back to the racks. I set a goal to read a little more than 3 books a month, so that's 40 books. I ended up reading more than 100, sometimes one a day. So I'm happy about this but there are still adjustments I'd like to do.
My 2019 main reading resolution is: to read despite my mood.
When life is roses and dreamy and I'm quite in love, I tend to abandon the books and my head remains in the clouds. It's quite a terrible excuse when I say to myself that I must not indulge in fantasy and make-believe and fiction because my reality is as sweet and as rare as it can be. But like all excuses, it must come to an end. I would actually want to have memories of calm readings as opposed to the frantic ones that resulted to this year.
I want to read 100 books again. My boyfriend suggested some 30 for my to-be-read. The man is a real hero. I asked him for recommendations and he put it on the table the next day. So I'm going to have to read from his list which is going to be a stretch for me since they are mostly history and anthropology books. But hell, I love a good challenge.
I also have the evil plan to reread the YA books I liked as a teenager but in French translation since I'm learning the language. So far I sound like either a child or a grandmother with my sentence constructions. Sounding like a teenager might be a nice compromise. Actually, if you guys read in French, I would love to know what's fun. Don't give me Balzac and the likes, I can't handle that yet.
I wish could have read more philosophy. I'll really battle with Nietzsche this year. And other stoic gods.
I'll read those Russian authors. Take Anna Karenina to a lake and read by a campfire? We'll see. And I'll also strive to keep up with literature at home and people of color, even though surprisingly they're so fucking hard to find.
These are ideas that I have yet to refine. I still haven't fully decided what to read. I'll come back to those monthly.
Maybe I'll celebrate a 10 year anniversary with Austen and Brontë. Get myself cute leather editions. I was 13 when I first read them, and they shaped me up for life.
Anyway I'll keep you posted. You can check my blog, too, for that.