A new way to read?

Plus two books I can't stop thinking about

I don’t know if I’d call myself a lifelong reader. I mean, I’ve read books my whole life but I wasn’t one of those kids who voraciously devoured book.

The first time I remember being excited by books was in the fourth grade. I’d just changed schools which, being an already shy kid, wasn’t the easiest thing. But every week (or month?), my fourth grade teacher did what she called “Dun Dun Duuun’s.” (You can hear the three chords in your head, right?) She’d read a passage from the book you were reading on your own at home and then would stop abruptly. You’d then have to tell her what happened next.

I loved it. It made reading exciting. I get caught up in the game of it that I wasn’t nervous or embarrassed about speaking in front of the class. The game didn’t suddenly transform me into an avid reader but it did teach me how to pay attention to what I was reading. To the story and characters. I won’t deny that it appealed to my competitive side, too. I wanted to win every one of my Dun Dun Duun’s.

Photo by Eliott Reyna on Unsplash

All these years later, my relationship to books and reading still feels like it straddles these two impulses. I love immersing myself in stories and characters. Books and stories make me feel, especially when I feel dulled out by life. But still, that competitive side kicks in sometimes. This feeling that I need to reach X number of books a month or a year, that I have to read new releases right away.

The beginning of this year was a prime example. Books have been a refuge when there’s so much going on in the world and so much uncertainty.

Two books in particular left me gobsmacked, in a good way. (More of those below.) But the thing that I was excited about? The fact that I’ve already read four books this year. What a great start! Maybe I’ll be able to read [arbitrary number] of books this year!

Seriously, why does that matter?

I want to slow down and be more intentional about what I’m consuming, especially with everything going on in the world at large. I feel like I’m inundated with hot takes and knee-jerk reactions, videos that try to distill the news into one minute devoid of context and nuance. I want more room to think and stew on ideas and not just be reactive.

A part of that starts with reading books that I already own.

I made a list of 20 books on my shelves that I want to read this year. It’s a list of fiction and nonfiction books that have been languishing on my shelves for no good reason other than I’ve been distracting by the shiny new books. (Tell me I’m not the only one.)

I know, I know. This smells of reading challenges that I just criticized (and I think that I got the idea from social media). But the point is that I want my reading to be driven by me, not a new release list or a best seller list or booktok or bookstagram.

Maybe it will train my brain to not always look for the next dopamine hit?

Two Books I Can’t Stop Thinking About

I can’t remember where I first heard about Layne Fargo’s new book, The Favorites, but as soon as I heard that it was about two young ice dancers trying to claw their way to the top of the sport, I requested it from my library. It did not disappoint. I was hooked within the first few pages.

The book follows Kat and Heath (yes, that’s a nod to Wuthering Heights), star-crossed lovers who started skating together as kids. It has Daisy Jones and The Six vibes (including behind-the-scenes documentary style sections) and the characters are messy and complicated and complex, especially her portrayal of the women and their ambition. You can tell that Fargo is a fan of ice dancing because the attention to detail and insider knowledge on the sport is fantastic.

Seriously, no notes.

Here’s an interview with the author. She talks more about her inspiration, the backstory, and process for writing the book.

After reading The Favorites, I was pretty sure that the next book I read was going to a disappointment, no matter how good it was. I figured I should hedge my bets and I picked up The Wedding Party by Alison Espach. So many people raved about this book last year.

All I knew about it was the premise: Phoebe shows up at the Cornwall Inn, this glitzy hotel in Newport, RI, and she’s the only guest who isn’t there for the wedding.

Sounds fun, right? But had I known the reason why Phoebe travels to Rhode Island (she plans on killing herself—not a spoiler. You learn this in the very beginning of the book.), I’m not sure I would have picked it up. It wasn’t the most auspicious start and I almost put it down about a third of the way in.

But this book completely caught me off guard. I imagined this story full of hijinks and silly characters. While it did have several funny and tender moments, the story and the characters were so complex and the storytelling was incredible.

I think what struck me most is Espach’s writing. It’s so casual and familiar—it almost feels like a stream of consciousness at times—but that just belies how much work it must have taken to edit and figure out the structure to make it feel so seamless and the story so resonant.

I’m dying to talk to people who’ve read either of these books!

Links & Things

• An important update and primer on the freeze in federal grants and other funding that was supposed to go into effect yesterday (Tuesday) at 5pm and the temporary restraining order, issued by a U.S. district judge, halting it.

• If you’re feeling a little helpless right, maybe, like me, you’ll find this list of ways to help protect democracy helpful too?

• Ski culture is so different today than it was when I grew up. What’s the future of skiing and who can afford it?

• Rediscovered this album recently. One of the best acoustic guitar albums ever.

That’s it for now. Thanks for being here.

Christine

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, please hit the like button or share it with someone!