The Curator: stop playin' with my TBR

why best of lists = overwhelm and how to combat it. Books from favorite backlist authors Marisha Pessl and Sarah Waters.

Jul 27, 2023

Do not believe the [wo]man behind the newsletter title, for I am as guilty as the NYT of pushing new books.

The shiny fancy covers with new images to look at and new fonts that promise new stories we’ve never heard or heard a thousand times and loved. It is so easy to be swept up in new new new new now. Everyone and their mother publishes a best-of-the-year list, a most anticipated list, a halfway-through-the-year list that feels similar to your friend’s invitation to their half-birthday blowout (nobody deserves TWO birthdays Julie!).

Because it’s July, my inbox and Bookstagram are flooded with best of the year so far lists, that accomplish three things: 1). Make me realize how little I’ve actually read this year compared to the speed at which others read and new books are published; 2). Preview my inevitable future in which my TBR grows until I die, at which point I will not lament having never read Moby Dick and realize too late, none of this matters; and 3). I Trust Nobody.

Inspiring, right? So what to do about the overwhelming feeling that you will never catch up? Some gentle reminders...

THEY WANT TO MAKE YOU FEEL BAD. It’s the name of the book game to give you extreme FOBO anxiety every time something new is shared. I’ve read 30 books this year, thus far. THIS IS A LOT. Do not be shamed by the 100+ a year readers that sacrifice in ways you haven’t even considered to get to that many books. This is not a summer reading log and there is no personal pan pizza at the end.

Of all those 30 books, only four were published in 2023 - the rest were some combo of new and older-than-dirt backlist titles. The Millions’ list of most anticipated January to June 2023 books was 83 titles long. EIGHTY-THREE NEW BOOKS I’m supposed to pay attention to by yesterday. One human cannot keep up no matter how many friend dinners you skip out on.

Also. My TBR (and yours) will always grow faster than me (and you) but not everything belongs on this coveted list. It (probably) already consists of many, many well-loved and reviewed and recommended titles that I want to give my time and attention to, that deserve my eyeballs, heart, and brain. Titles that may enrich my life or bring me joy or comfort or respite from the cruel world.

And then there are the books that were not meant for me. I should avoid those at all costs, because the Universal Spirit does not sit on a throne of books, checking off each classic or TikTok sensation I did or did not get to in my lifetime. Literally none of this matters. Live your best bookish life.

Lastly. Trust Nobody. I have seen some of the most objectively bad books on best-of lists. Sweetie the grease from your filthy bribe money hands is getting on my dust jacket please back up. We see you, advertising money. And will no longer be swindled. Take these books off your TBR immediately.

Do you feel suddenly lighter?

This week, instead of giving you more shiny new books to FOBO over, I offer two of my personal all-time best-of-backlist favorites that stand the test of time (or the new Obama list). Hopefully, you will love them as much as I do (once you get to them in 3-7 years). I also apologize in advance - both are a bit dark and heavy, not exactly summer reads. But I promise to have more weather-appropriate selections coming up in the next few weeks.

With ALL of that said, I do enjoy still perusing a good best-of-book list just to torture myself, so please join me below if you are so inclined.

BOOK REVIEWS📚→

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

The plot of Night Film is not complicated - the daughter of a famous film director has been found dead, and a disgraced investigative journalist decides to uncover the truth. Ok great simple I’m on board!

Then you open this 600-page behemoth and it’s got - pictures. When was the last time you read a book with pictures (that wasn’t on behalf of a child)?? Not only pictures but media - Google searches, film reels, conspiracy theories, creepy underground message boards. My paperback copy is thick and floppy with smooth pages that you just want to flip through, finding the grainy film roll images and becoming immersed without reading a single sentence. I haven’t seen a book like this before or since.

And then you start reading and the text slaps you with this hot mess family drama B movie horror mystery hardboiled detective noir vibe that feels genre transcendent and makes your head spin. Genuinely, what are we reading here? The dreams of someone who fell asleep to Evil Dead.

Just when you think you've hit rock bottom, you realize you're standing on another trapdoor.

Night Film is far from perfect - it’s weird, wordy, and sometimes devolves into a flat caricature of itself, like a B horror movie in translation. But it is so different from most other prototypical thrillers being published lately that I hope you might take a chance on the ride. It’s not the mystery’s solution but the unfolding that has cemented Night Film as a holy grail top ten mystery-thriller on my shelf.

Moodometer: You just saw Evil Dead Rise in the theater and want to relive that in a less gorey way.

I give this a Life is Dangerous 5 Stars.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

The Little Stranger is a little gaslight of a novel that plays with you like a cat with a limp bird. You never see it coming and by then the only thing to do is play dead.

When professional creeper Dr. Faraday is summoned to crumbling Hundreds Hall to care for a sick servant, he quickly ingratiates himself with the Ayres family. As Dr. Farady gets closer to young beautiful Caroline, odd incidents around the house leave everyone terrified and wondering, is something more sinister at play here?

Guess what homies the answer is YES. This is a sinister book. SINISTER. Like Shirley Jackson had a baby with old Edgar Allan in a Gothic castle filled with tea that turns out to be poison. And I Loved It.

Of course, because I loved it I also made the #blessed decision to look it up on Goodreads - everyone’s favorite game! And at the top of the review list, a couple dudes who ripped this book to SHREDS.

In the end this was a story where a succession of unpleasant things happen to a small number of unpleasant people.

Sick burn, Paul.

Why did I experience this book so differently from these men? Did they miss the manipulative subtext altogether, or was it that they just didn't find the topic to be interesting enough? Did they not feel the Humbert Humbert-ness of the narration? Did they write the house-decaying metaphors off as trite and too obvious? Well, I see your house metaphors and manipulative gaslighting subtext and raise you an unreliable, shifty, narcissistic narrator! It’s all there if you look for it. Focus boys, FOCUS!

I do not want to give too much away here. Unlike Night Film in which the journey is the prize, the payoff is really in the ending here. Pick this one up, read it with a suspicious eye, and enjoy because by the end you may not know friend from foe.

Moodometer: You need something dark and dreary to remind you that life with indoor plumbing is infinitely better than the romanticized version of the 1940s you keep reading about.

I give this a Sinister AF 4 Stars.

READING 📖→

I wanted a book that felt like floating in the Mediterranean Sea or sipping limoncello after a huge pasta dinner so I picked up The Talented Mr. Ripley and it’s just like that but more sociopathic. Perfect summer vibes!

LISTENING🎧→

One of my favorite influencers on the gram @bethanyciotola shared her Main Character Energy Spotify playlist and I listen to it obsessively when writing or seeking inspiration. Highlights include lots of Radiohead, Fiona Apple, and Massive Attack. Highly recommend for those moments you need to romanticize your life.

WATCHING 📽️

As you may have seen, known, or guessed, I saw the Barbie movie last weekend and it might have been one of the greatest movie-going experiences of my life. My best friend and I went to the local theater with 100+ other locals dressed in various pink girly fashions. We got some pink wine and snacks and proceeded to laugh, cry, and laugh-cry for the next two glorious hours. It made me emotional about being a woman and a daughter and maybe someday a girl mom in a way I didn’t know was in me. If this newsletter starts to get mushy, blame Babs.

BUYING💰→

As someone who suffers from anxiety, I am always looking for natural ways to calm the F down. One supplement I’ve turned to is ashwagandha, among other herbs. This NYT article investigates if there is any science at all to back up the unregulated claims that these supplements do anything besides come in really tasty gummy flavors.

LINKS📰→

If you are a Murderino like me, you’ve been following the Gilgo Beach murders. The NYT takes a look at the signs that were there all along.
Because there has been so much comparison to movies this week, check out Crime Reads’ Most Haunted Movies list.

LET’S CHAT☺→

This week: leave a comment with your favorite backlist title that doesn’t get a lot of love and then give it some love here!
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