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For months since the start of the pandemic, I’ve had trouble getting back into reading for pleasure. I graduated from my Master’s program in May 2020, and was experiencing a lot of literary fatigue… I was studying medieval English literature, and had been up to my ears in readings for months, so I think at the end of it all I was just incredibly burnt out. This book changed that. Set in a post-Covid, semi-fictionalized version of Palm Beach, it’s incredibly fun, and just of-the-moment enough to feel like an inside joke for our times, without veering into the hyper-current or crinegworthy.
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I went to Miami for Art Basel and by the end of the weekend I was filled with hangxiety so I spent an extra day sitting on the beach reading Stephanie LaCava’s newish novel I Fear My Pain Interests You. It’s about the daughter of two punk rock stars who suffers from “congenital analgesia,” which means she feels no physical pain, and though it’s definitely not a breezy beach read, it destroyed me, in a good way.
Jan 23, 2023
This world is a life sentence. I’m in a state of constant, low grade agitation. Crust gathered around my eyelids like dead weeds in the summer sun. I’m sitting in the line for the COSTCO gasoline station in Van Nuys, CA as I type this. It’s hot and stifling and the malformed waddler phenotype directly in front of me can’t for the life of her get her COSTCO card to read at the scanner. I’m seething, seething in my non-air conditioned 2005 Toyota Solara. It occurs to me that when the government decides to suspend the constitution & institute mass incarcerations, they won’t even need to erect FEMA camps. I’m thinking forced relocation of insurgent population to COSTCO’s around the country. it won’t even be forced. We’ll all just move in & relish the the opportunity to finally, holistically Live in Bulk™️ . In this moment, when being a total misanthrope comes as easily, as urgently as reaching for the glass of water on the floor next to the mattress (also on the floor), I can’t help but think to myself “the narrator from my year of rest & relaxation is literally me”.
Fun, easy breezy read. Made me lol a couple of times. Middle part drags a bit, but the ending’s brilliant. late to the party on this one, but glad I finally got around to it
Apr 16, 2024
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I’ve been re-reading The Ancient Hours, a slim novel that locks itself into a trance of amusement for the dust that settles on townspeople following a devastating tragedy. The pace goes fast, the perspective steadily repositions itself, it’s fucked and funny and reminds me to keep my head on a swivel. Bible is a freaking king writer.
May 15, 2023
Top Recs from @sasha
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This genius show, brought to you by Lisa McGee, is really just good for what ails you. As an alumna of an all-girls high school, I find it nails the single-sex educational experience better than anything else out there. It’s funny, easy to watch, and full of charmingly absurd accents. After watching one too many episodes, I find myself talking to myself like an Irishwoman, and then thanking the heavens -- as I do every day -- that I live alone.
Apr 15, 2021
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This is the coffee I drink at home every day. I think this surprises some of my friends, because I’m somewhat food-obsessed, and am known for loving the finer things whenever and wherever I can find them. However, it’s all about balance, and I stand by this lowbrow coffee choice one hundred percent. It’s perfectly toasty and bitter, quite cheap, and is ready in as long as it takes to heat water. I think I’ll be drinking it for the rest of my life.
Apr 15, 2021
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A few months ago, I made the mistake of treating myself to a couple pairs of fancy black sheer stockings. They made me feel like one of the hot girls on Mad Men, maybe one who marries her boss or something. Until, after all of fifteen minutes, they ripped. So I rolled my eyes and headed to CVS for an emergency replacement. Would you believe, dear reader, that I still have that same pair of (yet unripped!) replacement tights to this very day??? Needless to say: highly recommend.
Apr 15, 2021