seen from Russia
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seen from Türkiye
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ADVICE FROM A WRITER
“Writing is a job, a craft, and you learn it by trying to write every day and by facing the page with humility and gall. And you have to love to read books, all kinds of books, good books. You are not looking for anything in particular; you are just letting stuff seep in.”
– Stephen Dobyns
3 + 5 + 16 📚📚
3. Top five reads: This is tough because I read a lot of books I loved this year! But if I have to narrow it down to just five (and I won’t) they would be:
Foster by Claire Keegan
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
The Wall by Marlen Haushofer
Here After by Amy Lin
Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley
Because I can’t help myself, honorable mentions go to:
Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor
Stoner by John Williams
The Book of Love by Kelly Link
5. Which genre I read the most: The easy answer would be litfic, if we’re calling that a genre. But there was also a good amount of crossover with gothic/horror/speculative fiction.
16. I wouldn’t say I read anything this year that was really “overhyped,” but the books that didn’t quite live up to my expectations were Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, My Husband by Maud Ventura, and This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
for the book asks! 6, 14, and 17?
6. I promised a friend I would read East of Eden because it’s his favorite book, and I checked it out from the library several times this year and every time returned it without even opening it. It’s large!!! But everyone I know who reads it says it’s incredible so I am not letting myself off the hook next year. I also finally need to read the Neapolitan novels! I’ve told myself I’m going to read them this year for about three years now. My TBR is enormous and I could mention so many others but those stick out in my mind.
14. I am currently reading The Bog Wife and loving it, definitely going to finish that before the end of the year. And maybe one other book tbd if I have the time!
17. I wouldn’t say it surprised me by how good it was because I had already been told repeatedly how good it was, but I read Stoner by John Williams and I really did not think it was going to be my thing, but I loved it.
2 and 19 for the reading asks!
2. I am not a big rereader (if only because there are too many books I would like to read for the first time) but I actually did reread Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for the first time in 10+ years. It still whips!!
19. I love the library and read almost exclusively library books! Of the 60+ books I read this year, only one of them was a book I already owned beforehand. I also bought copies of a few of my favorite reads of the year after reading the copy I checked out from the library. What a concept!!!
