According to one Mouse:
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - a magical, mysterious book unlike any other I’ve read and possibly my favourite of all time. A story told in journal entries of Piranesi, a man who lives in a huge labyrinth filled with statues.
Memorial by Bryan Washington - a gorgeous tender story of a gay couple told from both sides. Stunningly empathetic and just perfect in its humanity, and use of food as character and relationship device.
Milkfed by Melissa Broder - a weird bisexual masterpiece. Sex, food, obsession.
Helgoland by Carlo Rovelli - a history of quantum physics written by the man known as “the poet of physics”. written so as to be understood by anyone, mostly to tell us that even the physicists cannot fully grasp the reality of it.
Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith - ghost story depicting a decade of Vietnamese folklore and history. Magical, powerful, mysterious. I couldn’t believe it when I found out this was a debut novel and when I finished it I just sort of sat there for a while.
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield - a woman’s wife comes back from sea, but she is changed, and continues to change. Gay, magical realism. A beautiful allegory that can be read in a day.
White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Smith - surrealist retellings of fairytales by my all time favourite short story writer
Recollections of My Nonexistence by Rebecca Solnit - a memoir and potent exploration the silencing and erasure of women by men
Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh - all three of her books her 5 stars, she’s not missed yet. Blue Ticket is like Margaret Atwood meets Angela Carter. Dystopian feminist speculative fiction told with an almost surreal minimalism at times and almost magical vibrancy at others.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi - a scientist born of immigrant parents studying addiction, after her brother died at its hands. Grapples with grief, faith, identity, religion and love with unparalleled skill and tenderness.
Related Recs
đź“š
Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado
Stranger Things Happen - Kelly Link
Milk Fed - Mellisa Broder
Recollections of My Nonexistence - Rebeca Solnit
The Water Cure - Sophie Mackintosh
Transcendent Kingdom - Yaa Gyasi
Piranesi - Susanna Clarke
Memorial - Bryan Washington
Helgoland - Carlo Rovelli
Normal People - Sally Rooney
Jul 9, 2024
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i read 90 books in 2024 and here are the ones i enjoyed the most or i found to be the most thought provoking
Slow Days Fast Company by Eve Babitz
Penance by Eliza clark
Perfume by Patrick SĂĽskind
The house of grief by Helen Garner
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
The Secret History by Donna Tartt (a reread but still loved)
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart
Beloved by Toni Morrison
My year of rest and relaxation by Otessa Mosfegh
The bell jar by Sylvia plath
Death and the penguin by Andrey Kurkov
What I’d rather not think about by Jente Posthuma
Going Dark by Julia Ebner
Chlorine by Jade Song
Jan 1, 2025
đź“š
- Biography of X - Catherine Lacey
- Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 - Cho Nam-joo
- Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan
- Giovanni’s Room - James Baldwin
- Swing Time - Zadie Smith
- My Manservant and Me - Hervé Guibert
- Breast and Eggs - Mieko Kawakami
- Ulysses - James Joyce
- The Years - Annie Ernaux
- The Coin - Yasmin Zaher
- The Idiot & Either/Or - Elif Batuman
- Purity - Andrzej Tichy
- Butter - Asako Yuzuki
Nov 5, 2024
Top Recs from @mouse
I used to be envious of people who had “MySpace friends” or “tumblr friends”. Now I have PI.FYI friends. Thank you capyboppy for your lovely letter and this illustration of a capybara and a mouse with fruit on our heads, it made me weirdly emotional ❤️
Jun 11, 2024
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is gig etiquette dead? Don’t go to a gig if you wanna just talk to your mates! go to a pub it’s what they’re for!
Dec 8, 2024
IT'S OUT MY RECORD IS OUT I LITERALLY AM CRYING. The culmination of 4 plus years of work. I'm...gonna go to bed now!
May 3, 2024