Happy Friday!

I’ve been feeling introspective this week. Maybe it’s because my birthday is tomorrow, maybe it’s impending life changes, or maybe it’s incidental – but I’ve been really into everything I’ve read this week.

As always, I’ll share some highlights below. Keep scrolling!

 

–– ON ROBOTNIC.CO ––

Nothing new year – I’m realising that I tend to make things one week, then post them the next – but ICYMI the current episode of Bookish Blether is all about Underhyped Reads [AUDIO].

 

 

–– ARTS & CULTURE ––

Zadie Smith wrote this amazing long review essay on The Polar Express in 4D, the uncanny valley, Anomalisa and Schopenhauer – Windows on the Will. (How does she do that?!)

The Dutch European Literature Prize longlist was announced this week. And it contains more books with naked women on the cover than books by women. Look at all these serious, white, grey-haired middle-aged men, though! They must be so wise.

Incidentally, Only wilful disregard can hide the need to publish more women.

An excellent interview with Jessa Crispin, author of The Dead Ladies Project. (More on this below).

 

 

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Probably almost everyone on the internet is more into typography than I am, but I enjoyed this piece on How The World’s Most Beautiful Typeface Was Nearly Lost Forever. It also reminded me about the lovely watercolour graphic novel The Bind by William Goldsmith about a family of bookbinders.

You know how much I love Call Your Girlfriend by now. In a recent live episode they talked to Rebecca Traister about her new book, All the Single Ladies, and it’s well worth a listen [AUDIO]. Key takeaway: Sex and the City did it all first.

I loved Eva Wiseman’s lament to gentri-fried cafés and closing KFCs. Then I went to my favourite Brooklyn-style coffee shop and was like, Nope! This is amazing.

Sobering: 2016 is breaking all kinds of global temperature records.

 

 

–– ON PAPER ––

I finished Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell and I’m utterly bereft.

In the past few days I’ve started The Dead Ladies Project by Jessa Crispin (which I’m loving) and I Love Dick by Chris Kraus (which… we’ll see). I also treated myself to a couple of new purchases, as you can see above…

What are you reading?
 

 

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I really enjoyed Leena’s recommendations of films about writers [VIDEO, 7 mins] – the good and the deliciously bad.

It’s been a while since I’d heard a compelling argument for writing morning pages, but here’s one.

Books Are My Bag is launching a Tinyletter yeahhhh!

 
 

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Your turn! Read anything good this week? Hit reply or tweet me about it, won’t you?

Have a lovely weekend!
Nicola x
 

Happy Friday!

It’s been a busy week around here yet I’ve not much to report. It’s been a good and bookish one, though, and full of forward momentum. Wishing the same for you – with verrrry slow weekends to measure things out.

And a weekend requires links, doesn’t it? Here goes.

 

–– ON ROBOTNIC.CO ––

My emigration plans are in full swing – so this March Book Haul [VIDEO] may be the last one for quite some time (personal restraint permitting).

On Bookish Blether, we shared some recommendations of Underhyped Reads [AUDIO]. PS my girl / co-host Holly also started a newsletter this week so if you want MOAR from her sign up here.

I also recommended 5 Short Non-fiction Gems [VIDEO] for the non-fiction-phobic amongst us.

 

 

–– ARTS & CULTURE ––

Rivka Gretchen on The Only Thing I Envy Men is everything. And speaking of “women writers”…

The Man Booker International Prize longlist was announced this week. Once awarded to an author, the prize will now award a book in translation.

Coinciding with this, Katy Derbyshire reminds us that only 26% of English translations are books by female authors in this article: Translated fiction by women must stop being a minority in a minority.

Incidentally, Scottish Book Trust also listed 10 Mexican Novels in Translation – which includes a couple of my favourites.

 

 

–– DIGITAL / LIFE ––

Exclusive new data shows how debt, unemployment and property prices have combined to stop millennials taking their share of western wealth – so I guess it’s only true now that we have data from economists?

She Wanted to Do Her Research. He Wanted to Talk ‘Feelings.’ On how men exploit their power in the workplace; make life miserable for the women they “admire”.

Stef recommended this honest piece from Anna Maltby who asks, “Why Am I Not Supposed To Tell You I’m Trying To Get Pregnant?” Naturally, then, we had to check in about whether we were discussing it for a reason. (We weren’t.)

I largely avoid US election chat but Kaleb Horton explains the appeal of Trump for some Americans in Hell’s Been Empty – which resonated with my husband and which I’ve earmarked for later.

 

 

–– ON PAPER ––

Remember how I said it was a bookish week?

Well, I finished the wonderful short story collection Treats by Lara Williams and reviewed it for The List Magazine.

I also read When We Were Alive by CJ Fisher and The Lonely City by Olivia Laing – with reviews of those coming soon.

And yes, I’m still reading Gone With The Wind.

What are you reading?
 

 

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This week I’ve been bingeing the current mini-series from the You Must Remember This podcast – the Hollywood Blacklist. Listen here.

 
 

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Your turn! Read anything good this week? Hit reply or tweet me about it, won’t you?

Have a lovely weekend!
Nicola x
 

Hey friends, how do? Hope your weekend is coming in thick and fast!

It feels like forever since I sent one of these. The past couple of weeks were busy ones with the Glasgow Film Festival in full swing, and now it’s time to settle back into life’s rhythm and look forward to spring.

Ready for some links?

 

–– ON ROBOTNIC.CO ––

ICYMI last week, I was on BBC Radio Scotland to review Grimsby, Secret In Their Eyes, and The Forest. [AUDIO, first hour.]

On last week’s new Bookish Blether we made A Deep Dive Into Our TBRs and discussed all those books on our Kindles that we’ve yet to get around to.

 

 

–– ARTS & CULTURE ––

Sadly, this week saw the passing of the wonderful author Louise Rennison. I loved her Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series – sort of a teenaged Bridget Jones, but way funnier. I’ve been re-reading book 1 (for the millionth time, while laughing like a loon on loon tablets) – and here are some memorable quotes.

Best-selling author Jessie Burton reflects on the year her life changed in Success, Creativity and the Anxious Space.

“If readers are paying more attention to essays, then the writers will start to respond. We’ll speak where the audience gathers.” John Jeremiah Sullivan on the essay in the age of the internet.

Alistair Harkness chatted with Charlie Kaufman about Anomalisa and, to use his words, “taking puppet sex seriously”. The puppet sex may have scarred me for life.

Two pieces on TV: props to Brooklyn Nine-Nine and its refusal to use gender stereotypes for cheap laughs, and a very true but slightly overlong piece on Broad City and the Triumph of the Platonic Rom-Com.

Mad Max costume designer Jenny Beavan dressed down and won an Oscar. Salon says she is the real red carpet MVP. (Several men sneered as she passed, then complained about being misrepresented. I guess now they know what it’s like to bear a charge of bitchy resting face.)

 

 

–– DIGITAL / LIFE ––

This Guardian longread on Alexander Litvinenko: the man who solved his own murder is chilling.

I must agree with Bella Mackie, who says, “When I feel unutterably sad, there’s only one thing that helps: exercise”.

One day we may all be freelancers, so I guess I’ve been getting a head start.

Jean made a video about Study Tips and also Stationery [VIDEO, 16 mins] and I liked it so much I went straight to Paperchase and spent £40.

 

 

–– ON PAPER ––

My Gone With the Wind read has spilled into March with no end in sight – but I’m still really enjoying it immensely.

This week I’ve also been reading two new releases for review: Treats by Lara Williams and When We Were Alive by CJ Fisher. Reviews to follow in this month’s Big Issue Magazine…

What are you reading?
 

 

–– &c. ––

Tony Zhou on Joel and Ethan Coen’s preferred angle on the classic Shot/Reverse Shot was excellent, as ever. [VIDEO, 7 mins]

Mum sent me a video of a stateboarding cat [VIDEO, 2 mins] and it is joyous.

 
 

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Your turn! Read anything good this week? Hit reply or tweet me about it, won’t you?

Have a lovely weekend!
Nicola x