Good morning friends. Over the last few days, several people have asked what I was reading to get through these weird times. And my honest answer is too many books. In general, I read 2-3 books at a time, which is not recommended, but 100% how my brain is wired unless I’m on vacation. I haven’t necessarily been reading for escape (note that I finished The Power Broker last weekend, which mostly just made me terrified and furious). But reading books keeps me from doing what the NYT calls “doom scrolling,” which is to say, just reading an endless catalog of bad news as updated over and over throughout the day. So I just finished Patti Smith’s Year of the Monkey (dreamy, and on the nightstand for months) and started both Anna Burns’ Little Constructions and John Rechy’s City of Night (which I’ve somehow managed not to read yet) over the last 24.
Here’s the current nightstand, subject to change/addition, but in rough syllabus order:
Sweet Days of Discipline—Fleur Jaeggy
The Bluest Eye—Toni Morrison*
Death In her Hands—Ottessa Moshfegh
Vernon Subutex #1—Virginie Despentes
Kristen Lavransdatter—Sigrid Undset
Among Strange Victims—Daniel SaldanaParis
Stamped From the Beginning-Ibram X. Kendi
The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas—Machado De Assis
Honeymoon—Patrick Modiano
Walking With The Wind—John Lewis
Insurrecto—Gina Apostol
Giovanni’s Room—James Baldwin*
Fraud—Anita Bruckner
Three Women—Lisa Taddeo
The Frolic of the Beasts—Yukio Mishima
The House of Government—Yuri Slezkine
Dear Life—Alice Munro
A Paradise Built in Hell—Rebecca Solnit
The Summer Before the Dark—Doris Lessing*Planned re-reads
New Books Coming Out that May Bump Titles:
Summer- Ali Smith
The Last Great Road Bum-Hector Tobar
The Bass Rock–Evie Wyld
Red Pill–Hari Kunzru
Caste: Origins of Our Discontents–Isabel Wilkerson
Sisters–Daisy Johnson
Jack–Marilynne Robinson
Luster–Raven Leilani
The Searcher–Tana French (I’m a sucker for these. They’re like candy)
So there’s your answer. Absolutely up to discuss any of these as I get to them. No guarantees on when, exactly. Oh, and if you need something that is actually wonderful and will not make you want to burrow down into a pit of despair, let me once again recommend the absolutely stellar, hilarious and moving “Deacon King Kong” by James McBride, which is currently vying for the top slot on my “Favorite Book of the Year” list. And remember: you can always enjoy a beach read even if the beaches are evacuated because of hurricane and you’re terrified of being around that many people because you might die of plague. Just don’t drop your book in the baby poolHappy Sunday. Picture is of said baby pool. As of this writing, 11, 406, 767 people have recovered from Covid-19.
Tiny Commotions 