Everything I Read & Where I Read It: August 10-17
Highs of this past week: getting my replacement license at the MVA was actually shockingly easy; seeing Weapons; eating at Vinegar Hill House and then getting bingsu for dessert.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
I read The Plot for my book club—and this is why book clubs are good! I don’t think I’d have gravitated to this book otherwise, and I liked it! I read it in my summer perch, mostly: on our couch, AC blasting, tea at hand.
I liked that this book was about writers and writing, and I liked the invocation of some mystical, unprecedented plot. The unprecedented plot idea reminded me of a joke my dad tells: what if he made a movie, and the characters just got happier and happier throughout it? Our conceptions of what makes a story a story can be so rigid, and I love the idea of some transcendental, otherworldly new plot landing in the head of an author.
Unfortunately, I guessed the big plot twist almost immediately upon meeting the character involved, which is a bummer. I’m not really a consummate thriller reader, either—I’m not one of those readers who’s always trying to guess the ending. I felt like the plot twist was just very readily apparent the whole time. Also, weirdly, I found this book to be so similar to Yellowface, which is 1) deeply ironic given that both plots revolve around a particular kind of story theft, and 2) unflattering because I liked Yellowface more than this book. That being said, I did like this book. I inhaled it—I thought it was really enjoyable. 4/5
Universality by Natasha Brown
I read this book in two sittings. I tore through it and really enjoyed it. Read it Tuesday evening after Scott and I got burgers for dinner, and Wednesday morning as I was waking up. It reminded me of Trust by Hernan Diaz or Audition by Katie Kitamura: lots of playing with perspective and what “truth” means depending on where you’re standing.
I loved the experience of reading this book— it reads like watching a fight between two of your most annoying college friends — although I did feel slightly unsatisfied when it ended. Probably because this isn’t really a narrative, but more of an exercise in perspective-taking: the same story told from different directions, by people who have different stakes and blinders. You don’t finish this book and think, What a powerful story. You finish it and think, Damn, that was a sick burn. Brown really gets them: she completely skewers every single character in this book, which is deeply entertaining to read. If the book was longer, it would probably get annoying, but it’s short enough that I just thoroughly enjoyed it. 5/5.
Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez
I don’t want to be dramatic, but reading this book was one of the most depressing reading experiences I’ve ever had. I was on a bus from New York to DC, and it smelled weird, and I felt carsick, and this book was so dark. Good God. Hoarding and abandonment and drug addiction AND ALS? What am I supposed to do with that? I don’t think it was necessarily a bad book, but it was 100% not what I wanted (a slutty book to distract me from the bus ride) or expected. Even the fucking DOG was distressing and didn’t bring me any joy to read about. (No TEETH? Casually mentioned? And wearing DIAPERS?) I actually hated this book, I think. The ALS plot line involves one character who has a 50% chance of getting sick with ALS, and then she and a guy fall in love and they think she’s getting sick and it’s just… brutal. It was not fun or distracting. It was dark and distressing. Also, the ending pissed me OFF. No. No, thank you. That’s the last Abby Jimenez I’ll try. ⅕ romance stars
Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
I read this one on my Amtrak ride back to New York, and my God, it’s worth taking the bus sometimes so I can fully appreciate how much better the train is. I mean, the train presents its own set of issues (especially recently — there’s got to be something going on with Amtrak with how often trains are getting delayed and cancelled) but the lack of nausea is worth most complications on the train.
This book reminded me, unsurprisingly, of The Reckoning by Leslie Jamison. I liked The Reckoning better, I think, for its serious look at the mythic connections between creativity and alcoholism: it gave the memoir more of a point and a focus. Drinking is more of a series of essays about the writer’s addiction. I enjoyed most of it, but felt like it could’ve been about half as long as it is. I always like reading about AA, though, and the way they use language and aphorisms in particular to contextualize alcoholism. 3.5/5
The Goal by Elle Kennedy
Listen, I would never argue that Elle Kennedy books are GOOD. They’re not good: they’re predictable and formulaic. If the formula works for you, though, they’re kind of great? I read Elle Kennedy books the way I imagine most people watch reality TV: I binge them when I want a complete, total distraction. In this case, it was a Sunday morning and Scott was doing a long run. I briefly contemplated going to the gym or going for a walk, and instead I sat down and read this entire book.
Again, let me emphasize: this book in particular is not good. In general, Elle Kennedy rotates through the entire roster of romance tropes in her books, circulating around a recurring cast and setting. The Goal hit on the surprise pregnancy trope. Not my favorite. HOWEVER. Somehow, I still read this whole thing in two hours. The characters were decent, the chemistry was there, and…yeah! That’s that on that. ⅘ romance stars
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
I feel like I need someone to read this one with me. Or I need someone I trust to tell me it’s worth reading. As it is, I really tried, despite how boring I found it from the get-go. I read about 150 pages of this one, and I just…could not get into it. It was so boring! I was shocked! It had the same social propriety and weird magic vibe as Piranesi, but Piranesi was intriguing from the start because of the setting, and also it was about ⅛th the length of Jonathan Strange. I loved Piranesi so, so much, so I tried to give this one a fair try–I read, like, 200 pages!--but I was just really bored. DNF.