First some announcements.
I’ll be in Toronto this week doing a book event/live podcast recording on Thursday June 27 with the amazing Allana Harkin at Flying Books. The event is free! More info here.
I’ll be at Books Are Magic on July 2 with Marisa Meltzer. And Oblong Books July 9 with Alyssa Mastromonaco.
Speaking of events. Thank you to everyone who has come out this past week. We had packed houses at Skylight in L.A., Greedy Reads in Baltimore, and Head House in Philly. And as a side note, it’s so nice to hear from so many of you that No One Tells You This remains a favorite.
I love books events. Publishers rarely fund them anymore so the work and budgeting falls entirely on the author. But I try to do them as much as possible. It’s just nice to see people, and talk to them, and meet all the booksellers face-to-face. Real life is so much more satisfying on every level.
And now some recommendations.
I’ve been asked a number of times about books that influenced me when I was writing ENJOY and it’s notable to me they are all slim books. Deborah Levy’s The Cost of Living had a huge impact on me. As did, Etel Adnan’s Paris, When It’s Naked; Women Without Men, by Shahrnush Parsipur; and Colette’s Chéri. Annie Ernaux, of course, particularly Getting Lost, Exteriors, and Happening. But also, Renata Adler’s Speedboat and Vivian Gornick’s Odd Woman in the City. Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals. Lauren Elkin’s No. 91/92. Elizabeth Hardwick’s Sleepless Nights.
When I conceived of this book I conceived of an equally slim volume. I wanted it to be no more than 180 pages. Indeed some of the chapters that are in the book I initially handed in with the first draft fully intending to cut.
I did not write a slim book. In part because succinctness has never been my strong suit. This book was also turned around very quickly; no doubt had I had another six months I would have tightened it, though not by 100 pages! The other reason it clocks in at 288 pages is America does not like small things. All the above-mentioned books were either initially published abroad, or published here by much smaller publishers (read: often, though not always, for much smaller amounts of money). My theory as to why Annie Ernaux was able to make a career of publishing the slimmest of books, beyond being brave and a genius, is: socialized medicine.
It would have been very difficult to convince a major American publisher to invest in a slim book. In fact, one of the reasons the two aforementioned chapters exist is that I was initially concerned about making my word count. That said! I should also note that they are two chapters I now hear the most about. I love this book and don’t regret the length at all. But swimming in the deep end of this launch for so many weeks means I’m constantly thinking about whose stories get published, and what we consider worthy of publishing and the reasons behind both.
The other question I keep getting asked is about dresses. I love a caftan. So much so friends will often send me links to ones they come across. My always goal when it comes to dressing is to be comfortable, with a dose of chic (whether the latter is achieved is frequently debatable). Amusingly, the dating app photo that is most responded to on my profile is one where I’m wearing an ankle-length, white, largely shapeless caftan. Imagination is a strong motivator.
I also wear my clothes into the ground. Most, if not all, of them have tattered hems from getting caught in bike chains. Or they eventually disintegrate from use. I will spend on clothes, but only when I know they will get use. Caftans always get use.
Here are the dresses I’m either currently wearing or dreaming of wearing (i.e. Chanel):
Anaak Airi Maxi Dress: I’d had my eye on this for years after seeing it on an instagram profile, and finally snagged one the other week to wear to my book party. It’s huge and light but also chic with a touch of magic. I’ve worn it every few days since it arrived. (Pro-tip: I hand wash my silk with Dawn dish detergent, which is how I got the grease stains out of this one from the burger I dropped on it the other night.) Silk can be tough in summer, but this one is so light it feels like a parachute (it’s big enough it could possibly be used as one, too).
Rodebjer Agave Caftan: Every year Rodebjer releases a new version of this caftan and every year I buy it. In the winter I wear it over leggings or palazzo pants. It is, for me, the perfect caftan (though I discovered after looking at photos from the Skylight event last week, the newest one is a tad more sheer than I realized :)). Runner up: this maxi dress, which I adore but could not quite talk myself into buying as I snagged the same print in the Agave…though it may still make its way to me at some point. And honorable mention to this white gauzy dress, which I actually own, and wear frequently.
Rachel Comey. Some of my closet staples are Rachel Comey caftans. She has very few on offer this season, but you can find some excellent ones if you dig a bit. I own this one in white and pale blue.
Mara Hoffman: Mara Hoffman is having a closing out final sale right now (SNIFF). I love the color blocked dress, which also comes in royal blue.
Also, I will just frequently go on Etsy and search “vintage caftan.” I love this Gottex for instance, though it’s too small for me. When I’m in Paris I go to the Marché Belleville and stock up on 10 euro caftans, which is where I snapped up this green one I had on at Head House the other night.
Finally, I have been dreaming about this Chanel Caftan from the 2022 resort collection since I saw it float down the runway in Spring 2021. At the time it seemed to represent to me an ease of glamour and living that still felt so far off. I can’t conceive of ever being in a place where’d I’d spend more than my monthly rent on a dress, but there’s something satisfying in knowing it exists in the real world (or someone’s real world).
Good Decisions:
I was on a number of wonderful podcasts this week:
I talked ambition (and the reasons mine have not always fit the mould) with Jenn Romolini and Kim France on Everything is Fine.
I talked aging, and skin care, and Gwyneth with Claire and Erica on A Thing or Two.
And I had a delightful conversation about writing and narrative with Rachel Burchfield on I’d Rather Be Reading.
Thank you for the recommendations!! I wanted to ask whether you've read Look Here by Ana Kinsella - it's a similarly slim book all about the pleasures of being a woman in a city https://dauntbookspublishing.co.uk/book/look-here/
love you and love your book!!!!