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"Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light." -- Madeleine L'Engle

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My last reads of 2019/books I finished in November and December/never too late, right? The highlights: . Muriel Spark and Inspector Maigret dominated my November with my final (sob) Deborah Eisenberg in there, too. She deserves her own post so more to come. . Patti Smith and Julian Barnes never fail to seduce and charm me and these two books, my third by each of them, were no different. I inhaled The Only Story, struck by Barnes's prose and the way he so effectively used first-, second-, and third-person voice as the narrative developed to create intimacy and then space from the story, both for our protagonist and for us. Brilliant. And Smith's Year of the Monkey read like a trance, thoroughly and happily trapping me in her dreamlike state of mind. . And hello, Ottessa Moshfegh! What an introduction to her work these short stories are! Darkly comic and grotesque, it's a bit like you combined Denis Johnson with Katherine Dunn. Moshfegh's imagery is so distressingly, disturbingly vivid that at times while reading, I swear I felt physical reactions to her words. (Disgrace and Lolita did the same thing to me.) Truly visceral, and I loved every uncomfortable and bizarre moment she created for me. Can't wait to read more from her. (Shout-out to @whatstevereads for his excellent review of this, and for the excerpt he chose, which made me laugh and then pick up the copy I'd had sitting around for over a year.) . . . . . #bookstack #igreads #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #instareads #booksofig #booklover #bibliophile #ottessamoshfegh #julianbarnes #pattismith

Hey, it's the 2020s! Please forgive me my desire for reflection 6 days into the new decade. . Looking back at my life's last 10 years, the accomplishment I'm proudest of was getting over my stubborn aversion to help and getting onto a psychotherapist's couch (more like a loveseat, if we're being real, because I can't even stretch out on that thing). . I can't recommend therapy highly enough. Whatever it is that you're dealing with, talking with a professional, nonjudgmental stranger can help. I, too, was skeptical, and scared, and as such I let 26+ years of buried, unresolved, complicated grief build up inside me. Unpacking all that took a lot of work and a ton of tears but it was, no joke, life changing. I only wish I'd done it before 4 years ago. But I recognize how lucky I am to have had the opportunity for help at all, so I try not to judge myself for waiting so long. (Still working on that!) . I certainly don't have it all figured out and I doubt I (or anyone) ever will. But I do know that I'm facing this new decade with a smile and a sense of relief at having finally addressed the stuff I was most afraid of and spent the most energy on trying to avoid feeling. I hope the same is true for you. And if you're not quite there yet, I get it, I do. ❤️ . Happy new year, and new decade, to all. 💫

✨Recommended: Start your month off right with the delicious, devious, wicked wit of Muriel Spark—times three!✨ . When I read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie back in May, I knew I'd found a new love, and the reading experience of these three in a row only deepened my affection. I'm down now to just one book I own from her that I haven't read, which means I'll have to buy some more soon. Sighhhhh. 😅 . . . . . #murielspark #booksijustread #igreads #instabooks #instareads #bookstagram #booksofig #booksofinstagram #booklover #booksandcoffee

Playing catch-up, so here's what I finished in August, September, and October. So many good ones! . My faves from these stacks: You can't go wrong with Faulkner, or Strout, or Erdrich, or Nunez—all books from authors not new to me, and no disappointments here in returning to them. I adored my first Dickens, and I hope we see more from the brilliant Sarah Broom in the future. Lastly, Paul Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts was my choice for my book club meeting in October, which made for a spooky, fun discussion, especially given its ambiguity and homage to Shirley Jackson. Thanks to recent birthday boy @thorbalanon for pointing me its way a few years back! . Hello, November! . . . . . #readingwrapup #igreads #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #instareads #instabooks #bookstack #bookstacks #readersofinstagram #booklover #bibliophile

Please gaze upon my sheer and absolute joy! Seeing and meeting Elizabeth Strout yesterday was a dream and I love her even more now. I actually managed to speak fairly coherently to her, gushing about my adoration for Olive. We laughed and both admitted that while we often express shock at the things Olive says and does, we also sometimes secretly wish we had the guts to say and do those same things. I love that even to her creator, Olive Kitteridge feels like a real person. . What a gift to be able to say thank you to one of your favorite writers for her work, and to be able to express in person how much it means to you. Ah, I'm still beaming over here, the whole day just made me so happy. . And part of that happiness, too, was hanging out with Emily (@litinquiry), who is so bright and lovely and charming. We talked books and life for hours and I couldn't have imagined better company for the Boston Book Festival. And thanks to Emily for taking my photo with Elizabeth Strout! Pretty sure I pissed off the whole line of people behind us for taking so long but whatever. Worth it! . This entire time in Boston has been one of exceeded expectations. All full up with love and happiness over here. ❤️ . . . . . #elizabethstrout #bostonbookfestival #olivekitteridge #oliveagain #booklove #authorlove #bibliophile #booklover #bookstagram #igreads

Hello from Boston, where it feels a wee bit colder to me than it does the locals! (Even saw a guy in shorts right after taking this photo.) . What a joy to see Brattle Book Shop in person, both inside and out. It's been around since 1825 (!) and has been in the same family since 1949. Loaded with used, old, and rare books spread across three floors and that alleyway, it's a beautiful testament to the written word. . Tomorrow I'm seeing Elizabeth Strout and Susan Choi at the Boston Book Festival with my boo, @litinquiry. Can't wait for that! For now, I'm headed to the Harvard Book Store and hope to explore the campus a bit, too—if I can stay warm enough! Hope all of you have lovely weekends! . . . . . #brattlebookshop #boston #booklover #bibliophile #bookstoresofinstagram #bookstorelove #bookstorelife #bookstagram