So I am in the middle of four books right now – The Leavers, This Is How It Always Is, Born To Run and The War Bride’s Scrapbook. (Don’t ask – it just worked out that way.) As a result, I don’t have a review to post tonight. Instead, I am watching the Golden Globes, and it’s a good night for fiction. The Handmaid’s Tale and Big Little Lies have already won a bunch of awards, and the list of other movies and shows nominated tonight that are adaptations of books is a long one. Yay for good fiction!
I did finish one short book that I have to recommend: Going Into Town: A Love Letter To New York by Roz Chast. Chast created the book as a guide for her daughter, who was moving to NYC for college and didn’t have a lay of the land. Chast wrote a very entertaining “graphic memoir” about her beloved city, with sections about The Met, the New York street grid, eating in NY, how to hail a taxi, how the subway is laid out, and more. I lived in NYC for a few years, long enough that the city still feels if not like home, then at least like somewhere very familiar to me. Chast perfectly captured the idiosyncrasies of the city and its devotees. I laughed out loud several times while reading Going Into Town. Chast’s cartoons are hilarious, as always, as is her wry, pithy writing. If you too ❤️ NY, then I recommend picking up Going Into Town or at least buying it for someone who does.
Reviews coming soon!