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?
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.
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 😊
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?
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.
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.
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 😂)
Mailbag for September 22, 2023
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?
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.
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 😊
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?
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.
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 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.
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!