Hi.
Welcome to Hasty Book List—your cozy corner of the internet for all things bookish. Here, I share the stories I’m reading, the ones I can’t stop thinking about, and a few literary surprises along the way. I’m so glad you’re here.
Welcome to Hasty Book List—your cozy corner of the internet for all things bookish. Here, I share the stories I’m reading, the ones I can’t stop thinking about, and a few literary surprises along the way. I’m so glad you’re here.
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough is about Louise, a secretary at a doctor's office who meets David at a bar only to discover that he is her new, married, boss. (It reminds me a bit of the beginning of Grey's Anatomy...remember how Meredith first meets Derek?)
Part of the way I judge whether or not I'm enjoying a book is how easily I get lost in the story. Does everything else melt away? Can I read for hours and it feels like minutes? Do I forget about everything else I need to do and only think about the book?
Woman Reading, Édouard Manet, 1879/1880. On display at the @artinstitutechi in the European Painting and Sculpture gallery 201. This post combines three of my favorite things: reading, art, and fashion. Rather than focusing on what this fashionably dressed woman is wearing, I decided to focus on what she might be reading. She is sitting in a café so it is likely she is reading periodical provided by the establishment for the reading pleasure of their clientele. A popular French fashion magazine in the 19th Century was La Mode Illustrée. This was the first magazine to publish weekly in order to keep readers up-to-date on the latest fashions. Similar to fashion magazines today, La Mode Illustrée included fashion illustrations as examples of appropriate dress for various occasions as well as literary works and articles.
Bootleggers - love triangles - haunted buildings - New York City. The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams has everything you'd hope for in a historical fiction book. The story follows two women: Ella from 1998 and Gin from 1924. Both women lived in the same apartment, decades apart. When Ella moves in to her new apartment after she caught her husband cheating on her, she finds a box of buttons that once belonged to Gin. Both stories are strong enough to stand on their own, but are woven together in small ways throughout the book. It is important to note that this book is the first in a series and you won't be satisfied reading just this book - there are lots of loose ends left open for future books to resolve.
Tala Raassi tells a fascinating story worthy of sharing with the world, in Fashion is Freedom. She had to endure 40 lashes for wearing a miniskirt in Tehran - her story is heartbreaking, but as a result she moved to the United States and started a fashion company with a strong, powerful message for women worldwide.
The Dollhouse is a fictional account of the historic Barbizon Hotel for Women. The Barbizon (sometimes referred to as The Dollhouse) was built in in 1927 by architects Palmer H. Ogden and Everett F. Mergatroyd. For most of its existence, the building served as a hotel for women only. Some of the notable women who lived here include Sylvia Plath (who wrote the semi-autobiography, The Bell Jar, about her time at the Barbizon), Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford, Candace Bergen, Grace Kelly, Ali MacGraw, and more.
Where is the most dangerous place on earth? High school. As I read this book I wondered how any of us survived middle school and high school. It touches on themes such as drugs, alcohol, teen sex, suicide, bullying, statutory rape, and more. Yet the author somehow manages to leave the reader with a glimmer of hope at the end...
What does it mean to be a grownup? This is the question at the heart of Jami Attenberg's book, All Grown Up. At the center of the story is Andrea, a single woman living in Manhattan. Each chapter is almost written like a diary with Andrea telling us stories from her life: past and present.
I am so exited about my review of “A Piece of the World” by Christina Baker Kline! This book is about Christina Olson, the women in the painting by Andrew Wyeth entitled Christina’s World (currently on display The Museum of Modern Art - if you’re in NYC please go see this painting for me!) I was only vaguely aware of Andrew Wyeth through his more notable works, but I had never heard of Christina Olson. I loved hearing the story of her life and her relationship with Andrew Wyeth, I’m certain you’ll enjoy it too.
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid follows a relationship as it runs its course. Nadia and Saeed met as their country was on the brink of a civil war - forcing their relationship to move faster and in different ways than it might have under ordinary circumstances
Charity Bashed by Sharon Geltner is the tabloid of mystery books - and funnily enough, it is about the murder of a tabloid tycoon...and right before he was to donate 10 million dollars to Justine's charity. The book was full of outrageous scenarios and witty puns. But from what I've heard, the author used to live in the world of charity fundraisers, so I can't help but wonder how much of the book is true.
This was a pleasant surprise! I saw a few of my Instagram friends posting about this one so I bought it without reading much about it. This novel is about an open relationship and all the complications (both emotional and logistical) that you'd imagine would accompany such an arrangement.
You know those people who talk about high school like those were the "good ole days"? I can't relate to them at all. And I think Eleanor and Park would agree.
