Issue 72: Your reading life is yours alone

Read this if you struggle to abandon books

Let your soft body love what it loves, tells us our dear Mary Oliver, a gentle reminder that our intuition typically knows best. Yet for years, I've struggled to apply this idea that I love to my reading life. Case in point: I'm currently 135 pages into Hari Kunzru's Blue Ruin, a novel that, by all accounts, I should adore. It's set in a Covid-ravaged New York City, delves into the intersection of art and capitalism, and explores the loneliness of artistic pursuit—all themes that typically captivate me. But despite its fascinating premise, the book fails to resonate with my soul. And still, I can't simply move on.