Thanks for this, as I read each book recco I flipped over to the Library app and reserved it! (I also looked through all the hats and beanies, haha). Also! Once I was calling my local library to ask them to order a book in and the librarian recognised my name and told me she LOVED the books I got in on the reserve shelf, which made me feel like a minor library celeb, when in reality I get most of my ideas books to borrow from you and Elizabeth Day’s Instagram. So thank you! You have big fans in the Semaphore library service by proxy. 💛
As someone who also lives the library reserves shelf lifestyle, I’d probably have that engraved on my tombstone if a librarian said it to me! Star struck! 🤩😉📚
I also once had a photo featured on our statewide public broadcaster’s weather service as the weather photo and I almost combusted with pride! Combining that with the librarian love, I feel I’ve unlocked some special nerd girl achievement! But the epitaph is a good one! I love this wholesome Substack comment section! Have a beautiful day, Sarah!
Same, and I’ll add a few !!!!! to keep yours company! After all, we live in an age when the previously undervalued exclamation point has finally come into it’s own…gotta make the most of it!!!
Pandora! I was looking at your “I don’t work here” hat online this morning as I thought it so great. Imagine my surprise to come downstairs after work to discover my husband wearing the very same, having bought it 2 weeks ago and just unboxed it!!
I agree with you on All Fours - I liked the voice, the prose, the cheeky humour. My only reservation, and it's a relatively minor one, was that I found the story became a bit of a ramble midway through. We seemed to have explored fully the main premise, but she was still talking and riffing, and I grew a little impatient to see where we were going with this in the final third.
The most exhilarating aspect for me, as a male reader, was to be allowed a glimpse of how a woman in her mid forties thinks and feels about her jorrney through life.
You mention watching the Ted Bundy interview--have you read Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll? She inverts the Bundy narrative that he was a charmer, and rewrites the story from the women‘s perspective. Apparently she got the idea from a Rollling Stones interview with one of the survivors. (The opening scene is scary, but rest of book is worth getting through/skimming that first bit.)
Thank you as always for the brilliant recommendations! I don’t think this is Rufi Thorpe’s debut as I just finished an “old” book by her called The Girls from Corona del Mar - highly recommend!
You are totally right!! I even READ that book. My god, my memory. (Don't remember loving it nearly as much as this one though which I truly and deeply adored.) Will change - thank you!
Thanks for this, as I read each book recco I flipped over to the Library app and reserved it! (I also looked through all the hats and beanies, haha). Also! Once I was calling my local library to ask them to order a book in and the librarian recognised my name and told me she LOVED the books I got in on the reserve shelf, which made me feel like a minor library celeb, when in reality I get most of my ideas books to borrow from you and Elizabeth Day’s Instagram. So thank you! You have big fans in the Semaphore library service by proxy. 💛
I love that - and thank you for reminding us that libraries have adapted to the modern world. An app!!! So good.
As someone who also lives the library reserves shelf lifestyle, I’d probably have that engraved on my tombstone if a librarian said it to me! Star struck! 🤩😉📚
I also once had a photo featured on our statewide public broadcaster’s weather service as the weather photo and I almost combusted with pride! Combining that with the librarian love, I feel I’ve unlocked some special nerd girl achievement! But the epitaph is a good one! I love this wholesome Substack comment section! Have a beautiful day, Sarah!
Egads, there is no editing comment button that I can find and I’ve added so many exclamation points! I really do love it here though.
Same, and I’ll add a few !!!!! to keep yours company! After all, we live in an age when the previously undervalued exclamation point has finally come into it’s own…gotta make the most of it!!!
Pandora! I was looking at your “I don’t work here” hat online this morning as I thought it so great. Imagine my surprise to come downstairs after work to discover my husband wearing the very same, having bought it 2 weeks ago and just unboxed it!!
hahaha what a great unboxing
10/10 Agree with your thoughts on All Fours. Such a good analysis of this brilliant book.
I agree with you on All Fours - I liked the voice, the prose, the cheeky humour. My only reservation, and it's a relatively minor one, was that I found the story became a bit of a ramble midway through. We seemed to have explored fully the main premise, but she was still talking and riffing, and I grew a little impatient to see where we were going with this in the final third.
The most exhilarating aspect for me, as a male reader, was to be allowed a glimpse of how a woman in her mid forties thinks and feels about her jorrney through life.
I agree that first half was stronger!
All Fours 🤩Best book of the year (so far). So hopeful - I adored it.
Manu chao <3
You mention watching the Ted Bundy interview--have you read Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll? She inverts the Bundy narrative that he was a charmer, and rewrites the story from the women‘s perspective. Apparently she got the idea from a Rollling Stones interview with one of the survivors. (The opening scene is scary, but rest of book is worth getting through/skimming that first bit.)
Oh this sounds VERY interesting. Luckiest Girl Alive wasn't for me, but will def try this one.
Hikkikomori is not associated with one gender.
ah thank you, from what I have read it is particularly associated with young men?
Following up on the earlier comment, Rufi Thorpe also wrote another novel called The Knockout Queen. Thanks for the great newsletter!
Ahh thank you! Is it good??
Yes, it’s good. She’s a writer added to my list of Will Read Anything She Writes.
Thank you as always for the brilliant recommendations! I don’t think this is Rufi Thorpe’s debut as I just finished an “old” book by her called The Girls from Corona del Mar - highly recommend!
You are totally right!! I even READ that book. My god, my memory. (Don't remember loving it nearly as much as this one though which I truly and deeply adored.) Will change - thank you!
I’ll definitely check this one out then! Thank you ❤️
I also adored The Knockout Queen.