What Are You Reading?

[lhhbl]

Primates of Park Avenue: A Memoir by Wednesday Martin

 

[tigerrouge]

Just finished "The End of Fashion" by Teri Agins. As it was published around 1999/2000, its analysis of the fashion world 'ended' there, so it's very interesting not only to see an account of what you remember from the time, but to read it knowing how the stores and brands have fared since then.

The writer was not a fan of Donna Karan.

 

[Royal-Galliano]

just finished the woman in me memoir by britney spears yesterday and loved every page of it.

 

[lhhbl]

reading Primates of Park Avenue and loving it

 

[Belowen]

Petals on the Wind by V.C. Andrews, absolute trash and a nostalgic read because I needed something that didn't require thinking. It is terrible and I love it.

 

[Drusilla_]

fiction: Ruthless Vows, by Rebecca Ross. It's got this vintage-WWII-meets-fantasy feel that I find really addictive, like the heroine wears trench coats, uses a typewriter and has shoes that sound like they're 1940s brogues.

non fiction: Orientalism, by Edward Said.

 

[Belowen]

I finished Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward and started Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton

 

[upNorth]

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

 

[Lax89]

Currently reading: Woke fiction - Comment l'idéologie change nos films et nos séries

 

[susseinmcswanny]

This gonna sound really annoying but my friend and I thought it'd be fun to book club Anti-Oedipus... it's so hard 😭 every time I think I start to get it, I DON'T.

 

[Belowen]

The Last Word by Taylor Adams

 

[Drusilla_]

just finished re-reading Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers - was trying to work out whether it was too advanced for a 7 year old child's birthday present (I think yes). I find I enjoy book Mary more than Disney Mary.

 

[Drusilla_]

1Granary issue 7, it's basically the same size and shape as a book. v interesting if you're into industry insider gossip and behind the scenes (unfortunately, all anonymised but still illuminating)

 

[MulletProof]

Finally finished Knife by Salman Rushdie. I was intrigued on how you physically, mentally and emotionally can recover from what happened to him, at his age, relatively fast and of course, whatever conclusion he may have regarding.. radicals. Minus the eye, he seems relatively normal and in good spirits and the book does present a nice breakdown on the events, so mission accomplished but.. I really think I should've read some of his other work before the book because I found him.. insufferable 😶.. wish I could understand why he talks about himself like 'oh yeah Biden called, and I guess I'm THE legend and the paps are outside, ugh, but I'm really just a romantic old man' 'so Fran Lebowitz had all these questions about the attack' 'nice to be in Central Park and not get recognized, I mean New Yorkers know who I am, but they keep to themselves'.. 😑 ..

 

[Drusilla_]

^I think his memoir of his post-fatwa time, Joseph Anton, might flesh out things a bit more - it doesn't feel quite as ...gassy? as some bits of Knife I read. Definitely the better memoir of the two, imo.

But going into Knife without reading any of his other stuff is a choice, lol - Haroun & the Sea of Stories is an underrated classic even if it's a children's book, and ofc Midnight's Children (Shame is shorter and sharper but doesn't have the same grandeur).

 

[MulletProof]

^ haha!!. I was even thinking The Satanic Verses should be next like okay let’s gradually go from the super bombastic since we’re already here. 😅

I’ll get Midnight’s Children asap. I was going to go with Haroun but as soon as I read magic realism, I know that’s not going to help my impression.

 

[Drusilla_]

just finished The Tearsmith after watching the movie on Netflix

apparently this was the best-selling book in Italy in 2022, and while I'm the irl version of the "her??" gif mentally at the thought, I can see it has a similar appeal to Twilight back in the day. It's several chapters too long, triggered multiple eyerolls (I am not the target demographic for this book lol) and drags a lot by the end, but it's totally Twilight for the Netflix generation i.e. trash but fun, movie >> book in this case for sure.

 

[Drusilla_]

Foootball in Sun & Shadow by Eduardo Galeano.

It's so good, very much worth a read even if you are only a casual football fan who only tunes in during the World Cup or something (i.e. me these days), he tells anecdotes from early 20th century football matches and footballers like they're myths and legends. Love it.

 

[Drusilla_]

^am thinking of getting it for my to-be-17 year old nephew as a birthday present but I guess I should ask his ma how interested in football he actually is first

 

[susseinmcswanny]

Almost done with In the Miso Soup 😰 just found out there was a movie in the works like 15 years ago with Willem Dafoe ?? 🙁 that would've been cool