The Curator: a day in the life of a reader
the one where I rescue a kitten. Plus my favorite film of the year and a few excellent stacks to read.
8:30 am. Sunday Beach Day. Among other things, I pack our beach books in individual waterproof Book Beaus because I am nothing if not prepared. Sunscreen also gets an invite, along with a fancy beach blanket for two.
10:30 am. Breakfast at our favorite cafe. Don Winslow wrote about it in his book Savages and it makes me feel like a local. I order a pumpkin cheesecake latte in 80-degree weather because it is always pumpkin latte weather in my heart.
We sit on the patio and watch a car accident on PCH. I read Biden has dropped out of the presidential race. The bottom of my stomach drops out, too. Everything feels a bit wobbly.
12:00 pm. We have a mild tussle over getting the beach blanket down on the sand. It involves arguing over whether or not the blanket goes in front of the chairs or in between (how can I put my feet IN the sand with fabric there?). The joys of marriage.
It’s overcast, and we are both tired from being up way too late the night before (not by choice). I open up a new read - The Nix and get a couple of chapters in. I hate starting a new book in public - I want to shout, this isn’t the first book I’m reading this year I swear I’m like really smart little girl!! It’s about a failed novelist, Samuel, who sees his long-estranged mother on the news, caught throwing rocks at a polarizing political candidate. How appropriate in light of today’s events. It makes me feel momentarily safe.
Mark has already fallen asleep. I tell him to flip like a rotisserie chicken, and then I fall asleep too. Time is interminable - I could be asleep for 20 minutes or 20 years, I wouldn’t know. The sound of the ocean is like being in the womb. When I awake, the beach is gray and full but eerily dampened. Many other people near us are also asleep. It’s like living with earplugs in and a VSCO filter on.
4:00 pm. Time to pack up. There were no fights over blankets this time, just camaraderie that we made the day a success with what we were given. The strategically packed bag is heavy, and Mark will not let me carry it. We trudge back to the car after washing the salty sand from our feet.
I need chips for the ride home. We stop to get some, and I am disappointed not to find taco-flavored Doritos. Cool Ranch will suffice.
5:30 pm. The desire to shower wins over the desire to keep reading. There is nothing like the feeling of a clean sweatshirt on, sitting in the AC after a day at the beach.
6:30 pm. Mark cooks dinner. I maneuver both cats to my lap and continue reading The Nix. It’s funny and heartbreaking already.
8:00 pm. I need another treat; it’s just that kind of Sunday. We decide to go to Afters Ice Cream. My favorite is the cookie butter in a cup with a waffle cone on top like a little hat.
On the way there, a black shadow darts across the sidewalk to my left, nearing traffic on a busy road. This time, my stomach leaps into my throat, and I shout
CAT. U-TURN!!!
A baby kitten is yelling from the bushes. She won’t let us get too close but also not too far. She’s black and fuzzy with yellow eyes and clearly terrified. I have never been so angry at the speed cars travel before in my life.
Mark goes back to get a can of food and the carrier. I walk the perimeter of the building and check the empty field for siblings or mama. Nothing. She follows me at a distance everywhere I go.
I sit on the concrete, and the baby sits nearby in loaf position. I tell her it’s going to be alright. When Mark returns with the trap, she barely hesitates at the food. After some bashing against the carrier’s soft sides, we have her. She eats, and we drive, the ice cream forgotten.
9:00 pm. I return from Target with a dog crate. I set the kitten up in the garage with a litter box, food, water, a towel, and some toys, including a baby lamb full of catnip. We name her Jellybean. We take turns attempting to touch her through the sides of the carrier so we can get her in the crate. Eventually, she lets me pick her up. We are scared of what microscopic creatures feed off her body, so she must isolate down here alone for now. I’m responsible for her life. It breaks my heart to leave her. I keep all the lights on, say goodnight, and lock her in.
10:30 pm. I cannot focus enough to read. I watch an episode of Gilmore Girls until I fall asleep and dream of the black sky meeting the edge of the ocean.
**Updates: Jellybean is now “Ozzie” and has been adopted by our next-door neighbors. I am filled with gratitude.
READING 📖→
The Nix by Nathan Hill - (see above). This one is on my summer TBR, and it felt like the right book for the moment - a decade-spanning messy family drama that is both political and entertaining, perfect for reading at the beach during an election year. It’s a chonky boy so I may be here for a while.
Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth - hypnotic is the best way to describe this story about a woman’s struggle to be believed regarding a (so far) unnamed trauma from their family’s past. Hjorth uses constant repetition of distinct phrases to give the feeling we are marching in circles, getting closer to understanding the trauma at the center, piquing our curiosity about the events but also the mental stability of our narrator. Very impressed so far!
Finished Will Trent #5 Fallen and will start #6 Criminal soon after a short commercial break. I might try to mix in some non-fiction audio for a hot minute to spice things up. If you have any favorites, let me know in the comments!
WATCHING 📽️→
Longlegs. A brilliant piece of horror cinema. It’s comped to Silence of the Lambs, which is partially true but dials up the weirdness factor x1000. Maika Monroe is quickly becoming one of our favorite horror actresses (including Watcher, Significant Other, and It Follows). She plays a clairvoyant FBI agent, and she delivers. Nicholas Cage as Longlegs is the most unhinged thing I’ve ever seen. The film builds tension and doesn’t rely on jump scares but on cinematography with strategic shadows and long establishing shots where your eyes cannot help but wonder if something lurks in the corner just beyond focus. We saw it in the theaters and I didn’t check the time once. I need to see it again. In contention for my favorite film of the year.
An excellent review → ‘Longlegs’ is a terrifying serial killer - who never touches his victims (NPR)
BOOKS IN MY SHOPPING CART 🛒→
Nicked by M.T. Andersen - I will admit the cover caught me, even though it reminds me of a book I wasn’t fond of. It’s a “queer historical romp” about the heist of a mystical corpse. Could be fun, or could be ridiculous, but we will never know unless we try!
The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Mieville - a science-fiction action-adventure story written in part by Keanu Reeves. What more do you need to know?
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson - This has been on my book wishlist for a while, but with its prominent position on many best-of-the-century lists, it’s moved up in interest for me. It’s a memoir of “the small, miraculous domestic dramas” that, based on the glowing reviews, brings a sense of poetry and philosophy to the hard, mundane parts of life.
BOOK NEWS & RESTACKS 📰→
33 books that made me (Substack)
living a minimalist life in a world of over-consumption (Substack)
Culture Study Meets ‘America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders’ (Substack)
JD Vance has a point about Mountain Dew (The Atlantic gifted article)
AND CATS 🐈⬛→
How does one simply “get up” with this sweet angel baby against you?
LET’S CHAT 👻→
What are you reading currently, and is it any good?
It’s been a weird week - I don’t know what else to say except if you need to vent about anything in the comments (political or not), GO OFF!
In Case You Missed It 🖤
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See you around the bookshelf!
No book recommendations but for people of a certain age (Boomers and Jones Generation) will really enjoy “Unfrosted” on Netflix. It’s a fictional version of how Pop Tarts were invented and has lots and lots of 60’s references. Very refreshing and non political. A palate cleanser if you will.
I hate starting a new book in public too. I feel like I’m being judged 😂 Thanks for sharing my newsletter 💕