4 books at once Petya… I admire your crazy! I heard a lot of mixed reviews of Pond when it was published a while ago so generally hesitated on picking it up, so I am sat for your reflections on it whenever they come! Breast & Eggs is on the tbr so I love to hear how much you are enjoying it !!! Plus - that picture of you is absolutely gorgeous & very lovely.
Man. I know. I am always one book at a time, maybe a second one on audio for my walks. This is crazy-making but I just have this nervous energy running through me right now... will see how I manage.
Breasts and eggs has been in my house for ages and I was so excited about it when it first came out but then I think I read all the reviews and hot takes about it and felt like I'd read it. Thinking really hard about what I say about books now so that I don't create this kind of experience for people.... I don't know if you've ever felt that way, especially about some of the super popular books.
I’m always one boon at a time too! I cannot read more than one at once 😭 I can appreciate how nervous energy translates to reading 4 at once!
Oh interesting, I actually didn’t see any negative coverage of Breast & Eggs! But I can appreciate how reviews like that can sway your own choices. Oh I absolutely ALWAYS feel this way when reviewing books I don’t like! I used to feel so scared about saying I didn’t like a book on my newsletter but now I’m a bit more comfortable. I think I try and approach it with the narrative of ‘this is based on my reading experience’, always give some positive comments (what I appreciated / liked because there is always something even in the books I wouldn’t recommend!) discuss in an objective sense what the book is trying to achieve (because I think that helps be neutral and help readers interpret for themselves if they wanna read it) and never being cruel. I think that’s the best you can hope for as a book reviewer. And I think we do a pretty good job of spreading the message of read what you want & take our comments with a pinch of salt because we’re all different in our tastes! As my partner always says (bc he proofs my newsletter haha) people sub for our opinions, not our neutrality!
So true! People come to us for a point of view, not for objectivity or scholarship.
Re: Breasts & eggs, I actually also didn't read any negative reviews... but read so many positive takes (at the time I was mostly looking at BookTube videos) and got to a point of having seen so many, that I had this feeling that I already knew exactly what the book would be like. So it just killed the surprise factor for me and I have a little rebellious streak in me where when a book becomes super popular, I kind of resist wanting to read it. It's a little childish but I gotta be honest about that.
That's one of the reasons why I try to be very selective now when I write about new releases. I don't want to hide my enthusiasm when I am truly excited about a book (All Fours, Intermezzo, etc. were big hype books that I was happy to gush about)... but I don't want to do that about every single new thing that comes out for the reason above.
Ahh the rebellious streak, I know it well!! I hate it too when the surprise factors of books feels killed. I actually don’t think it’s childish - more a desire to forge own opinions and desires, to not move with the zeitgeist all the time! But Yes I feel exactly the same about new releases - intermezzo has been the only ‘hot’ new release I’ve read this year (which aligns with me I love Rooney ofc I was going to read it immediately) but i definitely make an effort actively not read hot new releases because there is, more often than not, enough coverage of those!!! Traditional media is full of the hot new releases all the time and I think most of us on substack are trying to offer alternative book commentary to the (frankly stale) trad media on books!
I was telling my husband that I keep wanting to read but I feel so distracted and he told me that I don't need to read, that I need to rest. So, that may actually be better advice.
As a Ukrainian-Canadian I feel a lot of what you highlight in the beginning of your essay…there is definitely a strong sense in Canada of not being “like that”, bolstered by all the stereotypes of kindness and politeness that seem now, quite frankly, silly and anachronistic at best and dangerous at worst. I am also leaning into the comfort of books lately. Love your thoughts as always!
The Babitz book has been criticized for not being factual enough, that a lot of it is based on gossip. When I cracked it opened and read the epilogue, I cackled:
"One of the things I'm starting to think about is that serious people just dont think that gossip, the specialite de ma maison, is serious. It's always been regarded as some devious woman's trick, some shallow callow shameful way of grasping situations without being in on the top conferences with the serious men. Gossip has always been considered tsk tsk. Only how are people like me -- women they're called -- supposed to understand things if we can't get in the V.I.P room? And anyway, I can't stand meetings. I'd much rather figure things's out from gossip." Eve Babitz
‘Not like that’ism has always been big in Canada, but it’s even stronger now. People seem to be ignoring the rise of a right wing hack politician on our side of the fence…
I think it's a global trend and happening gradually everywhere, so much so that we don't necessarily notice it... like... the frog swimming in the warming water.
I remember being on a cross-Atlantic flight once and ended up striking up a conversation with an elderly gentleman who turned out to be a Holocaust surviver... we were talking about our experiences as immigrants and he said, I like it here in America. No political party can get too strong because we are all so different, they can't shove us all into a singular viewpoint.... I have been thinking about him a lot in the last few weeks.
I just hope that all of this happening here will be a wake-up call elsewhere in the world.
P.S. Martyr! feels so... playful, somehow. I know that Akbar is a poet and I feel like I can tell....
I can see how it would change you. I am annoyed I have to be at work all day and can't just curl up and read. My friends also recommended 'We Will Rest: The Art of Escape' by Tricia Hersey.
I've been slowly making my way through Ordinary Notes and I love it. My father is a naturalized citizen in the US and it's been interesting to watch him continue to be optimistic about America, I try to channel some of that hope to keep showing up and being in community 💓 But also rest is crucial as the fight will be long and we're all hurtling (or in the midst) toward burn out
Scattered reading by a scattered brain feels so perfectly descriptive for this week! My plan for the weekend is to mostly leave my phone turned off and (hopefully) immerse myself in a book. I've been feeling a deep desire for simplicity this week and carving out space to let everything else go for a day or two feels like the right move this weekend (before we head into the madness of the holiday season on top of everything else!)
Oh my goodness, your naturalization picture! My gorgeous, smart friend! Also struggling with the "but we're not like that" feeling and haven't made peace with it yet.
4 books at once Petya… I admire your crazy! I heard a lot of mixed reviews of Pond when it was published a while ago so generally hesitated on picking it up, so I am sat for your reflections on it whenever they come! Breast & Eggs is on the tbr so I love to hear how much you are enjoying it !!! Plus - that picture of you is absolutely gorgeous & very lovely.
Man. I know. I am always one book at a time, maybe a second one on audio for my walks. This is crazy-making but I just have this nervous energy running through me right now... will see how I manage.
Breasts and eggs has been in my house for ages and I was so excited about it when it first came out but then I think I read all the reviews and hot takes about it and felt like I'd read it. Thinking really hard about what I say about books now so that I don't create this kind of experience for people.... I don't know if you've ever felt that way, especially about some of the super popular books.
RE: the picture, it was such a happy day.
I’m always one boon at a time too! I cannot read more than one at once 😭 I can appreciate how nervous energy translates to reading 4 at once!
Oh interesting, I actually didn’t see any negative coverage of Breast & Eggs! But I can appreciate how reviews like that can sway your own choices. Oh I absolutely ALWAYS feel this way when reviewing books I don’t like! I used to feel so scared about saying I didn’t like a book on my newsletter but now I’m a bit more comfortable. I think I try and approach it with the narrative of ‘this is based on my reading experience’, always give some positive comments (what I appreciated / liked because there is always something even in the books I wouldn’t recommend!) discuss in an objective sense what the book is trying to achieve (because I think that helps be neutral and help readers interpret for themselves if they wanna read it) and never being cruel. I think that’s the best you can hope for as a book reviewer. And I think we do a pretty good job of spreading the message of read what you want & take our comments with a pinch of salt because we’re all different in our tastes! As my partner always says (bc he proofs my newsletter haha) people sub for our opinions, not our neutrality!
So true! People come to us for a point of view, not for objectivity or scholarship.
Re: Breasts & eggs, I actually also didn't read any negative reviews... but read so many positive takes (at the time I was mostly looking at BookTube videos) and got to a point of having seen so many, that I had this feeling that I already knew exactly what the book would be like. So it just killed the surprise factor for me and I have a little rebellious streak in me where when a book becomes super popular, I kind of resist wanting to read it. It's a little childish but I gotta be honest about that.
That's one of the reasons why I try to be very selective now when I write about new releases. I don't want to hide my enthusiasm when I am truly excited about a book (All Fours, Intermezzo, etc. were big hype books that I was happy to gush about)... but I don't want to do that about every single new thing that comes out for the reason above.
Ahh the rebellious streak, I know it well!! I hate it too when the surprise factors of books feels killed. I actually don’t think it’s childish - more a desire to forge own opinions and desires, to not move with the zeitgeist all the time! But Yes I feel exactly the same about new releases - intermezzo has been the only ‘hot’ new release I’ve read this year (which aligns with me I love Rooney ofc I was going to read it immediately) but i definitely make an effort actively not read hot new releases because there is, more often than not, enough coverage of those!!! Traditional media is full of the hot new releases all the time and I think most of us on substack are trying to offer alternative book commentary to the (frankly stale) trad media on books!
Thank you. Thank you.
I truly needed to hear your voice today. As I reader I am struggling greatly to calm my head, and quiet my mind.
Where do I live?
Who are my friends?
What happened to my country?
Books. Books. More books.
I re-read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. A brilliant book.
I will put your suggestions on my list.
We are not alone.
🩵
I was telling my husband that I keep wanting to read but I feel so distracted and he told me that I don't need to read, that I need to rest. So, that may actually be better advice.
As a Ukrainian-Canadian I feel a lot of what you highlight in the beginning of your essay…there is definitely a strong sense in Canada of not being “like that”, bolstered by all the stereotypes of kindness and politeness that seem now, quite frankly, silly and anachronistic at best and dangerous at worst. I am also leaning into the comfort of books lately. Love your thoughts as always!
We are clearly experiencing a major political shift... and I am trying not to just dissociate... but for now, it's all I got.
I love these always! So glad to be reading Breast & Eggs with you. And I just ordered Didion and Babitz too! Can't wait to get into it :)
The Babitz book has been criticized for not being factual enough, that a lot of it is based on gossip. When I cracked it opened and read the epilogue, I cackled:
"One of the things I'm starting to think about is that serious people just dont think that gossip, the specialite de ma maison, is serious. It's always been regarded as some devious woman's trick, some shallow callow shameful way of grasping situations without being in on the top conferences with the serious men. Gossip has always been considered tsk tsk. Only how are people like me -- women they're called -- supposed to understand things if we can't get in the V.I.P room? And anyway, I can't stand meetings. I'd much rather figure things's out from gossip." Eve Babitz
😎😎😎
this sounds right up my street! I want to be titillated!
Ouh, excited to hear what you think of Martyr!
‘Not like that’ism has always been big in Canada, but it’s even stronger now. People seem to be ignoring the rise of a right wing hack politician on our side of the fence…
I think it's a global trend and happening gradually everywhere, so much so that we don't necessarily notice it... like... the frog swimming in the warming water.
I remember being on a cross-Atlantic flight once and ended up striking up a conversation with an elderly gentleman who turned out to be a Holocaust surviver... we were talking about our experiences as immigrants and he said, I like it here in America. No political party can get too strong because we are all so different, they can't shove us all into a singular viewpoint.... I have been thinking about him a lot in the last few weeks.
I just hope that all of this happening here will be a wake-up call elsewhere in the world.
P.S. Martyr! feels so... playful, somehow. I know that Akbar is a poet and I feel like I can tell....
Oh, the poet jumps out for sure!
Pond is a really special book to me!! I can't wait to hear what you think
So exciting! I will let you know.
Please listen to that Granta interview if you haven't already. So good!
Christina Sharpe's book changed me. I should read it again. Rest up. We will need all our energy for the world ahead, ❤️🔥
I can see how it would change you. I am annoyed I have to be at work all day and can't just curl up and read. My friends also recommended 'We Will Rest: The Art of Escape' by Tricia Hersey.
Appreciate you. Appreciate you sharing all the sides of this moment in time with us 💕
Also very much appreciate the Christina Sharpe mention. Even the few snippets you had in here felt like lightning bolts. Added to my TBR.
It is SO good. The fragmented structure makes it easy to pick up and read in little gulps throughout the day.
Breasts and Eggs is amazing 🤍🤍🤍
I've been slowly making my way through Ordinary Notes and I love it. My father is a naturalized citizen in the US and it's been interesting to watch him continue to be optimistic about America, I try to channel some of that hope to keep showing up and being in community 💓 But also rest is crucial as the fight will be long and we're all hurtling (or in the midst) toward burn out
Scattered reading by a scattered brain feels so perfectly descriptive for this week! My plan for the weekend is to mostly leave my phone turned off and (hopefully) immerse myself in a book. I've been feeling a deep desire for simplicity this week and carving out space to let everything else go for a day or two feels like the right move this weekend (before we head into the madness of the holiday season on top of everything else!)
Oh my goodness, your naturalization picture! My gorgeous, smart friend! Also struggling with the "but we're not like that" feeling and haven't made peace with it yet.