Petya, thank you so much for this generous interview and engagement with my work!!! You really get it and I hope to read or chat more about your relationship to food. I have actually read a bit about food in Bulgaria in my research of recipes under various political-economic conditions!
So cool! Food is such a fertile ground for reflection for me right now - as an immigrant, as mother of a daughter, as someone concerned for the environment and also about the homogenization of culture...All the things you write about.
Love this interview so much! Alicia's response, "Being social has never been high on my list of priorities", is totally a green light for me. Really enjoying this series, Petya.
I love the series too! The best thing is sniffing out who is actually a reader with a deep love and respect for reading. it is amazing how many people (including many writers) are not!
Tbh, when I listened to two recent interviews with Liz Gilbert, how she framed that your people are *really* your people and, without being rude, those aren't really just aren't also feels like a meaningful differentiation? Equally, she also said that she doesn't have spaciousness in her life for writing if she doesn't prioritise solitude which is another green light for me. I need plenty of surface area free in my brain to engage with writing both from the writing and the reading sides of it all.
I think that being on the internet a lot has shown us that if you need light, topical friendships... you can get that without leaving your house. And I don't think that's a bad thing. I love my Substack friendships where we talk about books, etc. without really knowing much about each other's personal lives.
And that, for me, means that if I am leaving my house and putting on a bra to meet you... you have got to be THE REAL DEAL, true, deep friend for me.
I completely agree with her recommendation to put the phone in another room. I turn off the ringer on my phone, turn off the computer, play some soft jazz in the background, and just immerse myself in the words.
I never read based on reviews. In fact, I rarely ever read reviews.
I am not famous and haven't published a single book, but if you are ever in need of someone to interview, I offer myself as tribute.
Thank you for reading and I am with you, can't wait to read. If you are new to Alicia's writing, she has linked a lot of her published pieces on her website, which I highly recommend. And, of course, the substack!
I wasn't familiar with Alicia but NOW I AM! Subscribed and did some reading and I am so grateful you wrote this! I'm also very interested in her book and I'm thinking it would be a good Christmas gift for my husband!
I love the issues where you interview others about their reading styles and approach. And kudos to Alicia for reminding me to crack open my own Knaussgaard after a long break. I’m on book 3. I like that she gets writing ideas from magazines. I am intrigued by this idea.
To answer one of your three questions. I don’t read based on reviews but if a book keeps popping up in my life then I take it as a sign that I need to read it. I like to take recommendations from friends I trust (you’re one of them!) and find my next read on my own as well. I am always interested in a book club.
Petya, thank you so much for this generous interview and engagement with my work!!! You really get it and I hope to read or chat more about your relationship to food. I have actually read a bit about food in Bulgaria in my research of recipes under various political-economic conditions!
So cool! Food is such a fertile ground for reflection for me right now - as an immigrant, as mother of a daughter, as someone concerned for the environment and also about the homogenization of culture...All the things you write about.
Love this interview so much! Alicia's response, "Being social has never been high on my list of priorities", is totally a green light for me. Really enjoying this series, Petya.
Yes. A common thread among us readers.
I love the series too! The best thing is sniffing out who is actually a reader with a deep love and respect for reading. it is amazing how many people (including many writers) are not!
Tbh, when I listened to two recent interviews with Liz Gilbert, how she framed that your people are *really* your people and, without being rude, those aren't really just aren't also feels like a meaningful differentiation? Equally, she also said that she doesn't have spaciousness in her life for writing if she doesn't prioritise solitude which is another green light for me. I need plenty of surface area free in my brain to engage with writing both from the writing and the reading sides of it all.
I think that being on the internet a lot has shown us that if you need light, topical friendships... you can get that without leaving your house. And I don't think that's a bad thing. I love my Substack friendships where we talk about books, etc. without really knowing much about each other's personal lives.
And that, for me, means that if I am leaving my house and putting on a bra to meet you... you have got to be THE REAL DEAL, true, deep friend for me.
I completely agree with her recommendation to put the phone in another room. I turn off the ringer on my phone, turn off the computer, play some soft jazz in the background, and just immerse myself in the words.
I never read based on reviews. In fact, I rarely ever read reviews.
I am not famous and haven't published a single book, but if you are ever in need of someone to interview, I offer myself as tribute.
Honestly, technology is the biggest reason we are not reading! Both in terms of time and what technology has done to our brains.
I would love to talk you in more depth about your reading life, especially because I know you have been a big reader through many life transitions!
Oooo, so looking forward to reading Alicia's forthcoming memoir! Fabulous interview!
Thank you for reading and I am with you, can't wait to read. If you are new to Alicia's writing, she has linked a lot of her published pieces on her website, which I highly recommend. And, of course, the substack!
I wasn't familiar with Alicia but NOW I AM! Subscribed and did some reading and I am so grateful you wrote this! I'm also very interested in her book and I'm thinking it would be a good Christmas gift for my husband!
I love the issues where you interview others about their reading styles and approach. And kudos to Alicia for reminding me to crack open my own Knaussgaard after a long break. I’m on book 3. I like that she gets writing ideas from magazines. I am intrigued by this idea.
To answer one of your three questions. I don’t read based on reviews but if a book keeps popping up in my life then I take it as a sign that I need to read it. I like to take recommendations from friends I trust (you’re one of them!) and find my next read on my own as well. I am always interested in a book club.