Ahhh!!! We were rooting so hard for Matty!!! Lots of tears over here as well. Natalie, you write my favorite book reviews on Substack. It’s always such a joy seeing your name pop up in my inbox. Thank you. ❤️
I hope you get your whole secular holiday vacation lifeeeee!!! Happy holidays!
I am definitely intrigued by this book now. I don’t think I had heard of it before?
I am currently sleeping in our guest bedroom (we have early morning workers doing heavy bang bang work outside and it’s the best room for avoiding their wrath). It also happens to be where my bookshelves live, so as I was laying in bed last night reading Wintering by Katherine May on my Kindle (a very good read for this time of year), I got to stare at the top shelf of my IKEA Billy bookcase (you know the one, because: EVERYONE under 50 has owned at least one of these in their lives) which is my TBR shelf. And it is filled with SO MANY BOOKS I want to read like NOW. I think my problem is that I like the dopamine hit of buying books and of picking out the next book I’ll read, but then when I’m reading, I just want to finish it so I can pick out the next one (next dopamine hit). It is a real addiction.
I’m not sure why I just told you that. I think it’s because I just finished The Song of the Cell by Siddartha Mukherjee, a stunningly written non-fiction science book that took me over two months to read. I don’t at all regret reading it, but I was dying just to be done with it (see earlier paragraph). I need something light next so I might read Randy Rainbow’s memoir 😂.
Also IMO, For Reasons Unknown is a better song than Mr. Brightside. But I did just rent The Holiday and realized Cameron Diaz’s character jams out to Brightside after being cheated on. So that was fun.
I am really jealous of your twelve day work break! (Sounds weird to say since I don’t work 🤭). A mentee of mine is considering a job offer and the new employer closes down for a week twice a year. I love that idea. No pressure to respond and you don’t return to a mountain of dung, as you’ve said. What do you do for the university?
1. Yes we have to be related. My Billy bookcase from childhood is STILL in my garage 25 years later.
2. Buying books is a separate hobby than reading books. the high of purchasing something new is incomparable to actually reading the thing. this is why my standards have become so particular (not high per se, but particular).
3. I just got Wintering on kindle too (sale!) and can't wait to get to it for emo reasons.
4. i felt that way sometimes about Jonathan Strange even though its one of my most favorite books.
5. I think everyone should get this kind of break once a year.
6. LOVE THE HOLIDAY even though Cameron Diaz is a bad actor
7. I am the Lead Financial Analyst for one of the colleges (staff). I have no idea how this happened.
8. the cats are currently wrestling on the ground. at least they arent walking on my computer.
this thread might go on into infinity, so ill just say that fell into it and I only like finance now because spreadsheets and color coding and organizing and arranging things. my virgo moon perhaps 🙃
Man in my haste I really missed my chance to sneak in some kittens!!!! We had to let the small one Minnie go overnight with her foster mom to make an eye appointment and long story short I WILL NEVER let her out of my sight again. So readjusting to that poor decision but my heart grows ten times a day, even when Rizzie has poop on her leg again..
Thank you for your review! Before 2024 begins, I would like to read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. (and maybe some additional short stories to reach my reading goal 😅)
Natalie!!! I’ve just woken up and what a TREAT it was to see this newsletter 😍 AND you featuring mine!!! Thank you so much you are so kind. I love the amazing books chats I have with you, another fellow generous soul. I always feel excited when Subserve drops in my inbox because it means flooding this comment section with a lot of love and books! A joy. So honoured to have featured in one of my favourite newsletters 🫶
I’m also so thrilled you enjoyed Drive your Plow! I also thought the ‘mystery’ of whodunnit was fairly obvious but I despite this also enjoyed the ride and loved the revelation as to who was the murderer. Even tho I really knew. You have written such an eloquent and wonderful review here, I LOVE it. I love how you’ve commented on the thought provoking nature of the book and how it holds questions about who has a right to life etc. I completely I agree! It was thought provoking in ways I didn’t expect it to be. I loved Janina as a narrator I thought she was hilarious- so sarcastic? It’s hard not to enjoy such a feminist icon (self sufficient aging woman who truly gives no fucks and loves all animals). I recommended it to my mum and she really really enjoyed it - and she’s not much of a reader so can be hard to impress.
Also my big 3. Wouldn’t you like to know! I know nothing about astrology but I admire those who do. Im Sagittarius Sun, Sagittarius Moon and Scorpio Rising. Whenever I tell people who KNOW astrology this they get all excited and say I am OF COURSE a sag sag Scorpio and that lines up perfectly and tell me I’m such a ‘true’ Sagittarius & Scorpio combo? What does that mean? Maybe it means I’m a wonderfully generous soul with a great bookish newsletter? 😉 I’m intrigued what your 3 are!
And finally. I also wept at Matty winning. Decided half way through I was rooting for him and was SO thrilled he won. I did think Paul telling Josh his cake was boring in the FINAL was a bit unnecessarily cruel. But I think Matty deserved the win. I’m thrilled to hear that Mark cried. Me and mum were also crying, especially when they started to talk about him getting engaged! Love and cake - my two weaknesses. I’m depressed the shows over. Also agree Allison has saved the show. They’ve gone through some presenting pairings recently that just haven’t worked but she is SUCH a great fit. She’s huge on UK tv so unsurprised she did such a good job, but still so thrilled to have her she really is so great.
Okay looking forward to receiving a place in Guinness World Record book for longest comment in the history of the internet. Sending love. Can’t wait for your 12 days off for you too!!!! 😍 you deserve all the unbothered reading time in the world x
It was incredibly thought provoking!! There was so much more I wanted to say about bodies and illness but I just didn't want to ruin anything. When I pick literary titles to review there is always SO much to say!!
Mark and I have been watching older seasons of Bake Off to fill the void and there was this one season (2018 or 19) where Paul must not have been getting laid because he was unnecessarily cruel to everyone. I like a more even tempered Paul for sure. Allison is a ray of sunshine and I can't wait for another season with her!!
Sag Sag Scorpio huh very interesting! I can see the outgoing part of the Sag from our conversations here but I think knowing someone in person is obvi much better for reading these kinds of things. My husband is a Sag and very caring and uplifting of others just like you! I am a Libra 🌞 Virgo🌛 Cancer↗ which means a whole lot of things but mostly that I can be emo, love things to be beautiful and organized, and dont ask me to pick dinner lol
And I love to support great work so it was my honor to feature your December newsletter!!
Hahahahhaa Paul has definitely got less cruel over the years and I’m sure it is inextricably linked to his sexual conquests. I’ll have to remind myself of him in the 2018/19 season lmao. That comment made me laugh! Allison is a total ray of sunshine!
Ooo I’m intrigued you say you can see outgoing Sag just from my commenting habits! That’s intriguing - I am very outgoing though I would agree. Happy to know Mark is a fellow Sag, confirms you are in good company 😉 your description of libra Virgo cancer is making me laugh. Frankly, who likes to pick dinner?!
Ahhh!!! We were rooting so hard for Matty!!! Lots of tears over here as well. Natalie, you write my favorite book reviews on Substack. It’s always such a joy seeing your name pop up in my inbox. Thank you. ❤️
I hope you get your whole secular holiday vacation lifeeeee!!! Happy holidays!
I'm beyond honored to have you in my corner Jenovia! And right back at you sister! happy holidays to you!! 🥰
I am definitely intrigued by this book now. I don’t think I had heard of it before?
I am currently sleeping in our guest bedroom (we have early morning workers doing heavy bang bang work outside and it’s the best room for avoiding their wrath). It also happens to be where my bookshelves live, so as I was laying in bed last night reading Wintering by Katherine May on my Kindle (a very good read for this time of year), I got to stare at the top shelf of my IKEA Billy bookcase (you know the one, because: EVERYONE under 50 has owned at least one of these in their lives) which is my TBR shelf. And it is filled with SO MANY BOOKS I want to read like NOW. I think my problem is that I like the dopamine hit of buying books and of picking out the next book I’ll read, but then when I’m reading, I just want to finish it so I can pick out the next one (next dopamine hit). It is a real addiction.
I’m not sure why I just told you that. I think it’s because I just finished The Song of the Cell by Siddartha Mukherjee, a stunningly written non-fiction science book that took me over two months to read. I don’t at all regret reading it, but I was dying just to be done with it (see earlier paragraph). I need something light next so I might read Randy Rainbow’s memoir 😂.
Also IMO, For Reasons Unknown is a better song than Mr. Brightside. But I did just rent The Holiday and realized Cameron Diaz’s character jams out to Brightside after being cheated on. So that was fun.
I am really jealous of your twelve day work break! (Sounds weird to say since I don’t work 🤭). A mentee of mine is considering a job offer and the new employer closes down for a week twice a year. I love that idea. No pressure to respond and you don’t return to a mountain of dung, as you’ve said. What do you do for the university?
1. Yes we have to be related. My Billy bookcase from childhood is STILL in my garage 25 years later.
2. Buying books is a separate hobby than reading books. the high of purchasing something new is incomparable to actually reading the thing. this is why my standards have become so particular (not high per se, but particular).
3. I just got Wintering on kindle too (sale!) and can't wait to get to it for emo reasons.
4. i felt that way sometimes about Jonathan Strange even though its one of my most favorite books.
5. I think everyone should get this kind of break once a year.
6. LOVE THE HOLIDAY even though Cameron Diaz is a bad actor
7. I am the Lead Financial Analyst for one of the colleges (staff). I have no idea how this happened.
8. the cats are currently wrestling on the ground. at least they arent walking on my computer.
Okay, whittling this down to three things:
1) she’s a TERRIBLE actor, you’re 100% right
2) I never pegged you for a finance person! But not sure why not, since I have a dear friend who is one and she’s also an avid reader
3) you learned about Wintering being on sale through BookBub, didn’t you? That’s how I got it too 🤭
this thread might go on into infinity, so ill just say that fell into it and I only like finance now because spreadsheets and color coding and organizing and arranging things. my virgo moon perhaps 🙃
P.s. also, there was no kitten update, and I feel cheated 😿
Man in my haste I really missed my chance to sneak in some kittens!!!! We had to let the small one Minnie go overnight with her foster mom to make an eye appointment and long story short I WILL NEVER let her out of my sight again. So readjusting to that poor decision but my heart grows ten times a day, even when Rizzie has poop on her leg again..
I second this! Give us kitten updates please!
Thank you for your review! Before 2024 begins, I would like to read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. (and maybe some additional short stories to reach my reading goal 😅)
I haven't read either of those, but I'll be looking forward to a review if you write one!
Gemini, Moon in Libra, Rising sign Cancer. And thank you for the reminder only 9 more days until freedom.....
Our top three just so perfect together bestie lol WE CAN MAKE IT 🫶🏼 go watch bake off so we can talk about it
Natalie!!! I’ve just woken up and what a TREAT it was to see this newsletter 😍 AND you featuring mine!!! Thank you so much you are so kind. I love the amazing books chats I have with you, another fellow generous soul. I always feel excited when Subserve drops in my inbox because it means flooding this comment section with a lot of love and books! A joy. So honoured to have featured in one of my favourite newsletters 🫶
I’m also so thrilled you enjoyed Drive your Plow! I also thought the ‘mystery’ of whodunnit was fairly obvious but I despite this also enjoyed the ride and loved the revelation as to who was the murderer. Even tho I really knew. You have written such an eloquent and wonderful review here, I LOVE it. I love how you’ve commented on the thought provoking nature of the book and how it holds questions about who has a right to life etc. I completely I agree! It was thought provoking in ways I didn’t expect it to be. I loved Janina as a narrator I thought she was hilarious- so sarcastic? It’s hard not to enjoy such a feminist icon (self sufficient aging woman who truly gives no fucks and loves all animals). I recommended it to my mum and she really really enjoyed it - and she’s not much of a reader so can be hard to impress.
Also my big 3. Wouldn’t you like to know! I know nothing about astrology but I admire those who do. Im Sagittarius Sun, Sagittarius Moon and Scorpio Rising. Whenever I tell people who KNOW astrology this they get all excited and say I am OF COURSE a sag sag Scorpio and that lines up perfectly and tell me I’m such a ‘true’ Sagittarius & Scorpio combo? What does that mean? Maybe it means I’m a wonderfully generous soul with a great bookish newsletter? 😉 I’m intrigued what your 3 are!
And finally. I also wept at Matty winning. Decided half way through I was rooting for him and was SO thrilled he won. I did think Paul telling Josh his cake was boring in the FINAL was a bit unnecessarily cruel. But I think Matty deserved the win. I’m thrilled to hear that Mark cried. Me and mum were also crying, especially when they started to talk about him getting engaged! Love and cake - my two weaknesses. I’m depressed the shows over. Also agree Allison has saved the show. They’ve gone through some presenting pairings recently that just haven’t worked but she is SUCH a great fit. She’s huge on UK tv so unsurprised she did such a good job, but still so thrilled to have her she really is so great.
Okay looking forward to receiving a place in Guinness World Record book for longest comment in the history of the internet. Sending love. Can’t wait for your 12 days off for you too!!!! 😍 you deserve all the unbothered reading time in the world x
It was incredibly thought provoking!! There was so much more I wanted to say about bodies and illness but I just didn't want to ruin anything. When I pick literary titles to review there is always SO much to say!!
Mark and I have been watching older seasons of Bake Off to fill the void and there was this one season (2018 or 19) where Paul must not have been getting laid because he was unnecessarily cruel to everyone. I like a more even tempered Paul for sure. Allison is a ray of sunshine and I can't wait for another season with her!!
Sag Sag Scorpio huh very interesting! I can see the outgoing part of the Sag from our conversations here but I think knowing someone in person is obvi much better for reading these kinds of things. My husband is a Sag and very caring and uplifting of others just like you! I am a Libra 🌞 Virgo🌛 Cancer↗ which means a whole lot of things but mostly that I can be emo, love things to be beautiful and organized, and dont ask me to pick dinner lol
And I love to support great work so it was my honor to feature your December newsletter!!
Hahahahhaa Paul has definitely got less cruel over the years and I’m sure it is inextricably linked to his sexual conquests. I’ll have to remind myself of him in the 2018/19 season lmao. That comment made me laugh! Allison is a total ray of sunshine!
Ooo I’m intrigued you say you can see outgoing Sag just from my commenting habits! That’s intriguing - I am very outgoing though I would agree. Happy to know Mark is a fellow Sag, confirms you are in good company 😉 your description of libra Virgo cancer is making me laugh. Frankly, who likes to pick dinner?!
So true! 2 hours to watch a movie versus 10 hrs per book (or more)! Re:
“ It makes me so jealous that it’s easier to become a movie expert than a book expert because of the time it takes to ingest the art.”
ITS SO UNFAIR lol
Your reviews are always articulated so brilliantly (and always make me want to read the book!) I’ve added this one to my tbr!
Thank you so much ☺️ the biggest compliment ever