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Lettters

Lettters

Joined February 2016

dir. of operations @midwestbooks
review
Lettters
Borne: A Novel | Jeff VanderMeer
Mehso-so

Not sure why this didn't work for me. I'm amazed at the creativity but meh at the storytelling.

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Lettters
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Gonna do it. Last published words by the best writer.

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Lettters
The Sacred Era | Aramaki Yoshio
Pickpick

Whoa. A sci fi adventure blending elements of spirituality, metaphysics, sexual awakening, intergalactic travel, and the strangest murder mystery you will ever read. What a blast. And To think this was written nearly 50 years ago.

27 likes2 stack adds
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Lettters
The Sacred Era | Aramaki Yoshio
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A small taste from the late pages of this 70s Japanese new wave classic.

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Lettters
Pickpick

Even better than volume one. If I weren't a part of the problem, I'd be a highly NC part of the solution.

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Lettters
Such Small Hands | Andrs Barba
Pickpick

Another slim, innovative book, but this one has some psychological heft to it. Read it in a sitting but it'll linger for sure.

27 likes1 stack add
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Lettters
Pickpick

Not a perfect little book, but a joy and a gem you can read in one sitting.

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Lettters
Already Dead | Denis Johnson
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Pickpick

I've read each of these books multiple times, but when anyone asks me what my favorite Denis Johnson book is, I always come back to ALREADY DEAD. I've heard it referred to as a minor work, but it has impacted me profoundly as a reader and writer and human. I could, of course, say the same for everything he wrote. I will miss him.

46 likes2 stack adds
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Lettters
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Pickpick

I missed the boat on this when it came out in 2000, but I'm so glad it came back around. Exquisitely tender writing about the minutia of daily life, against a backdrop of the eternal need to belong. Stunning and wonderful. Please read it.

47 likes11 stack adds
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Lettters
The Dark Net | Benjamin Percy
Pickpick

I don't read horror, but this one gave the genre a good name. Fast, intelligent, masochistic fun.

38 likes3 stack adds
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Lettters
Disgrace | J. M. Coetzee
Mehso-so

I feel ridiculous for not being more impressed with this book. It didn't live up to WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS imo. Still better than most books, but not as great as I'd expected. Kind of just a regular book.

Shortstack What other books have you read by him? I loved Foe so much I'm afraid nothing will live up to it. 7y
Lettters Just WAITING, but I've heard good things about and will read both FOE and MICHAEL K 7y
30 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Lettters
The Long Dry | Cynan Jones
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Pickpick

This book is so good. I read it everywhere.

48 likes2 stack adds
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Lettters
Ms. Marvel Vol. 1 | G Willow Wilson
Pickpick

So glad this exists.

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Lettters
The Dry | Jane Harper
Mehso-so

Better than so-so but I didn't quite love it. Great pace, great setting, and a good job of keeping the readers on our toes. I suspected everyone, but found the reveal slightly convenient.

ErikasMindfulShelf Felt the same way. 7y
Reviewsbylola Darn. This on sounded a little too good to be true I guess! 7y
46 likes2 comments
review
Lettters
Pickpick

Not sci-fi... Not polemic... But super smart and fun and strange. It's an exploration of art and creativity and activism, and how these interact with technology in the Internet age.

coffeenebula Sounds weird! I'm in 🙃 7y
36 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Lettters
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Pickpick

For fans of Krakauer's INTO THE WILD, this account of a real life hermit in Maine is difficult to put down. While Christopher Knight's motivations are never fully explained, I came away with a profound respect for a man who spent 26 years(!) with only a single episode of human interaction. What a mystery of an existence.

Suet624 I followed newspaper articles on this man. Need to find this book! 7y
63 likes7 stack adds1 comment
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Lettters
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

Maybe the best book I read last year? Written by the publisher of my favorite book the year prior... Good things coming out of St. Louis.

LeahBergen Ooo, I received this as a birthday gift. I'm moving it up the stack. 👍🏼 7y
rubyslippersreads @Lettters Glad to hear you liked it so much. I'll have to move it up my TBR list too, @LeahBergen 😄 7y
AmandaL After I read this I needed to know more about Margaret Cavendish. You may like 7y
Lettters @AmandaL thanks for the rec! 7y
71 likes6 stack adds4 comments
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Lettters
History of Wolves | Emily Fridlund
Pickpick

Add this one to the list of impressive debut novels. Classy and elegant writing, deeply felt and original characters, and boy what a heartbreaking plot.

48 likes4 stack adds
blurb
Lettters
Story of a Brief Marriage | Anuk Arudpragasam
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Here's what I came away from #heartlandfallforum most excited about.

NikkiA History of Wolves was fantastic 😍 7y
lilredhen News of the World is an incredible read. It brought several things to mind for me in a different light. 7y
LeahBergen Jealous 😒 7y
Zelma That Wilson cover is fantastic! 7y
70 likes5 comments
blurb
Lettters
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My first Litsy post. I have only more respect for Moshfegh's work as I continue to read it.

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Lettters
Ill Will: A Novel | Dan Chaon
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Briefly met the author and got awesomely photobombed.

melbeautyandbooks 👏🏻 7y
LeahBergen 👍🏼👍🏼 7y
37 likes2 comments
blurb
Lettters
Lesser Bohemians | Eimear Mcbride
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Best bookstore haul ever.

LeahBergen Nice! 7y
JanuarieTimewalker13 Very pretty !! 7y
CherylDeFranceschi Fantastic! 7y
55 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
Lettters
Beatlebone | Kevin Barry
Mehso-so

Some of the structural experiments in this book didn't work for me, but despite that it was still a fascinatingly original pseudo-history of a great cultural icon. It doesn't hurt that Barry is a sentencesmith of the highest order.

Onioons Some parts better than others but one of the most quotable authors I've read 8y
27 likes1 comment
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Lettters
Beatlebone | Kevin Barry
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This book is so true to my feelings toward John Lennon: it's wild and original and presents a skewed vision of the world. That world is inviting and peculiar and full of the promises of our fullest potential, but ultimately unattainable.

Suzze Have that on my shelf. Ack! When will I ever get to all the books I've bought? 8y
willchance Barry said that to get John right, he needed to picture him as a 17 yr old. Think that's what made it work so well. 8y
45 likes5 stack adds2 comments
review
Lettters
Mislaid: A Novel | Nell Zink
Pickpick

The latter half of the book gets almost bogged down with plottiness while reuniting the estranged characters, never delving into the complexities of the taboo issues the novel prods in its first half (Who's asking it to? This isn't that book). In the end it isn't the social taboos that reverberate but the stunningly unique characters. Each of them are believably fallible, even if the entire situation in which they're (mis)laid is unbelievable.

Taylor The latter half really does fall into being plot driven, doesn't it. 7y
34 likes1 comment
blurb
Lettters
Mislaid: A Novel | Nell Zink
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I wish these tiny humans would just let me read.

MrBook 😂😂😂👍🏻 8y
britt_brooke Love this picture! And I know what you mean. 😉😁 8y
SusanInTiburon The hours are long, but the years are short. 💚 8y
See All 7 Comments
RealLifeReading Same here... 8y
[DELETED] 2232195534 One day, trust me, you'll have plenty of time...😀 8y
Texreader 😂😂😂 8y
BillKathyWms Great shot! 8y
71 likes7 comments
blurb
Lettters
Mislaid: A Novel | Nell Zink

I do this thing where I find an author I connect with and then I resist reading their other books. Then I pick one up and love it and wonder why I wasted all that time reading books by other authors. I mean, I know why I do it: to find more writers I connect with and in different ways. What I'm saying is that I really like Nell Zink.

Mayread She's amazing. I read Mislaid and The Wallcreeper and all interviews with her in less than a week. And then I kind of wanted to do it all over again. 8y
44 likes5 stack adds1 comment
blurb
Lettters
The Annie Year | Stephanie Wilbur Ash
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Just getting into this one. Fun unreliable and snarky narrator from a small upper Midwestern town. Reminds me a bit of Ottessa Moshfegh's EILEEN, except a bit more irreverent.

Aleida I love the cover. I remember when almost all books l saw used that style. 8y
37 likes6 stack adds1 comment
review
Lettters
Pond | Claire-Louise Bennett
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Bailedbailed

I enjoyed the Woolfian malaise and the general aimlessness of this book, but turns out when there's no story or substantial character interaction there's little incentive to keep reading. I feel like I could pick this up and open to any page and get an equal sense of the character and style.

RealLifeReading That's too bad. It has a lovely cover! 8y
brendanmleonard Too bad, indeed! I love the cover. 8y
ReadingRants Heartily agree! I bought based on reader praise and gorgeous cover but I couldn't get past 30 pages. 8y
Lettters I do think it's great for what it is. There just isn't any reason to read the whole thing, at least sequentially. 8y
48 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Lettters
Pond | Claire-Louise Bennett
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If we have lost the knack of living, it is a safe bet to presume we have forfeited the magic of dying.

50 likes2 stack adds
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Lettters
Pond | Claire-Louise Bennett

I have no idea what this book is about, or what its goals are, but I find it mesmerizing. So many gorgeous, peculiar sentences.

aeeklund This is EXACTLY how I feel about it, too... 8y
ReadingEnvy One of the best books I've read this year for sure. 8y
Notafraidofwords I keep hearing mixed reviews about this one. 8y
47 likes7 stack adds3 comments
blurb
Lettters
2666: A Novel | Roberto Bolao, Natasha Wimmer
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Sadly I cannot follow anyone else, in honor of this mystifying epic. #thepartaboutthereallygoodbook

razmanda I pet the spine of this beauty today while looking for something else. I love it so. 8y
acc5446 this has been on my TBR forever! 8y
eric.small I just picked up a copy of this and am looking forward to diving into it. 8y
eric.small I just picked up a copy of this and I'm looking forward to diving into it. 8y
47 likes5 stack adds5 comments
review
Lettters
Binary Star | Sarah Gerard
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Mehso-so

While I enjoyed the style and tone, i was frustrated by the focus on these characters' respective depressions. Their dependencies were isolated, rather than mutual, and the celestial metaphor sufficed with reflecting the stasis of self pity, rather than inspiring the characters (or this reader). Or maybe I wasn't in a mood for a sad book.

Taylor Yeah I felt the same way. 8y
37 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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Lettters
Killing and Dying | Adrian Tomine
Pickpick

Tomine is writing some of the best short stories around, but he's also one of the most vital illustrators in the game. He's at the forefront of this combination of genres, and this collection proves that he's still expanding his creative potential for each.

Treatyoshelf Shortcomings was so good. I'll have to read this one too. 8y
Lettters I liked this more than Shortcomings. 8y
29 likes4 stack adds2 comments
review
Lettters
Mehso-so

Easy reading as far as criticism goes, but don't mistake this for anything other than criticism. Lerner's gifts with language make it a pleasant 80-page essay, but his thesis (there has never been a perfect poem because our expectations for poetry are impossible) isn't the most profound of insights.

zembla My partner writes poetry, and we both rolled our eyes at that thesis. Pompous stuff like that is why normal people don't read poetry 😂 8y
Mayread Pfft. I can think of at least 20 perfect poems right now! 8y
Lettters Not to undersell the value of poetic criticism that has any level of general appeal. Plus, he does make some good points throughout. 8y
32 likes3 comments
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Lettters
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"The fatal problem with poetry: poems."

Zelma Lol! Great quote. 8y
41 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Lettters
Bone: The great cow race. Vol. 2 | Jeff Smith, Steve Hamaker
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Mehso-so

Had to tag this because RASL wasn't showing up. Been meaning to check it out for a while. Historical sections about Tesla and the explorations of electricity were fabulous, especially the intersections of physics and native creation myths. But the neo-noir plot was a bit sexist and disappointing.

ReadingRover I looove Jeff Smith!!! I have every single Bone comic from Out from Boneville on! 8y
30 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
Lettters
Pond | Claire-Louise Bennett
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Am I planning to read this because it shares a name with my favorite 90's indie rock band? No, I'm going to read it because the first page is some of the best writing I've read all year. But the name thing helps.

Taylor This one has been on my radar for a while. 8y
Ericmanciniwriter Great cover! 8y
75 likes20 stack adds3 comments
review
Lettters
The Nix | Nathan Hill
Pickpick

A topical, insightful delight of a page turner, less for its overall plot than for its charming array of characters and a satisfyingly juxtaposed network of subplots.

12 likes4 stack adds
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Lettters
The Nix | Nathan Hill

I did not intend to read this book. The first two chapters did little for me. Then the third chapter happened, and now I'm halfway through and I don't want it to end. Total blast.

15 likes2 stack adds
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Lettters
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And if we do not? Yet still don't really read it? What then, Mr. Lerner? I look forward to discovering your reply in this slim and well reviewed pamphlet.

16 likes2 stack adds
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Lettters
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I've loved everything I've read from Ottessa Moshfegh.

JessicaBates Ooh. Is this newer than Eileen?! I'm excited. 8y
17 likes6 stack adds1 comment
review
Lettters
The Wallcreeper | Nell Zink
Pickpick

It's been a long time since I've been so simultaneously enamored with and demoralized by the intelligence and candor of a narrator's voice. I'm looking forward to reading every word Nell Zink writes.

Kenny Love this book. Love all her books. 8y
10 likes2 stack adds1 comment
quote
Lettters
The Wallcreeper | Nell Zink
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Stephen possesses the indefinable divine spark that arises from friction between an infinitely complex universe and the unfathomable enigma of subjectivity. (Later on the same page) There's more real art going on in one square inch of Midwest than in all of New York City.

11 likes3 stack adds
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Lettters
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PSYCHED!

13 likes4 stack adds
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Lettters
The Door | Magda Szabo
Pickpick

In the end it won me over. Exceptional pacing and thematic depths. Also loved the third person disguised as a first person technique.

12 likes2 stack adds
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Lettters
The Door | Magda Szabo
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This far into it and nothing has happened. Yet I read on... I. Read. On.

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Lettters

Just saw Ben Lerner at a coffee shop and told him I liked his books. He said, "thanks." Then I thought about how much I liked his books. I sure did like his books.

jennwangster I love his books too! So jealous you got to see him! 8y
14 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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Lettters
The Door | Magda Szabo
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Excited to finally crack open THE DOOR after numerous bookseller recommendations.

5 likes1 stack add
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Lettters
The Argonauts | Maggie Nelson
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I wasn't planning to read this book but I made the mistake of opening it, and now it won't let me put it down. Curse you @Graywolfpress

18 likes5 stack adds