how do you read so much/what is your reading schedule like?? sorry if this is a repetitive q and you've addressed it before. earnest question, i am so impressed!
also re: scent of green papaya - i feel like that feature laid the groundwork for the style that Tran later grew into. it's kind of amazing that it was all shot on a soundstage in france... and two decades later, taste of things feels like a delightful INDULGENCE. like, he's saying, i've been scrappy, let me now show off how masterful i am! love both films for very different reasons.
I should say that this reading sched is a bit unrealistic bc I'm not working this summer (haven't figured out how to mention it without sounding like I'm glamourizing financial self-destructiveness…but basically wanted to carve out the summer to do a few writing/research projects and then return to the working world)
I think my more realistic pace when I'm working full-time is like…4–8 books/month? I usually end up reading something like 70–90 books/yr and I'm incredibly haphazard about it. I v reliably read whenever I'm on public transit, on a plane, waiting for a friend to arrive for dinner…I also really love getting coffee or dining alone and bringing a book (usually a Kindle owing to a relatively small handbag)
but no very set schedule like "every night, 30min, before bed" and I am personally v impressed by others who have that consistency. I am total chaos sadly
also, thank you for sharing your thoughts on Tran! it's interesting bc The Taste of Things just felt so refined—like similarly pointlessly luxuriantly vibes-based, but the romance had more space to build up? maybe what I disliked about The Scent of Green Papaya is the feeling that the relationship between the young woman/mother of the house felt slightly melodramatic, and then the romance at the end was a bit exaggerated as a love triangle
but I do like your framing of: this was where he began working with these themes and approaches, and decades later…THIS is what's possible
I recently stumbled upon your writing and just wanted to thank you for the generosity you offer in all of your reviews and recommendations! You're my new must-read, and a model for how to read.
Popped in here not just to gush but also to say -- if you haven't read it already, you might like Milner's "On Not Being Able to Paint". Some overlap with "A Life", but more directly focuses on creativity/aesthetic production and is loaded with lines like this: "...beauty might be like happiness, something which a too direct striving after destroys"
this is a really touching comment, thank you! and I really appreciate the recommendation; I loved Milner's gentle and frank writing style, and this sounds like such an interesting topic!
Damn, impressive! I tore through Debre's book and enjoyed it, but felt there was something missing/empty in there underneath. (Maybe that's intentional / the point?)
I wonder if it’s the coldness and aloof quality that Debré has? she doesn’t quite reach the same level of conclusiveness and catharsis that other writers might—which I like, because it feels more like real life—but it does make the endings feel a bit emptier
I'm so honoured to be in this post and glad that my post resonated for you, and moreover I feel seen, in the very best way, by your thoughtful response and reflections. I, too, am in a big "text new people and eat it when they don't text back" era. Long may it continue.
You also picked out my own now-favourite lines from the piece ("All of this is sabotage. It’s everywhere. We like to hear stories where this is the middle. In real life, there are stories where this is the end.") I love when that happens, so thanks. :)
Ah, I'm so happy! it's really special to not just be read, but read in the way you want—I had a similar experience a few weeks ago, when I published an essay and a friend picked out a VERY SPECIFIC sentence that I'd worked on quite intensively and felt very proud of.
I really loved your post and found it so tremendously insightful (and truly so well written; lots and lots of passages that were stylistically and psychologically moving)—and that line in particular, about self-sabotage being the end of one's story, felt like a necessary shock and injunction to NOT let anxiety take over!
That's exactly what I hoped and why I like it. When we only tell ourselves stories in which good things / functional choices triumph, it can feed our denial about the reality of our situation.
Thank you again for the free publicity and the kind words -- especially here/now about my writing! "stylistically and psychologically moving" is such a great, wonderful compliment., and I'm moved too, by that. :)
I love the way you describe all of these books—I don’t read many contemporary writers except for Anne Carson haha,so that section was especially enlightening for me! and it’s so funny you highlighted the New Yorker article about Kanye and Tadao Ando—I mentioned it in a recent newsletter and have been thinking about doing a longer essay on Ando, so I loved seeing your take! Thanks for a great read :)
oh, I'd love to read your Ando essay if you do write it! the experience of being in an Ando building is very special; so much to think about re: his career and his architectural style and the enormous range of projects he's done
Those memoirs sound fascinating. I am especially intrigued by people’s journals (and do a lot of journaling myself) so A Life of One’s Own sounds right up my alley. I’m adding both to my TBR now!
they're both really inspiring—Milner is less direct about it, Lineham more explicit, but they both are about the project of going from a life characterized by insecurity/suffering/fear to one that is animated by purpose and serenity
love this so much!! i added a few of the books to my reading list and enjoyed all you had to say! i could tell how much you enjoyed and appreciated every little thing on here! <3
This has reinspired me to be more on to it with seeking out critiques of books I loved reading. I'm always a little afraid it'll sour my experience haha but I totally agree that even negative reviews can help you engage more deeply with a work you enjoyed. Great round up as always!
one thing I've noticed with negative reviews is that it helps me pinpoint what I specifically like in literature—like I often enjoy books accused of being "plotless" or "navelgazing" (if the navelgazing is actually a vertiginous leap into a character's interiority)
This was so intellectually stimulating, tbh. I loved reading, mainly because of the sheer variety this post offered. A life of One’s Own, sounds like something I’d thoroughly enjoy, but I do feel like it’s going to be a little bit before I get to it. (My tbr pile is overflowing and crying in the corner, really, but one book at a time 🫠). I also enjoyed reading your thoughts on “self sabotage”. I felt called out, really, and I’m hoping to be better. Maybe your post was the push that I needed. :’) (thank you!)
I’ve a genuine question btw. How do you stay committed to reading poetry and self help books? I find it difficult to commit to one, and I suspect that it’s got to do with the fact that the theme I’m relating to atm doesn’t match the theme of the book, or maybe because I don’t add enough variety. I’m not sure. But I’d love to hear your thoughts/ tips you have. ❤️
how do you read so much/what is your reading schedule like?? sorry if this is a repetitive q and you've addressed it before. earnest question, i am so impressed!
also re: scent of green papaya - i feel like that feature laid the groundwork for the style that Tran later grew into. it's kind of amazing that it was all shot on a soundstage in france... and two decades later, taste of things feels like a delightful INDULGENCE. like, he's saying, i've been scrappy, let me now show off how masterful i am! love both films for very different reasons.
I should say that this reading sched is a bit unrealistic bc I'm not working this summer (haven't figured out how to mention it without sounding like I'm glamourizing financial self-destructiveness…but basically wanted to carve out the summer to do a few writing/research projects and then return to the working world)
I think my more realistic pace when I'm working full-time is like…4–8 books/month? I usually end up reading something like 70–90 books/yr and I'm incredibly haphazard about it. I v reliably read whenever I'm on public transit, on a plane, waiting for a friend to arrive for dinner…I also really love getting coffee or dining alone and bringing a book (usually a Kindle owing to a relatively small handbag)
but no very set schedule like "every night, 30min, before bed" and I am personally v impressed by others who have that consistency. I am total chaos sadly
also, thank you for sharing your thoughts on Tran! it's interesting bc The Taste of Things just felt so refined—like similarly pointlessly luxuriantly vibes-based, but the romance had more space to build up? maybe what I disliked about The Scent of Green Papaya is the feeling that the relationship between the young woman/mother of the house felt slightly melodramatic, and then the romance at the end was a bit exaggerated as a love triangle
but I do like your framing of: this was where he began working with these themes and approaches, and decades later…THIS is what's possible
I love this post so much.... I stayed in it for a long while and immediately ordered some of the books. thank you!
thank you for reading 💌 and would love your thoughts if you read any of these books!!
I recently stumbled upon your writing and just wanted to thank you for the generosity you offer in all of your reviews and recommendations! You're my new must-read, and a model for how to read.
Popped in here not just to gush but also to say -- if you haven't read it already, you might like Milner's "On Not Being Able to Paint". Some overlap with "A Life", but more directly focuses on creativity/aesthetic production and is loaded with lines like this: "...beauty might be like happiness, something which a too direct striving after destroys"
this is a really touching comment, thank you! and I really appreciate the recommendation; I loved Milner's gentle and frank writing style, and this sounds like such an interesting topic!
Damn, impressive! I tore through Debre's book and enjoyed it, but felt there was something missing/empty in there underneath. (Maybe that's intentional / the point?)
I wonder if it’s the coldness and aloof quality that Debré has? she doesn’t quite reach the same level of conclusiveness and catharsis that other writers might—which I like, because it feels more like real life—but it does make the endings feel a bit emptier
I'm so honoured to be in this post and glad that my post resonated for you, and moreover I feel seen, in the very best way, by your thoughtful response and reflections. I, too, am in a big "text new people and eat it when they don't text back" era. Long may it continue.
You also picked out my own now-favourite lines from the piece ("All of this is sabotage. It’s everywhere. We like to hear stories where this is the middle. In real life, there are stories where this is the end.") I love when that happens, so thanks. :)
Ah, I'm so happy! it's really special to not just be read, but read in the way you want—I had a similar experience a few weeks ago, when I published an essay and a friend picked out a VERY SPECIFIC sentence that I'd worked on quite intensively and felt very proud of.
I really loved your post and found it so tremendously insightful (and truly so well written; lots and lots of passages that were stylistically and psychologically moving)—and that line in particular, about self-sabotage being the end of one's story, felt like a necessary shock and injunction to NOT let anxiety take over!
That's exactly what I hoped and why I like it. When we only tell ourselves stories in which good things / functional choices triumph, it can feed our denial about the reality of our situation.
Thank you again for the free publicity and the kind words -- especially here/now about my writing! "stylistically and psychologically moving" is such a great, wonderful compliment., and I'm moved too, by that. :)
I love the way you describe all of these books—I don’t read many contemporary writers except for Anne Carson haha,so that section was especially enlightening for me! and it’s so funny you highlighted the New Yorker article about Kanye and Tadao Ando—I mentioned it in a recent newsletter and have been thinking about doing a longer essay on Ando, so I loved seeing your take! Thanks for a great read :)
oh, I'd love to read your Ando essay if you do write it! the experience of being in an Ando building is very special; so much to think about re: his career and his architectural style and the enormous range of projects he's done
and thank you for reading and commenting!
Love seeing this email notif, as always
❤️🕊️
Those memoirs sound fascinating. I am especially intrigued by people’s journals (and do a lot of journaling myself) so A Life of One’s Own sounds right up my alley. I’m adding both to my TBR now!
they're both really inspiring—Milner is less direct about it, Lineham more explicit, but they both are about the project of going from a life characterized by insecurity/suffering/fear to one that is animated by purpose and serenity
I hope you enjoy them! and thank you for reading
love this so much!! i added a few of the books to my reading list and enjoyed all you had to say! i could tell how much you enjoyed and appreciated every little thing on here! <3
thank you Sarah!! it is genuinely so FUN to discover a really good book and have an enjoyable afternoon/evening soaking up someone's literary world…
This has reinspired me to be more on to it with seeking out critiques of books I loved reading. I'm always a little afraid it'll sour my experience haha but I totally agree that even negative reviews can help you engage more deeply with a work you enjoyed. Great round up as always!
one thing I've noticed with negative reviews is that it helps me pinpoint what I specifically like in literature—like I often enjoy books accused of being "plotless" or "navelgazing" (if the navelgazing is actually a vertiginous leap into a character's interiority)
thank you for reading! 💌
This was so intellectually stimulating, tbh. I loved reading, mainly because of the sheer variety this post offered. A life of One’s Own, sounds like something I’d thoroughly enjoy, but I do feel like it’s going to be a little bit before I get to it. (My tbr pile is overflowing and crying in the corner, really, but one book at a time 🫠). I also enjoyed reading your thoughts on “self sabotage”. I felt called out, really, and I’m hoping to be better. Maybe your post was the push that I needed. :’) (thank you!)
I’ve a genuine question btw. How do you stay committed to reading poetry and self help books? I find it difficult to commit to one, and I suspect that it’s got to do with the fact that the theme I’m relating to atm doesn’t match the theme of the book, or maybe because I don’t add enough variety. I’m not sure. But I’d love to hear your thoughts/ tips you have. ❤️