Apr 8
the juniper tree by barbara comyns (nyrb) | spinners by kiki smith (2014, jacquard tapestry with gold leaf & hand painting)
seen from Singapore
seen from Malaysia
seen from Denmark
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from France
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from Philippines
seen from Italy
the juniper tree by barbara comyns (nyrb) | spinners by kiki smith (2014, jacquard tapestry with gold leaf & hand painting)
'The Vet's Daughter' (1959) and 'Mr Fox' (1987) by Barbara Comyns, 'More Women than Men' (1933) by Ivy Compton Burnett, 'Queen' by Birgitta Trotzig (1964), 'The True Heart' (1929) by Sylvia Townsend Warner, and, by way of contrast to the twentieth century women, 'The World-Ending Fire' (2017) by Wendell Berry.
The Vet's Daughter, Barbara Comyns
In the brown hall my mother was standing; and she looked at me with her sad eyes half-covered by their heavy lids, but did not speak. She just stood there. Her bones were small and her shoulders sloped; her teeth were not straight either; so, if she had been a dog, my father would have destroyed her.
— BARBARA COMYNS, The Vet's Daughter
Title: The Vet's Daughter | Author: Barbara Comyns | Publisher: Virago (2013)
Pretty girls with fresh faces walked beside their elegant mothers, who were almost beautiful alone but beside their daughters resembled everlasting flowers that have lasted too long in the house all winter.
Barbara Comyns, excerpt from The Vet’s Daughter
My January & February Reads
Last Things, Jenny Offill - Jenny Offill’s books are so dang good. I read this during a sick day and it was maybe too much of a downer for my sickly body to handle. Yeah, her writing is clever, but reading about little kids with bad parents stresses me out. I read Last Things to tide me over until Weather, which is next on my list.
Guts, Raina Telgemeier - Funny, smart, cute, and comforting (especially if you struggle with anxiety issues). Also, A+ fart jokes. I can't wait to buy copies for all my nieces!
American Cozy, Stephanie Pedersen - Ideal bedtime reading with cute illustrations to boot. The book offers simple tips on how to achieve a cozier, calmer lifestyle at home, work, during the holidays, when you're socializing, etc. None of it was mind-blowing, but whatever. I enjoyed reading it, and I appreciate solid, straightforward advice.
The Price of Salt (aka Carol), Patricia Highsmith - Whoa baby. This is a rare case where I love the book and its movie in equal, extravagant amounts. Read it if you're a fan of Christmas, coming-of-age stories, New York City, sad girls, "nice" guys, romantic cigarette sharing, and detailed descriptions of clothes and cocktails.
Whiskey & Ribbons, Leesa Cross-Smith - This book is beautiful and fun to read and it absolutely destroyed me emotionally! I can’t wait to read Cross-Smith’s upcoming story collection, So We Can Glow.
The Regrets, Amy Bonnaffons - So many perfectly written, quotable observations about relationships and loneliness and independence. The book is told from a few different characters' POV and it loses the best voice towards the end, which is a real bummer. That said, I really really really loved 75% of The Regrets, and it has one of my favorite book covers in forever.
Our Spoons Came from Woolworths, Barbara Comyns - Isn’t the title just wonderful? Inspired by a pal who recently became obsessed with Comyns, I checked this out of the library. This story was way too sad for me (think 19th century fallen women vibes), but I loved Comyns’ writing style. One character was so vile I wished he was a real person so I could personally kick his ass.