I’ve had trouble reading books over the last few weeks, despite hanging around bookstores and book festivals. I’ve been reading articles and stories online like mad, trying to get my attention span back, and it’s kept me from scrolling too terribly. Though I will say, the latest issue of the Paris Review starts so terribly I couldn’t bear to make my way through it.
Finally, after unpacking my book collection (yes, I moved over six months ago, no, I don’t want to talk about it), I’m back on the right track.
1. Seasons in Hippoland is from Seagull Books, whom I love. I picked this gorgeous hardcover up at an indie bookstore last year but didn’t open it ‘til late October. GREAT storytelling, a little bit of fantasy… I love this one so far.
2. Beijing Sprawl I was grateful to receive as a galley from the publisher, Two Lines Press. I adore them. This book follows a crew of friends from small villages who’ve all moved to Beijing in their youth. They’re fucking around, worrying about adulthood, having weird dreams… It has similar themes but an absolutely opposite vibe to Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth. Great so far!
3. The surprise, at least to me, on this list is Gideon the Ninth by Tasmyn Muir. When the initial galleys came out, reps pushed this one on me. And then year after year I’ve ignored this series. I’m not really sure why. I thought it was a bit corny and I was invested in preserving a self-image that… Honestly doesn’t deserve to exist. Ha! I am still trying to learn my reading taste and explore it without judgement. The writing can be rough in this one, but I really enjoy the world being built. I’ll almost certainly pursue the sequel.
Booklots! 