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May Reads | 52 Books 2015

06.17.2015 by Nicola Balkind //

I’m late!

May was a great reading month for me, not least because I took a week’s holiday and devoured 5 books while I was away.

Have a wee read at my thoughts, and let me know if you’ve read, enjoyed, or contemplated picking up any of these.

The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan

22. The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan
★★★★★ – A stunning debut from Scottish author Kirsty Logan. Gorgeous prose, a fully realised world and an excellent cast of characters. You can hear me interview Kirsty on Bookish Blether Episode 8.
 
 
All I Know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher

23. All I Know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher
I read this because I thought it might be a good candidate for The Essayist Project but… it wasn’t. It’s directed at teens, particularly Carrie’s fans or ‘Hopefuls’, and didn’t have much bearing outside of that. It definitely could’ve used a heavier edit and some sections should’ve been totally restructured. But it’s giving that audience something they want, so, hey.
 
 
one-summer-america-1927

24. One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
★★★★★ – I listened to this as an audiobook and literally developed some wrinkles in the process. It’s that good old Bill Bryson thing with rich detail and inadvertently hilarious moments… but it wasn’t his strongest work. He ties himself in knots over the connections between some subjects, and it’s kinda horrible about women. So a history book, basically.
 
 
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty

25. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
★★★★★ – If you’re curious about the subject of death, you’ll love this. Part general non-fiction, part-memoir, it’s mortician Caitlin Doughty reflecting on her career journey, what made her interested in death, and some great analysis on our culture’s tendency to shun dealing with death and corpses. A great read.
 
 
All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman

26. All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman
★★★★★ – This came highly recommended and it was a very sweet – if a little insubstantial – read. It’s essentially a short fairytale along with some humorous bios of some people with unconventional superpowers. I’d have liked a bit more world-building, but at face value it’s a fun wee read.
 
 
This One Is Mine by Maria Semple

27. This One is Mine by Maria Semple
★★★★★ – Semple’s debut novel, this was published a few years before her break-out Where’d You Go Bernadette (which I loved). It centres around a bored wealthy housewife, her asshole husband and his oddball sister who would definitely be played by Amy Sedaris on screen. Semple brings her TV comedy chops to some brilliantly realised scenes, but the characters’ unlikability uncharacteristically kept me from really investing in the story. So-so.
 
 
Bream Gives Me Hiccups by Jesse Eisenberg

28. Bream Gives Me Hiccups by Jesse Eisenberg
★★★★★ – As a surprise to either everyone or no-one, this is an absolutely brilliant collection. His sharply observed restaurant reviews-cum-diaries by an eighth grader are as strong as his pithy dialogue scenes. His pathos is absolutely heart-in-mouth, and no sooner do you allow yourself to laugh than he sticks the knife in. Just fantastic. Look out for this one when it’s released in September.
 
 
The Lover by Marguerite Duras

29. The Lover by Marguerite Duras
★★★★★ – Magnifique.
 
 
Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera

30. Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
★★★★★ – This stunning short novel is difficult to get a firm grip on. I’m still not sure exactly what I read, or whether I fully understood it, but I loved it anyway. It’s lyrical, it’s gripping, and it takes you on a fantastic journey. What more could you possibly want?

 

Categories // Books Tags // 52 books 2015, Books, kirsty logan, marguerite duras, reading, the gracekeepers, yuri herrera

Reading Week #52

05.01.2015 by Nicola Balkind //

nicola-beer-prague
Flashback to this time last year in Prague. Soon: Split!

Happy Friday! How are things in your world?

This week has been a goer, just getting on and pretending like it wasn’t snowing on Tuesday (the END of APRIL).

Last night I watched the Spooks film and imagined what the love child of Kit Harington and Brandon Crawford would look like (as an adult, obviously) and I pretty much made my own week.

Aaaaanyway, have some links!
 

 

–– ON ROBOTNIC.CO ––

Bookish Blether Episode 8 is all about Book Clubs! Holly and I are often asked how to join or start one, so we shared some of our knowledge, along with some tips on surviving it once you’re in one.

As all 3 of you reading them may have noticed, I gave up on BEDA half-way. Here’s why.

On my business blog, April Links.
 

 

–– ARTS & CULTURE ––

Nellie Bly’s Lessons in Writing What You Want To by Alice Gregory. Air punch!

Sally Hughes on How contouring took all the fun out of getting made up.

I’m really late posting this, but it’s a great read. In Fusion, YouTuber and comedian Akilah Hughes wrote this great piece about how YouTube rarely promotes black YouTube stars, even during Black History Month.

About once a month I have a binge of Sadie Stein’s Daily Correspondent blogs on the Paris Review website. The time has come! Here are a few recent highlights: On Jerks and Complicity | The Ambidextrous Marine Biologist | Nailed | Labours of Love (featuring Rebecca West).

Peter K. Rosenthal reviews The Avengers: Age of Ultron . He understands where these movies are headed.

 

 

–– DIGITAL ––

Shauna Haider aka Nubby Twiglet on how Blogging Changed My Life.

I’m a bit over this topic, but here’s a good addition anyway. From Nieman lab – Getting beyond “public radio voice”: Finding and decoding identity on the air. Got me thinking about how we suppress identity in response to cultural pressures.

How about a podcast recommendation? I’m a bit behind my usual pace but listened to the first episode of Another Round from Buzzfeed. Anecdotes, cultural chat and more from 2 smart ladies.
 

 

–– ON PAPER ––

I’m still reading The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan, which is officially out now.

I’ve also begun Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty, a mortician and performer who also runs the YouTube channel called Ask a Mortician. I’ve read 2 chapters and I never use this word but it’s fabulous.

What’s on your nightstand?
 

 

–– &c. ––

How to Structure Your Days If You’re Depressed from Rookie. A calming read.

Also Rookie-related, from New York Times Live – Tavi Gevinson writes her future as she lives it (20 min video, short article).

This is important/horrifying. How Female Hormones Can Make a Bloody Mess of your Mental Health.

 

​Have a lovely weekend, friends!

 

Categories // Reading Week Tags // Akilah Hughes, caitlin doughty, kirsty logan, link list, nubby twiglet, reading week, sadie stein

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