What I read in July
July's online and offline reading recs. Including: Angela Carter, Anne Ernaux, and Lauren Elkin.
Hello!
Books
Nights at the Circus, by Angela Carter
Duh.
A Postcard from Angela Carter, by Susanna Clapp
This was a speedy 100 pages, but such a cute idea - Carter sent postcards from her travels, and Clapp uses them to paint a vivid picture of her friend. Lovely.
The Years, by Annie Ernaux
I haven’t read any Annie Ernaux and I feel like that should be rectified, so when I spotted this on the bookshelf at my in-laws apartment building, I snaffled it up and brought it home.
Scaffolding, by Lauren Elkin
Continuing my art-women books, Scaffolding is two stories set fifty years apart in the same apartment, which I really thought was such a cool concept. Mostly vibes over plot, the characters are beautifully written and it’s so insightful on relationships. This is Elkin’s fiction debut and I loved it.
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Online reads
Brandon Taylor’s writing on Alice Munro and separating the art from the artist is essential. If you’ve not read it yet, do:
I’m still reading all the content about the NYTs best of the 21st century list, Jesse Crispin’s latest piece was fantastically scathing…
The list ultimately crowns Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend as the best book of the 21st century, and it’s a very telling selection. If only because when it was originally published in 2011, the New York Times was still years from noticing the way the literary world was going. It was still dragging its feet when it came to acknowledging, let alone embracing, the books written by anyone other than white men despite it being very clear at that point that the culture was shifting toward plurality. The industry was becoming dominated by women in both publishing and writing, and international work was more interesting and impressive than American writing. Crowning Ferrante means the Times has caught up to…… well, about 2011.
… and here’s Leigh Stein on the list as “content”
I’ve just started reading Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood, which I heard very good things about, and then read a one-star review accusing it of “endless musing best suited to a private journal or writing retreat,” which honestly sounds perfect to me. I like it so far!
What did you read this month?
Terri-Jane x
ICYMI…
