September was bursting at the seams. A juicy month. I had friends over for dinner one Saturday and visited Philly for the first time the next. Davis’s grandmother stayed with us, her first trip to New York since the eighties, and we ate at all of our favorite places. I did not watch the movie Rocky. I did see a play and buy a new pair of boots. I didn’t write as much as I should have but when I did, I was at a cafe painted an alarming shade of green. It rained a lot. I read some really good books on several trains. I love riding on trains. There should be more trains. I drank diet cokes in bars and campari sodas in the bathtub and felt like time was galloping away from me like a cartoon horse.
What I liked
I Wish You Were Dead by Jen Beagin
I read Big Swiss earlier this year and was very happy to find this novel by the same writer. It’s wacky and funny and dark and also earnest, about a woman trying to survive her own brain. The story begins at a needle exchange where she volunteers and falls in love with a man named Mr. Disgusting, and follows her to Taos, New Mexico after he breaks her heart. If you like Halle Butler or Melissa Broder, you’ll like this. And I just realized there’s a sequel called Vacuum in the Dark (amazing title) so if you read and like this you’ve got another one to enjoy!
Foster by Claire Keegan
I think this is the fourth book set in Ireland I’ve read in the past two months and I’m just loving spending so much reading time in a place I’ve never been. And of all the books I’ve read in the Irish canon recently, this one is my favorite. It’s around ninety pages, so falls in that afternoon book category—something you can start at lunchtime and finish before the afternoon is gone. The writing is beautiful and sparse, about a girl who’s sent to live with some distant relatives. Really, it’s a love story about finding the people who make you feel like you fit. I cried at the end and couldn’t believe how Keegan wrote something so moving with so few words. Precise isn’t the right word to describe this book, but I’m still thinking about how gorgeous of a picture she made with such little paint, so to speak. Can’t recommend it enough, and the film based on the book is lovely too.
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
I read this book faster than I respond to most emails. I fell asleep reading it on a Friday (party) then woke up Saturday and finished it before I got up to brush my teeth. It’s about a writer who steals her dead frenemy’s manuscript. Most of the book takes place in the writer’s apartment as she does shady things and then stresses out about being found out, and I’m always impressed by a book that’s so internal while also being so un-put-downable. This is perfect if you’re in a bit of a reading slump and want something to shake you out of it!
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris