The Curator: everything I read in July
fairytale dream house retellings, impeccable Nordic Noir, new reasons for serial murder, and a new favorite classic
These last few weeks, something inside me broke. I got my pant leg stuck in the never-ending treadmill of life, and instead of fighting with the devil, decided to run pantsless through the terminal (Soundtrack: Garden State1). I worked hard at my day job (some days until 10 PM), tried not to give up on my 7K daily steps, and helped coordinate my brother's marriage to the love of his life. I mostly ignored my personal email, almost expired in a hot yoga sculpt class (positive), and kept my cat alive through two surgeries. I’ve felt deeply disturbed about the state of the world and that everyday life is nothing like a Pinterest board. I read, but could not bring myself to see books as work - I gave myself permission to read novels in peace2. Hence, this email hitting your inbox a month late3. Like, really, who invented this simulation anyway??
One thing that became apparent this summer is that even through my severe after-hours ennui, I still want to share books, movies, shows, music, pods, shopping, etc. with you. For my stateside friends and supporters abroad, let’s start with this clip of Rachel Maddow that reminds me I’m not actually taking crazy pills4. Then on to the books and things.
What I read in July
Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou
Sour Cherry, you hoodwinked me!! This novel begins as a straightforward fairytale retelling of serial killer Bluebeard, one of deceptively simple prose about a wealthy family that causes inadvertent destruction everywhere they go - plants and crops die, animals die, people die. Until the halfway mark, I feared boredom. The lack of outward depth or a compelling narrative conflicted with the framing story - a female chorus of ghosts relaying their tragic stories through the voice of one narrator speaking to her unnamed son. Then the story suddenly cracks open, layers are revealed, and I could not put it down. We are in the fairytale but out, the metaphors mixing so we lose our footing, forcing the reader to question if truth is the primary function of a victim’s story. I love a novel that plays with form, and Theodoridou brings an In the Dream House Machado vibe that elevates this haunting tale. A top 2025 read for sure.
The vibes👻: In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado meets true crime meets #MeToo with a little bit of female rage thrown in.
Further reading📰: “Natalia Theodoridou on Unraveling a Short Story into a Novel” (LitHub)
Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
My journey to the best Nordic Noir has deepened, and at the bottom of this pit is Smilla, the best female character to ever spawn from this genre. Finally, an indigenous MC! Finally, a brave woman who knows how to dress! Smilla is the daughter of a nomadic Eskimo Greenlander and a wealthy Danish father who moves from her native land to Copenhagen. When her six-year-old neighbor, Isaiah, is found dead in the snow, Smilla sets off on a wild investigation that takes her from Copenhagen to the farthest reaches of the Arctic, involving dozens of characters that I had to map out to keep straight. Like most of the Nordic Noir novels, the cost of entry is a compelling and mysterious plot, but unlike many others, the plot is the least interesting thing about this story. At times, I will admit I didn’t even know what was going on, but it barely mattered - the subtext was so rich, the characters so interesting, that I happily wandered into the snowstorm. Through the lens of Smilla, half “other,” half versed in colonizer, we understand both the complexity of snow and “that it’s always easier to explain things if you’re nicely dressed.” Smilla is isolated from her native land, existing in the “inserted layer of lifeless instruments,” lonely and existentially afraid even though she has obtained many modern success markers (independence, education, wealth). Childhood is a state marred by adults. Life is sacred, but death is necessary. In the same way that Mankell was grappling with the loss of local in favor of globalization5, and what it means to be a part of the world rather than your immediate community, I see this novel as part of a larger conversation around globalization, colonization, and what we lose when we lose touch with the land. I highly recommend and this will be at the top of my Nordic Noir list (do I say this every time now??? They just keep getting better!).
The vibes👻: perfect noir with an extra layer of subtext to make this a Nordic Noir for Snobs top contender
Further reading📰: “Irritable, Depressed, Spoiled and Terrific” (The New York Times)
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser
I have a low tolerance for audiobooks lately, so true crime and/or nonfiction with a gripping storyline seems to be the only thing I can consistently focus on. I used a Libro.FM credit for this new one described “as highbrow as true crime gets,” an interesting way to try and distinguish itself from pure salaciousness. I think it is partly successful. I appreciated Fraser’s attempt to connect the proliferation of serial killers in the 1970s Pacific Northwest, a notoriously deadly time for mostly women and children, to a scientific reason (environmental toxins). The connection is there, although tenuous simply because when an entire population is exposed to the same toxins but with dissimilar outcomes, it’s hard to convince us that chemicals cause sadism6. The narrative was a little disjointed, jumping between locations, killers, and topics (the author inserts personal memories, a lot about a deadly bridge, and extensive background on the polluting companies), but I still enjoyed the investigation. I appreciated most Fraser’s storytelling style, often wondering how she obtained some of her first-person perspectives (both criminal and victim). If you are into true crime, I recommend you check this one out.
The vibes👻: Mindhunter meets Erin Brokovich with a little less sass (and brestage).
Middlemarch by George Eliot
At its core, Middlemarch is about a deeply regulated society under threat of change. It’s about love, money, power, religion, and goodness, enduring themes that make an 1870s study of British life relatable to readers now and forever. This is one of those experiences where you learn about yourself through characters from 150 years ago and think, Can we really not have figured this out yet?? It’s also funny and heartfelt. Out of all 850 pages, my favorite chapter is by far #71 when Eliot maps the way gossip spreads. Her prose is most excellent in these moments.
Eliot’s skill in bringing dozens of characters to life is remarkable. I hated Raffles as much as I loved Dorothea and pitied Causubon. I recognized my own feelings in Rosamond and Lydgate, and pined over Ladislaw. I spent hours and hours reading on the couch, at Silent Reading Book Club, at coffee shops, and even on the treadmill. I spent my summer with the folks of Middlemarch and I do not regret it for one minute. There is so much I could say about this novel but I will leave you with this, Middlemarch’s thesis: “It’s rather a strong check to one’s self-complacency to find how much of one’s right doing depends on not being in want of money.” AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH.
The vibes👻: old-timey reality TV meets searing social commentary, your favorite English college course, the joy of deep diving into a wide cast of characters you will miss when away.
now reading 🤓
challenging read: I picked Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor from my Women in Translation list to start with. After two really long books dominating my challenging read selection, it is nice to get into something averagely long. I’m also meandering through Ed Park’s new short story collection, but so far I am not seeing much to chew on.
treadmill book: you all convinced me to say F-it to my nicely constructed TBR and pick up the new Joyce Carol Oates novel, Fox. Because this newsletter is so late, I’ve finished it and I have… thoughts that I will bless you with shortly. I don’t regret reading it, but I also really need to stop derailing my life for 600+ page shiny behemoths.
Weekend links 🔗
August isn’t over yet, you still have time to read at least one rec from the bountiful lists for Women in Translation month via one of my book friends 🤓🤓
Women in Translation Month from Queen
What I’m reading for Women in Translation Month from
My WiTS End from
Recommendations for Women in Translation Month from
a love letter to translators from
on “translator completionism” from
Women in Translation from
book recs for women in translation month from
talk, talk from
or you could join
in her epic Ferrante readalong
I’ve been craving more Bradbury, so I bought my first Everyman Edition, and it’s almost too pretty to read. I then got greedy and purchased this W.B. Yeats poetry collection from eBay so now I can really say my collection has started.
I watched Pride and Prejudice (2005) for the first time in years and I get it now. Just go watch it for the five of you that haven’t. Godbless (HBO Max).
I continued my Summer of Hitchcock by watching this banger of a star-studded cast tell us how Psycho was made (Netflix).
Everyone needs a “program,” and mine is now the late ‘90s classic Charmed. I watch it while I cook my Hello Fresh or need to disassociate for a hot minute. The perfect way to ease into Spooky Season (Peacock).
Mr. Mark and I have also committed to seeing our relationship with Dexter through to the end with the new Dexter: Resurrection, which gets real weird Michael Myers vibes, but whatever (Paramount).
And a new season of British Bake Off starts September 5th7 - the healing my soul needs.
I can feel the difference in the air - can you feel it too? Are things different in your life, in the way you've been moving through the day? What are you doing to keep your spirits up? If you are in the northern hemisphere, how are you not melting?
What was the best thing you read in July?
What things are you doing to stay happy?
Just like what have you been up to these last few weeks??
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See you around the bookshelf!
Also, my brain shuts down after 10 hours of intense work - weird?
Incredibly reductive of me to say, but you get it
In the US only
I'm really loving your links to further reading with a couple of your reviews!! And I am also yearning for some Bradbury (what a beauuutiful Everyman Edition) and Great British Baking Show this time of year <3 simply can't wait for fall. Thanks for linking to my translator completionism newsletter!! I'm currently working on a part two to that very post (in which I am actually reading/reviewing books from the syllabi I've created)
I was waiting for someone to read Sour Cherry first and report back! Putting on my next to read list