The Curator: stories for the ladies, by the ladies
books by Patricia Lockwood, Holly Madison, and Nora Ephron.
It’s been another strong few weeks due to a newfound skill - reading while walking on the treadmill. I have to put the font size up to blind grandma level but it works and three birds one stone (books, steps, and out of the house/office!). I also have to let go of any self-consciousness for being the only weirdo reading at the gym but hey I’m over 35 and can therefore be as uncool as humanly possible without any major consequences to my street reputation.
BOOK REVIEWS📚→
In the girliest edition of The Curator, we have a tabloidy memoir, some retro-feminist lit, and a novel written entirely in tweets. THE RANGE. Also the pink. Perhaps the Valentine’s vibes really got to me the two weeks I was reading all of these…
No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
I bought this book for two reasons - the NYT best of 2021 list and the cover. That’s it. No idea what I was getting into. And it might have sat on my shelf into eternity, being looked over like an old dog at the shelter. Except that I listened to a Maris Review episode with Patricia Lockwood and after about the third f*ck determined she was my kind of people and I should prob get to the book immediately.
See: The Maris Review Episode 92: Patricia Lockwood or this LitHub Article.
No One is for fans of experimental fiction, dry humor, and social media in general. If you’ve ever studied Shakespeare, I liken the references to his plays - of the times and perhaps obscure unless you live(d) in that exact sliver of history. Inside jokes between millions of strangers who’ve loved the same meme. Thinking in 140 characters and speaking in captions.
A story of a lady in tweets. And I loved every weird, disorienting minute.
I give this a Modern Genius 5 Stars
Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny by Holly Madison
Children gather ‘round as I tell you a tale of my youth. It was 2005, the year I escaped high school and my hometown, the year YouTube was created, the year Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah’s couch, the year of Hollaback Girl and Survivor. And the year of The Girls Next Door - America’s favorite naked, polygamous sweethearts.
Who could have predicted, back in 2005, the astronomical rise of these three blonde girlies? In Down the Rabbit Hole, Holly spills the [dirty] tea on everything from the mansion days to working Vegas to what it was really like in Hef’s porno bedroom. Voyeuristic pleasure abounds!!
On literary merit alone I really should be giving this book max two stars but thank god I make the rules and entertainment value is also a relevant metric. Absolutely ridiculous in parts, fabricated perhaps, but nonetheless addicting - exactly like the show that made Holly famous. I listened on audio, narrated by the Queen of Kitsch herself, and while the performance wasn’t particularly skilled, I cannot lie - I enjoyed the sh*t out of it!
I give this a Silly Tabloid 3 Stars
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Ann Patchett read Heartburn so I read Heartburn. Therefore, I am now part of Ann Patchett’s book club don’t argue with me. Also, Ann Patchett is a national treasure see evidence on the Parnassus Books Instagram.
Nora Ephron, on the other hand, is a dramedy expert and Heartburn is her most personal piece. DO NOT BELIEVE THE WEAK MEN BEHIND THE CURTAINS. This is Ephron telling her side of the story in a bit of vengeful autofiction - a story she has every right to tell. And she does so in high hilarity mixed with quite a bit of food. I read the bulk of this quick story while sitting in a day spa - what an auspicious decision on my part!
Heartburn the Book: Published in 1983 (me = -3), starring Rachel as Ephron, telling the story of her husband’s betrayal and ultimate divorce (while PREGNANT no less).
Heartburn the Movie: Released in 1986 (me = 0), starring Meryl Streep & Jack Nicholson, it has 45% on Rotten Tomatoes, 6.1/10 on IMDB, and 5/5 stars in my heart (also free to watch on Prime just FYI).
The only issue I had with this story is of course the problem we find with many older works of art - the blatant racism and classicism of the times (all times really, I guess words just change, meaning is the same). However, if you take it at face value (an artifact), there are some still relevant nuggets of wisdom.
The Atlantic published an article a few days ago on Heartburn with excellent insights, you can find it here [apologies in advance for the paywall]: Nora Ephron's Revenge by Sophie Gilbert. Her take is spot on:
And yet, for the past four decades, people have pressed it into one another’s hands, as a friend pressed it into mine. They have read it and shared it and read it again. They’ve found something thrilling and metamorphic in the way that Ephron, by putting her pain on the page, transforms it into comedy. “If I tell the story, I control the version,” Rachel explains at the end of the novel. “If I tell the story, it doesn’t hurt as much.” Heartburn, you may conclude, is ultimately less about revenge than about self-preservation.
I give this a Revenge Served Warm 4 Stars
READING 📖→
The Godfather by Mario Puzo because it’s a classic and I can’t bear to watch the movie until I’m finished.
Re-reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt for two reasons: 1). To make sure it still hits the way it did when I was a lil’ college girlie and 2). For a fun vibey dark academia newsletter I will write [someday].
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty - I swore to make my way through the Best of/Awards Lists from 2021. Major Look At Me vibes - it is not disappointing!
The Shards, Bret Easton Ellis’ NEW BOOK just came in from the library, and my, I suddenly feel tingly all over…
Listening to The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman and it’s pretty radical dude.
BUYING💰→
This bendy reading neck light fits right in with my girl-who-reads-on-the-treadmill persona, first shared by Read with Jenna: Neck Reading Light
BOOK NEWS 📰→
Anne Helen Petersen at Culture Study started a thread last Tuesday: Characters Who Shaped You and the nostalgia was HIGH. The front picture was my all-time favorite high schooler Veronica Mars (I fan girl HARD). This Substack community is by far the most generous of spirit.
Oprah just selected her 100th book club pick, which piqued my interest in her two-decade back catalog. You can find all 100 here: Complete List of Oprah's Book Club Books. I’ve read quite a few starting with pick 70 (Dickens, bold choice), but some on my immediate TBR include Hello Beautiful, Demon Copperhead, Nightcrawling, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, and Deacon King Kong.
LET’S CHAT☺→
Leave a comment with your favorite book celebrity - author, book club owner, or book pusher.
Or per ush, let me know what you’ve been reading in the comments. I’m always game for a good rec (or warning, grievances, etc. ). If you tell me your favorite TV show or movie lately, I’ll give you a book recommendation.
In Case You Missed It 🖤
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See you around the bookshelf!
Natalie
