Huge 'book club' vibes from this comment thread so far. We will definitely have to do a proper one soon and host a live chat when we discuss. Interest noted.
We might need an Inlectio support group! I too used to read multiple books a week and, after having covid at the very beginning of the pandemic, am still struggling to focus. It’s probably also related to perimenopausal brain fog for me. Maybe for others, too?
The peri and menopause brain is real! As is Covid brain fog imho. In hindsight I too suffered from Inflectio. The only thing I could focus on for any length of time was audiobooks. And I taught myself to crochet. Badly, but it got better and it was like a moving meditation when I felt overwhelmed.
Whenever I’m going through a reading slump, I download a bunch of cute, sexy rom-coms. And by the time I’ve burned through those, I’m back to business. I would recommend Annabel Monaghan, Abby Jimenez, Ava Wilder, Ali Hazelwood, Talia Hibbert, Ivy Owens, Alexis Hall, and Christina Lauren.
Some of the best books I’ve read in the last couple of years? Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. The List by Yomi Adegoke. Corpsing by Sophie White. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. (And yes, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow!)
Vladimir by Julia May Jonas, and Bunny by Mona Awad are so delightfully weird in their own way and I can’t decide if I love or hate them.
As a note, I sort of recommended it to a coworker today in a “this book was super weird and off putting but also so good” way and she’s going to read it this weekend...we will see what the results of my hesitant “recommendation” are!
Inlectio! Lainey, the EXACT same thing happened to me. Audiobooks have helped me a little bit, since I can do chores or drive, but the act of sitting with an actual book is still so weirdly difficult. It's upsetting.
Lainey - I can totally relate to your "inlectio". I too was a voracious reader my whole life but then after grad school it sort of felt like academia beat it out of me. For me I have been getting back into literature with audio books. It's not the same but it feels like dipping my toe back in 😊
Omg! Same. Immediately after, I went hard with audiobooks. But I'm just working around to ebooks - high fantasy, sci Fi, brain mush, and romance. I wish you a sea of good books as you dip your toes!
Oh wow, I forgot that Lainey recommended Life After Life - one of my all-time favourites. I was so into her coverage of Pachinko and loved that book as well. So happy to have some new recommendations.
Who do we think the multi-hyphenate who wasn't in violation was?
I think it's about Bradley Cooper at the Venice Film Festival, who was there to check the sound/vision for Maestro (multihyphenate bc he's both the director and actor), even though the strike's happening and everybody's gotta be careful.
(Mostly because when I read that back in August, I was reminded of this piece I read years ago about a singer who tested their music in cars, boom boxes, headphones, etc. etc. because different mediums/places changes the way people absorb it. I've always wondered if film directors should be doing more testing of their plane-length movies on actual planes. Like how you do need to read House of Leaves, like Sarah said, physically. This parenthetical got long).
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow gave me insomnia because it was so good I never wanted to stop reading. It also made me go lie down beside my son when he was sleeping because I needed to be close to him. Loved it.
You guys probably saw this on Lainey's Instagram the other day so for full disclosure, "Tomorrow,..." started out as a sponsorship read for her (which we first accept or decline based on the title presented to us) but once Lainey started reading it she couldn't put it down. It became a genuine fav. Glad you enjoyed it as well.
Thank you for the Kendra Gaylord video recommendation. I used to watch all the Million Dollar listing shows on Bravo and in the past few years I found them making me really uncomfortable as I read more and more about the housing crisis, especially in CA or NY.
I've never really been able to get into the real estate shows. Mainly because most of the places they show off are large, sure, but they're very bland without personality. I blame a lot of those real estate shows for the griege nightmare that is current interior design trends.
I'm also leery of the reno shows because house flipping was presented as a solution during the Great Recession for people who lost savings and jobs, but the reality is, house slipping is very expensive and difficult and most people don't make a lot of money doing it. Generally the people who are able to make a real go of it already have capital to invest, like Jeremy Renner. I have always been a little bit disappointed there's not more transparency and honesty around the house flipping stuff. It's an easy way for people to lose even more money.
Also it kills me when I'm watching one of those shows and they go into an historic home and start taking out floors and trim and stuff. Bad taste everywhere.
Anne Helen Petersen calls that bad taste the “market reflected gaze”; the essential stripping and flattening of ANY personality in a home so it can appeal to all of the theoretical buyers. The reno and house flipping shows have built up that worry even if you don’t have plans to sell so it manifests in bland sameness of houses. It’s a good read!
Life After Life is an all-time favorite, and Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow was one of my best reading experiences this year!
I'll also humbly put mine forward--it's called Advika and the Hollywood Wives. I've been lucky enough to have it compared to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, so if you liked that book you might also enjoy mine.
Just got an alert from my library that my I can pick up a copy of Yellowface. I’m so, so excited. I can feel it in my waters that I am going to love this book.
I also struggled with inlectio for the last couple years. This is the first year I’ve really really started reading again. And it is such a relief. Right now I’m reading Dirtbag, Massachusetts and it’s beautifully written.
I know *so* many prolific readers, myself included, who stopped reading during COVID. I love that you came up with a word for it. I discovered audiobooks during lockdown and have become hooked. It all hinges on the voice actor though.
No one asked, but I have to recommend Trust by Hernan Diaz. It’s a story told in 4 parts from 4 perspectives: a fictional novella about a couple, the husband’s memoir, the young woman who ghostwrote the husband’s memoir, and finally the wife’s journal. It was so interesting to compare the different viewpoints, and there were some jaw dropping moments at the end. It’s definitely a book where the payoff comes at the end but I also found it interesting during the reading as well. :)
on the kardashians - i remember the site's response in years past to be along the lines of, we cover celebrities, which they aren't. but as Lainey says over time the family has gained so much cultural capital they just cant be ignored when we gossip. and so i do appreciate the analysis of what's happening around them and how it reflects the state of celeb in 2023... my views have changed since the 2010s, just like the content of LG.
(PS i think once one was referred to in a "what else" link for an outfit and i did think that was a little much 😂)
Huge 'book club' vibes from this comment thread so far. We will definitely have to do a proper one soon and host a live chat when we discuss. Interest noted.
We might need an Inlectio support group! I too used to read multiple books a week and, after having covid at the very beginning of the pandemic, am still struggling to focus. It’s probably also related to perimenopausal brain fog for me. Maybe for others, too?
The peri and menopause brain is real! As is Covid brain fog imho. In hindsight I too suffered from Inflectio. The only thing I could focus on for any length of time was audiobooks. And I taught myself to crochet. Badly, but it got better and it was like a moving meditation when I felt overwhelmed.
Whenever I’m going through a reading slump, I download a bunch of cute, sexy rom-coms. And by the time I’ve burned through those, I’m back to business. I would recommend Annabel Monaghan, Abby Jimenez, Ava Wilder, Ali Hazelwood, Talia Hibbert, Ivy Owens, Alexis Hall, and Christina Lauren.
Some of the best books I’ve read in the last couple of years? Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. The List by Yomi Adegoke. Corpsing by Sophie White. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. (And yes, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow!)
Vladimir by Julia May Jonas, and Bunny by Mona Awad are so delightfully weird in their own way and I can’t decide if I love or hate them.
I turn to cute, sexy rom coms or romance when in a reading slump too. It’s brain sorbet — cleanses your palette, and then you’re refreshed!
Adding Tia Williams and Jasmine Guillory books to these recs, in the same vein (pun intended)!
I love both of these authors! Great shout
Bunny is a book I loved reading but would not recommend! Such a weirdo one.
Yes! I found it delightful and so strange but I can’t think of one person i would be able to recommend it to. It’s definitely an acquired taste
As a note, I sort of recommended it to a coworker today in a “this book was super weird and off putting but also so good” way and she’s going to read it this weekend...we will see what the results of my hesitant “recommendation” are!
Hahaha please let me know what she thinks!!
Inlectio! Lainey, the EXACT same thing happened to me. Audiobooks have helped me a little bit, since I can do chores or drive, but the act of sitting with an actual book is still so weirdly difficult. It's upsetting.
Good luck to us both!
Lainey - I can totally relate to your "inlectio". I too was a voracious reader my whole life but then after grad school it sort of felt like academia beat it out of me. For me I have been getting back into literature with audio books. It's not the same but it feels like dipping my toe back in 😊
Omg! Same. Immediately after, I went hard with audiobooks. But I'm just working around to ebooks - high fantasy, sci Fi, brain mush, and romance. I wish you a sea of good books as you dip your toes!
Oh wow, I forgot that Lainey recommended Life After Life - one of my all-time favourites. I was so into her coverage of Pachinko and loved that book as well. So happy to have some new recommendations.
Who do we think the multi-hyphenate who wasn't in violation was?
I think it's about Bradley Cooper at the Venice Film Festival, who was there to check the sound/vision for Maestro (multihyphenate bc he's both the director and actor), even though the strike's happening and everybody's gotta be careful.
(Mostly because when I read that back in August, I was reminded of this piece I read years ago about a singer who tested their music in cars, boom boxes, headphones, etc. etc. because different mediums/places changes the way people absorb it. I've always wondered if film directors should be doing more testing of their plane-length movies on actual planes. Like how you do need to read House of Leaves, like Sarah said, physically. This parenthetical got long).
Ohhh, greatttt guess!
Oh, Brad Pitt is an interesting guess! I totally forgot about that entire thing.
I think it was Brad Pitt at the F1 race earlier this summer, but Bcoop is a good guess too!
I also love life after life but I admit I've only read it twice!!! May need to come back to it one day
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow gave me insomnia because it was so good I never wanted to stop reading. It also made me go lie down beside my son when he was sleeping because I needed to be close to him. Loved it.
This!!! I listened to it on audiobook and now am going to buy the physical copy which NEVER happens. Well, very rarely. Such a beautiful book.
Such a good idea! I’m buying the physical copy as well.
You guys probably saw this on Lainey's Instagram the other day so for full disclosure, "Tomorrow,..." started out as a sponsorship read for her (which we first accept or decline based on the title presented to us) but once Lainey started reading it she couldn't put it down. It became a genuine fav. Glad you enjoyed it as well.
Thank you for the Kendra Gaylord video recommendation. I used to watch all the Million Dollar listing shows on Bravo and in the past few years I found them making me really uncomfortable as I read more and more about the housing crisis, especially in CA or NY.
I've never really been able to get into the real estate shows. Mainly because most of the places they show off are large, sure, but they're very bland without personality. I blame a lot of those real estate shows for the griege nightmare that is current interior design trends.
I'm also leery of the reno shows because house flipping was presented as a solution during the Great Recession for people who lost savings and jobs, but the reality is, house slipping is very expensive and difficult and most people don't make a lot of money doing it. Generally the people who are able to make a real go of it already have capital to invest, like Jeremy Renner. I have always been a little bit disappointed there's not more transparency and honesty around the house flipping stuff. It's an easy way for people to lose even more money.
Also it kills me when I'm watching one of those shows and they go into an historic home and start taking out floors and trim and stuff. Bad taste everywhere.
Anne Helen Petersen calls that bad taste the “market reflected gaze”; the essential stripping and flattening of ANY personality in a home so it can appeal to all of the theoretical buyers. The reno and house flipping shows have built up that worry even if you don’t have plans to sell so it manifests in bland sameness of houses. It’s a good read!
https://annehelen.substack.com/p/how-your-house-makes-you-miserable
I really enjoy Your Home Made Perfect on Netflix if you’re looking for house renovations with normal people and budgets
This isn’t available on Netflix in Canada :(
I really like this weekly Q&A! Mahalo!!
Life After Life is an all-time favorite, and Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow was one of my best reading experiences this year!
I'll also humbly put mine forward--it's called Advika and the Hollywood Wives. I've been lucky enough to have it compared to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, so if you liked that book you might also enjoy mine.
Just got an alert from my library that my I can pick up a copy of Yellowface. I’m so, so excited. I can feel it in my waters that I am going to love this book.
YELLOWFACE is soooo good
I also struggled with inlectio for the last couple years. This is the first year I’ve really really started reading again. And it is such a relief. Right now I’m reading Dirtbag, Massachusetts and it’s beautifully written.
I know *so* many prolific readers, myself included, who stopped reading during COVID. I love that you came up with a word for it. I discovered audiobooks during lockdown and have become hooked. It all hinges on the voice actor though.
No one asked, but I have to recommend Trust by Hernan Diaz. It’s a story told in 4 parts from 4 perspectives: a fictional novella about a couple, the husband’s memoir, the young woman who ghostwrote the husband’s memoir, and finally the wife’s journal. It was so interesting to compare the different viewpoints, and there were some jaw dropping moments at the end. It’s definitely a book where the payoff comes at the end but I also found it interesting during the reading as well. :)
on the kardashians - i remember the site's response in years past to be along the lines of, we cover celebrities, which they aren't. but as Lainey says over time the family has gained so much cultural capital they just cant be ignored when we gossip. and so i do appreciate the analysis of what's happening around them and how it reflects the state of celeb in 2023... my views have changed since the 2010s, just like the content of LG.
(PS i think once one was referred to in a "what else" link for an outfit and i did think that was a little much 😂)
I loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow too! My favorite read this year so far!