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natalie_and_company's reviews
337 reviews
Eve's Hollywood by Eve Babitz
4.0
"Eve's Hollywood" by Eve Babitz is like the twisting muted light that reaches you from the inside of a waterslide. It takes you rapidly through places you didn't expect, one after another after another, only to deposit you into a pool, or in the books case, a vibe. Completely immersed in the life of ever malleable Babitz, you begin to understand even feel a part of the glamour and glitz of L.A. But since you, dear reader, are not in fact a part of that world you have to come up for air at some point, gasping into the brutal light of the sun. A sun that is very much so NOT Hollywood's sun.
The second book I read for #nyrbsummer was so delicious it was over before I was ready for it to be. It opened up a love that I had for character driven books that I haven't felt so deeply about in so long. Babitz writing feels like talking to a best friend, it holds that rejuvenating energy of woman in it. An energy you want to bask in.
It feels entirely too short despite being one of the longest nyrb on my shelf. This memoir of Eve Babitz' Hollywood youth is such an intriguing window into the past.
The second book I read for #nyrbsummer was so delicious it was over before I was ready for it to be. It opened up a love that I had for character driven books that I haven't felt so deeply about in so long. Babitz writing feels like talking to a best friend, it holds that rejuvenating energy of woman in it. An energy you want to bask in.
It feels entirely too short despite being one of the longest nyrb on my shelf. This memoir of Eve Babitz' Hollywood youth is such an intriguing window into the past.
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
4.0
"The Summer Book" by Tove Jansson was summer distilled. And not just the Island summer of the setting of this book, but she really reaches deep into the essence of summer sprinkling it into every word choice. A tale about a little girl who had lost her mother and begins to form a relationship with his unfamiliar grandmother, this book actually ends up being more about the grandmother than the girl.
Exploring the parallels of youth and old age and their similarities, Jansson manages to bring both levity and depth in equal stride. Too short, too sweet just like every summer that passes by. I did not know Tove Jansson wrote the Moomin series when picking this up but I definitely am thinking about picking a couple of them up now.
Exploring the parallels of youth and old age and their similarities, Jansson manages to bring both levity and depth in equal stride. Too short, too sweet just like every summer that passes by. I did not know Tove Jansson wrote the Moomin series when picking this up but I definitely am thinking about picking a couple of them up now.
Stoner by John Williams
5.0
"Stoner" by John Williams was a jaw-dropping, tear-jerking experience. In this story about a man who attends college to get an agriculture degree only to change the entire trajectory of life when he encounters literature and the study of it, I saw so much of myself.
Despite all our efforts, the feeling of loving reading is so indescribable sometimes, but Stoner got as close as you possibly can to distilling that pure and genuine feeling of being lost to books.
This book is a series of misfortunes. Each accepted in stride by our lonely, awkward and misunderstood main character. We watch as William Stoner becomes not the man he always wanted to be, but the man he was destined to be.
There is so much said here about the beauty and acceptance of life in the face of tribulation. We so often weigh out our lives in the "good" and the "bad" trying to even out the scales any way we can but in doing so we reduce the expansive experience of life down to a single unforgiving label. This book is a celebration of the details, the small moments in all of our lives that remind us of our reality.
Despite all our efforts, the feeling of loving reading is so indescribable sometimes, but Stoner got as close as you possibly can to distilling that pure and genuine feeling of being lost to books.
This book is a series of misfortunes. Each accepted in stride by our lonely, awkward and misunderstood main character. We watch as William Stoner becomes not the man he always wanted to be, but the man he was destined to be.
There is so much said here about the beauty and acceptance of life in the face of tribulation. We so often weigh out our lives in the "good" and the "bad" trying to even out the scales any way we can but in doing so we reduce the expansive experience of life down to a single unforgiving label. This book is a celebration of the details, the small moments in all of our lives that remind us of our reality.
The Colossus: And Other Poems by Sylvia Plath
3.5
It was okay, a little more nature filled than Crossing the Water and I don't tend to enjoy nature poetry much. But she is definitely still a talented writer. Crossing the Water is one of my favorite poetry collections ever so I was just disappointed than I didn't love these as much.
My Friends by Emmanuel Bove
3.25
This felt like reading a Murakami but French. Take that in whatever way you will and you will be correct in your statement.
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
5.0
Definitely the best historical fiction I've ever read. There is so much that can be said about this book but I do think that one of the foundational points that is not often mentioned is about censorship. The lengths through which our main character has to go through to recover her own cultural history. Despite this book being so brief it presents so much easily perceivable truth to it's reader. You almost can predict the end of this story which makes the finality of finishing it so much more real, because you can see it coming from a mile away, and no matter what you wish or what the character does they cannot escape the world that they live in.
Free Palestine.
Free Palestine.
Ever Since I Did Not Die by Ramy Al-Asheq
5.0
This book starts with the most beautiful preface I have ever read. The emotion held within these words makes me wish I knew Arabic so I could read them in their native language. This is some of the most stunning writing I have ever encountered. It reminds me of Rilke but more violent, which makes sense when considering Ramy Al-Asheq's life. I understand why he had a hard time calling this poetry. I have a difficult time calling it essays just as he did. It is a piece of writing that does not fit within the set boundaries of the writing we encounter in our everyday lives. It is its own entity born of the most intense emotions that exist within a single human.
This is the bearing of a human soul. To witness these words is to see to the core of another human and they stare back. I feel different that I did before reading this. I am not able to fully portray the change in words here but I will go forward in my life altered now.
This is the bearing of a human soul. To witness these words is to see to the core of another human and they stare back. I feel different that I did before reading this. I am not able to fully portray the change in words here but I will go forward in my life altered now.
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
3.75
The scenes in this book happen so quickly it almost feels like some kind of movie. Jumping between sooooo many characters is definitely an ambitious task and while I think in the very end Lucy Foley does pull this off it does cause the plot to drag quite a bit throughout. I do think if the chapters were longer it would have helped develop the large cast a little better.
But overall I do think this is fun. The setting is wonderfully done, which was also my favorite part about The Paris Apartment so I'm glad to see it carry through here. As always Lucy Foley's characters are her weak point, the mystery being double-sided, in that we don't know who died OR who killed them does make for an entrancing plot to follow along. Eddie is definitely the star of this book and I do really like his character and story.
Although a bit chaotic and unnecessarily winding story does come together quite nicely in the end. The journey to get there just felt a bit tedious at times.
(Also a tinge of pro cop sprinkled in here, but also this is not set in America, but it is England so like not that different. I do not know how I felt about this tinge lol)
But overall I do think this is fun. The setting is wonderfully done, which was also my favorite part about The Paris Apartment so I'm glad to see it carry through here. As always Lucy Foley's characters are her weak point, the mystery being double-sided, in that we don't know who died OR who killed them does make for an entrancing plot to follow along. Eddie is definitely the star of this book and I do really like his character and story.
Although a bit chaotic and unnecessarily winding story does come together quite nicely in the end. The journey to get there just felt a bit tedious at times.
(Also a tinge of pro cop sprinkled in here, but also this is not set in America, but it is England so like not that different. I do not know how I felt about this tinge lol)
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Vol. 2 by Izumi Tsubaki
5.0
so cute, so lowkey gay in so many ways. i love it.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
5.0
This truly feels like a modern science fiction masterpiece.