November Recap: Things I Read, Saw, etc-ed
An emotional roller-coaster of culture consumption
Hello there! Can you believe it is December 1st? Can you believe how long November was? Can you believe Nov 5th was just 3 weeks and 6 days a go? Can you believe that this year is almost over? Can you believe that I turned my laptop off at 5pm on Wednesday and have not turned it back on for 3 whole days before I sat to write this? Can you believe that I charged my phone before we got on a plane to Key West on Thursday, and by Saturday morning it still held 48 percent of its battery, when often I have to charge it more than once in a work day? Can you believe that that I actually stuck to my “You Need Nothing” guns and didn’t open a single Black Friday alert? (pro tip: putting your phone on airplane mode and not turning your laptop on helps!). Can you believe that these past few days even possible in 2024 and how do I go about replicating them on a more consistent basis?
While I unfortunately don’t have an answer to that final question, I can merrily report that in those past few days I did finish two books, visited multiple bookstores (including one owned by Judy Blume! Who was there!), a delightful old school cinema (owned by Judy Blume’s husband whose actual name I didn’t bother to look up!) ate quite a bit of seafood, chased by an equal bit of white wine with with ice-cubes on top, and am here to report on my reading and other non-shopping accomplishments for the month of November.
THINGS I READ:
7 BOOKS! Not too shabby, and a good variety at that. A veritable Spice Girls of literary buffet: a little something for everyone
Three horror-y novels left-over from October - one thing they all have in common: women are not in them to be good or be victims, they’re there to eff some stuff up, for better or worse.
Sleep Tight by JH Markert - JH Markert mentions that this was originally a screenplay and it shows, in both good and bad ways. The good ways include some very King-y/Scandinavian Noir inherently cinematic vibes. The bad ways include a lot of exposition-y chapters that feel a little forced at times, and wouldn’t have been necessary in a more visual medium. But this story of an aftermath of a serial killer’s execution where it becomes very clear that not all was what it seemed is fun and sinister and features a very memorable, cunning lead villain (which is kind of all I crave these days - a villain I can sink my teeth into). Touches of “Chestnut Man” and Meg Gardiner abound (if you get these two references, you’ll enjoy this book).
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison - This was extremely fun. A prodigal daughter returns to her small New Jersey religious community after 8 years away, for the wedding of her best friend and ex-boyfriend, held at the ridiculous gothic-y mansion she grew up in, brimming with artefacts of her mother’s career as a bonafide silver screen scream queen, and if this set-up is not delicious enough - within the first wedding event things get actually weird. Touches of Rosemary’s Baby and Omen (but not in a way you’d think) move the story forward in a very horror superfan way (I feel Ti West or Anna Biller would have the best time adapting this as a movie or show), but the thing that keeps you coming back is Harrison’s biting black humor, and ear for dialogue.
The Book Of Cases by Simone St. James - I have been systematically buying Simone St. James novels as part of the Book of The Month Club but this is the first one I ever read. A story of a true-crime writer (with a true-crime past of her own) who sets out to interview the aging heiress/most-famous presumed serial killer in the area is a little on the nose at times, but also often satisfying.
THEN: Two literary fictions for people who like novels in the traditional sense: a good story, an emotional connection to characters, a sweeping-yet-intimate set-up
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane - This book has been sitting on my shelf for a few years, and I just needed something that was both well-reviewed and satisfying on a very primal level of what we, as a people, look for in a story: love, friendship, mistakes, forgiveness, family, redemption. And Keane delivered everything in spades. If you love the Anns (Patchett or Napolitano) - you will love this story of two families intervowen by tragedy and love. The setting is geographically intimate (NYC & State, with just a splash of Jersey), and chronologically sweeping (from the 60s to late 2010s, with a blessedly non-pivotal 2001 detour which many NY set novels covering that period fall for). Trigger warnings abound: (mismanaged) mental health issues, violence, substance abuse, etc - but at no point does it feel particularly overwhelming or gratuituous, just sort of, you know, human. Life, it isn’t all meet-cutes and walk-and-talks.
West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge - This was my neighborhood book club book this month and while it does not qualify quite in the realm of “Giver of Stars” recommendations wise, this road trip featuring two giraffes being transported from NY to San Diego during the Great Depression is satisfying in a very crowd pleasing way.
And then, for a special treat: two wild, slim, out-there fictions by women ahead of their time - Brat Summer & Otessa Moshfegh & Marlowe Granados & The Guest fore-mothers, if you will (spoiler alert: I loved both of these)
(btw, both books came to me by way of “Read Like The Wind” column/newsletter, currently under guest editorial-ship while
keeps a small baby alive, and which I read in proper paper format every Sunday without exception in my NY Times)Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles (w/ an introduction by Claire Messud) - the only novel by the queer wife of equally queer Paul Bowles (known for “Sheltering Sky”) appeared in a Young penned “Two Books About Women Making Trouble” in 2023 and was described as a novel that “reads as if written by an extraterrestrial who spent five minutes on Earth and became bizarrely determined to write a comedy of manners“ and it is a survey of anecdotal adventures of the two titular ladies: Miss Goering and Mrs Copperfield. They sort of meet at the start but otherwise mind their own business cohabitating w/ shady roommates and embarking on anxiety driven saphic trysts w/ Panamian prostitutes. 150% not for everyone (actually 150% not for 98.8% of people), but there’s something so wild and fun about how unapologetically weird it is.
After Claude by Iris Owens - (w/ an introduction by Emily Prager) appeared in the edition of “2 Books That Capture NY” (please note the 2 and the Two - it makes me feel slightly better about the non-existent editing process of this newsletter) and was described as “One of the only books that’s ever made me laugh out loud, by myself, while commuting“ - so I had to get it. In it our anti-heroine, Harriet, apparently an avatar for Owens herself (whose bio includes an origin story as a daughter of professional gambler and future employment as a wife of an Iranian prince) is an incredibly sanctimonious, bitchy, ne’er-do-well in 1973 New York (also known as “PEAK NEW YORK”) who is being broken up by the titular Claude. I am happy to report that IS incredibly funny, and often infuriating, and probably the (obvious or round-about) reason why any form of talky, bratty feminist-y entertainment (from music to substack) exists in the world.
For good measure, I am closing the book recap part of this newsletter with two vintage covers of “After Claude” + a photo of Anjelica Huston in “Manhattan Murder Mystery”, a character supposedly inspired by Owens. You’re welcome:
In terms of viewing things, it has not been a particularly fruitful time (I prioritized reading as it meant time not spent looking at a screen), but a few good things did happen:
Rivals (Hulu) - I keep threatening to write a whole newsletter about this show, but until then - JUST WATCH THIS. 1980s England, horsiness, lots of OTT outfits and situations, a snappy cast, and there better be a second season after that cliff-hanger, so I need us all to reach hands across newsletters and make this a hit.
Marlow Murder Club (PBS) - A retired archeologist, a vicar’s wife and a dog-walker form an unlikely crime fighting team in an adorable hamlet on the Thames. Fun fact: one of my best-reading-buddies Rebecca lives in Marlow now, which makes me very personally invested in this show’s/book series success.
Inspector Ellis (Acorn) - Gritty, with a great lead, plus - 90 min cases - basically my favorite kind of show.
Bad Sisters (Apple+) - Have only started season 2 but extremely into it already, and love everyone and everything in it (no surprises there)
plus, we started the new Mike Schur /Ted Danson collaboration on Netflix - “The Man On the Inside” - which involves a widowed former college professor going under cover at a retirement community because he “needs something to do”. Danson is at his peak charming, and the cast is a who’s-who of surprisingly spry 75-85 year olds out to steal your heart. Very enjoyable, quite cozy and super jaunty.
And that is that - can you believe it?
Anything really really good that should be on my radar to close 2024 with?