Mid-year reading check-in
I am too cringe for TikTok
My daughter advised me to start a BookTok/YouTube account, even though she thinks it will be cringe. When I said I might start believing in Botox if I saw myself on video that much, she reminded me the videos would not be for me to watch— they’d be for other people.
Genius. This is the clear difference between her generation and mine.
Until I hire a carpenter to build my new built-ins (happy birthday to me) as backdrop, I don’t think I’ll be tempted to expand my platform beyond this email newsletter. But this trending mid-year check-in I first saw on
’s TikTok seems like fun and not a waste of makeup for those participating.In words and stills:
Best book I’ve read so far
Asking me to pick “the best” book is like asking me to pick my best toe. I count on having at least ten and it is ridiculous to choose among them.
By best, do we mean the most recommendable to the most people? The best reading experience? The one the greatest number of people include on their lists of top 10 novels we’ll need after the apocalypse when posting to Substack Notes this month? Or the work of most enduring reputation? Of the books I’ve read this year, Anna Karenina satisfies the last two so I’m going with it. Finished it Sunday and my thoughts for a post may yet come together, so for now I’ll just say that I found this book strangely digressive and a bit preachy, but unmatched in its close observations of gestures and what they reveal about human nature, still so recognizable and true 150 years later. Who knew the squeezing of a sponge could wring my heart?
A book I just finished
Beautifully written and inhabited. How is The Safekeep a debut? Loaded with plenty of clues that make the twist seem inevitable, but it’s still so enjoyable to go along. My favorite passage:
Sometimes I think about Pap and the time he wanted to show me how to play checkers and I said no, boring game. I want to scream at myself. Now you’ll never know how he plays checkers or how he explains the rules and these are things you’ll never ever ever know. That’s what happens when people die. They take themselves with them and you never ever find out anything new about them.
Book(s) I’m currently reading
Real Estate on audio, Long Distance e-book (stay tuned for a review), and The Feast in print, my preferred format. After reading The Safekeep and also enjoying Rebecca this year, I’m feeling drawn to books that have themes of house and home.
A book that did not meet my expectations
I recently wrote about how Flashlight’s opening set high expectations. The true story of how the real crimes this book was based on were discovered blew my mind, but Choi’s made-up coincidence, centering the novel’s most clueless American character, disappointed me. I wouldn’t have known to look for that story without her book though.
Runner-up for this category: Audition which I wrote about here.
A book that exceeded my expectations
Violent characters and misfits with their nicknames, voices, and strange circumstances tapped into my empathy, almost against my will. This is Not Miami takes the reader below the surface of a chaotic and fragmented society, into its darkly gorgeous heart.
The prettiest book I’ve added to shelf this year
I signed up for a subscription to Transit Books and their covers wow me with their simple beauty every time. The photo doesn’t do justice because much of the pleasure is in the textured paper they’re printed on.
A book I can’t wait to start reading
After her husband abandons her, a woman becomes trapped inside her own apartment during a summer heat wave. I have to know more.
Show me yours!
How’s your reading year been going? Have a mid-year check-in to share? I’d love to know. The comments are open for your lists or links to your own videos/posts.
Cheers,
I'm 94 books into the year with 19 in June alone - I have no life 😁
I know what you mean about showing your face on social media. I really hate doing it but I love seeing other people's faces - a double standard I guess. I have noticed that the posts where share pictures of myself tend to engage people the most, so your daughter is probably right, but don't expect to see me on TikToc any time soon.
I recently finished The Strange Case of Jane O by Karen Thompson Walker which, whilst not the most amazing book I've ever read, was very interesting and thought-provoking. It made me think a lot about other lives and different realities.