Hello readers,
I promised this would be an occasional surprise, and here we are. A newsletter has been bubbling up inside me for a few weeks, how nice to write to you because I want to.
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The start of this year really took the wind out of me. My reading stats map uncannily onto mood/energy for the first 3 months.
Img description: Graph showing the number of books read in the year. 1 in January, 3 in February and 9 in March
What this means in practice is that I mostly read fiction and mostly audiobooks. Audio really changes the way I experience a book. There are losses and gains. I remember fewer specific details and the tactile memory of the book is gone completely. I miss the ability to capture (photograph) beautiful passages, my way of coming back to them. But I do feel a greater sense of what I can only describe as vibe. The best experiences are when the author is the one narrating. Whatever materiality is lost is replaced by an embodied feeling that lasts after I've finished the book, for longer than a written text. More visceral maybe?
I haven't figured this out. Do the different senses fire different bits of my brain? Has anyone written about this? What do you think?
Allegory of March – Triumph of Minerva and Sign of Aries (detail) | Francesco del Cossa
To the books themselves...
The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams 📖
Ahh how I love a good old-fashioned feminist text, full of rousing claims that are probably true but not very backed up. At least, in comparison to dry academic texts which flounder under the weight of all their legitimacy. Reads like eating a good OG-style vegan meal with no tech-meat in sight. Delicious.
Without Offending Humans: A Critique of Animal Rights by Elisabeth de Fontenay 📖
One of those continental philosophy texts of which I understand about 5% but really vibe with. Favourite chapter was the absolutely merciless slapdown of Peter Singer and his ilk.
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Numero Zero by Umberto Eco 🎧
Slow starter but got into it by the end. Most philosophical points Eco intended went over my head, perhaps because this was January and my head was absent.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro 🎧
A poignant sci-fi future as a philosophical reflection on technological advance and genetic engineering. I felt more empathy for the AI than the humans. Weird fascist sideplot (tiny, tbf) felt very out of place.
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid 🎧
Achingly beautiful passages. Several reviews talk negatively about Hamid's "long-winded sentences" and "no punctuation". That doesn't come through audio, therefore I only loved it. Magical realism, rounded characters, timely reflections on migration and belonging.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett 📖
Another LOVE LOVE LOVE that I could not stop thinking about the whole time I was reading it. Felt desperate to discuss it with someone. Made me miss my book club (RIP).
How to Be Both by Ali Smith 🎧
My favourite Ali Smith book, better than the seasons imo. Very different story, but writing has the same longing.
Swimming Home by Deborah Levy 🎧
Reading Levy feels like having sunstroke on a 'Brits abroad' type holiday. An undercurrent of tension throughout with a giant jolting shock scene to keep you on your toes.
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante 🎧
If you liked the Neapolitan novels (as I did), you will like this. Less political, I think?
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The Salt Path by Raynor Winn 🎧
Memoir. On the surface, a walking book. But really, it's about being homeless. This nation fails so many.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong 📖
It's technically fiction but reads like a cross between memoir and poetry. Both sad and tragic.
Revolutionary Letters by Diane di Prima 📖 A spectacular volume of poetry. I savoured it slowly for months. Highly recommended for your own library, but also would make a great gift. One of those volumes to return to over and over.
Allegory of May – Triumph of Appolo (detail) | Francesco del Cossa