#the great believers

[quotespile]

But when someone’s gone and you’re the primary keeper of his memory — letting go would be a kind of murder, wouldn’t it? I had so much love for him, even if it was a complicated love, and where is all that love supposed to go? He was gone, so it couldn’t change, it couldn’t turn to indifference. I was stuck with all that love.

Rebecca Makkai, The Great Believers

[mylifeincharingcrossroad]

[asoftepiloguemylove]

Hi, can you do a web weave on the loss of a lover who you grieve for everyday for your life and wishes to seek their love everyday?

Thank you so much and I love you blog!!

i hope you're doing okay <33

L. Frank Baum The Wonderful Wizard of Oz / Ocean Vuong in an interview by Tonya Mosley / Martha Gellhorn from a letter to Hortense Flexner and Wyncie King Selected Letters of Martha Gellhorn / pinterest / Rebecca Makkai The Great Believers / Anne Carson Glass, Irony and God / One Day (2011) dir. Lone Scherfig / pinterest

[litsnaps]

[convulsionofhonesty]

top 10 books of 2022

i read 50 books this year and i’m going to share my top 10 and what i loved most about them (in no particular order)

1. writers & lovers by lily king - this book legitimately changed my life by reminding me of how desperate i am to lead a creative life. there are certain books that make you want to be a writer. this is one. featuring clean-cut, economical prose that gets straight to the point, and the point is diving into one of the most compelling characters i’ve had the honor to spend a story with. i read it twice this year because i will never be ready to part with this main character.

2. last night at the telegraph club by malinda lo - this was a reread for me and i appreciated it infinitely more the second time. the vividness of the writing strikes me as a particular triumph of this work. you can feel every emotion, see and hear every setting. that and a deeply engaging narrative make it one of those books that i continue to think about constantly.

3. crush by richard siken - my favorite poetry collection i have read, and reread, both within this year. he is one of those writers that reminds you how amazing it is to be a human that can feel and say so much. sharp images, glorious repitition, and stunning formatting that has inspired much of my own adventure into the world of unique poetic structure on the page.

4. homegoing by yaa gyasi - probably one of the most ingenious books i have ever read. to this day i fail to understand how it is possible to cover so much in so few pages and not leave the reader feeling like something is missing, but she certainly does it. sweeping multi-generational story where each chapter reads like both an exquisite short story that could stand on its own and a part of the richly woven whole. phenomenal novel that i wholeheartedly believe will be a classic in the future.

5. the idiot by elif batuman - another character that weaseled her way into my brain and has never left. a plotless, indulgent, meandering character study that struck such a cord with me. i read this at the exact right time in my life and for the week that i was making my way through it, there was no distinction between the narrator and myself in my mind. i don’t know how to explain this, but i was narrating my own life through this character’s eyes. captivating.

6. piranesi by susanna clarke - an exemplary work of fantasy that explores the nuances of knowledge and gratitude, balancing expertly between critiquing the pursuit of knowledge and power and exalting wonder, curiosity, and science. a book written in journal entries which flows perfectly and never feels choppy. leaves you thinking differently about the world.

7. open water by caleb azumah nelson - a short novella you can read in a day, and you will have to, as it is so enchanting and haunting that you cannot stop. it fully took over my mind until i finished it. it features second person narration which creates an unmatched level of closeness between reader and narrator. triumphantly evocative, intimate, and precise prose. the most poetic novel(la) i've had the pleasure of reading since on earth we're briefly gorgeous.

8. the great believers by rebecca makkai - the highlight of this book is the dense prose; every sentence feels perfectly chosen and hits you just as hard as the last. there is never a break, never a breather from the stunning writing. for that reason it is a slow book to move through, but in the best way. also accomplishes using dual pov/timelines in a way that does not detract from the fluidity of the work. very heavy subject matter but imbued with hope, gratitude, and affection.

9. the starless sea by erin morgenstern - prior to reading piranesi, this was my favorite fantasy read of the year. the world is so engrossing and the formatting of the novel is unique and inventive. vivid world builidng and a meandering, cris-crossing plot that enthralls from the beginning. an ode to humanity and the interconnectedness of the stories we tell.

10. babel by r.f. kuang - a lengthy novel that is well worth the time it takes, featuring a slate of morally ambiguous young people bumping up against the limits of their social power. similarly to piranesi, it embraces curiosity, drive, passion, and learning while chastising the intrenchment of power in academia. kuang cements herself as figurehead of the historical fantasy subgenre, tapping into its full potential.

[shelvingcart]

what i'm reading rn - sarah

[sassyalone]

Lake Michigan, impossibly blue, the morning light bouncing toward the city. Lake Michigan frozen in sheets you could walk on but wouldn't dare. Lake Michigan, gray out a high-rise window, indistinguishable from the sky. Bread, hot from the oven. Or even stale in the restaurant basket, rescued by salty butter. The Cubs winning the pennant someday. The Cubs winning the Series. The Cubs continuing to lose. His favorite song, not yet written. His favorite movie, not yet made. The depth of an oil brushstroke. Chagall's blue windows. Picasso's blue man and his guitar. Dr. Cheng said, "I'm going to write down everything I say to you, so you can read it again later."

— The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai

[theunstuffedpepper]

It’s October! Best month of the year. Had to get out to the local orchard today for some apple picking and fresh cider donuts. It’s been raining for like a week straight but today starts a string of perfectly sunny 70-something-degree days and I am heeeeere for it.

Has anyone else read The Great Believers? I was into it for a bit, but I’m having trouble getting myself to care about the 2015 timeline with the lost daughter and the cult and all of it. 15 more hours of listening feels like a lot to dedicate to it, but I hate not finishing a book.

[sonatine]

"As it was, the hand-holding was an end in itself... And was friendship that different in the end from love? You took the possibility of sex out of it, and it was all about the moment anyway. Being here, right now, in someone's life. Making room for someone in yours."

Rebecca Makkai, The Great Believers

[desdasiwrites]

[sopherzzzz]

can't bring myself to finish the last 30 pages of my books because i don't want to watch the main character die :(

[quotespile]

He wanted to bathe in it for five seconds, the future he might be having if it weren't for everything.

Rebecca Makkai, The Great Believers

[mylifeincharingcrossroad]

[asoftepiloguemylove]

hi! Love, love, love your web weaves sm!

Can you do one on trying to convince yourself that your ex is a douchebag, but you can't? If you're still taking requests ofc!

Stay safe <3

hi !! i interpreted this as like longing but also failing to let go. i hope that's close to what you meant lol. i hope you're doing well <33

and everything i did i thought "you should be here"

Car Seat Headrest I Want You to Know That I'm Awake/I Hope That You're Asleep / pinterest / @/dustyfan (tiktok) / pinterest / Vita Sackville-West / Bon Iver A song for a lover of long time ago / pinterest / Rebecca Makkai The Great Believers

[itskikoa]

february 11, 2023

finished reading the great believers by rebecca makkai today, my favourite read in a while

[convulsionofhonesty]

14, 60, 71 for the book ask game💕

hellooo thanks for asking !

14. a book that made you trip on literary acid

not sure if i'm interpreting this correctly but if this is asking for like fever dream books then i have to say anything by mona awad, either bunny or all's well!

60. a book that you think about at 3 am

last night at the telegraph club by malinda lo! everything about this book is so atmospheric and emotional and i just find myself thinking about it all the time, it really sticks with me!

71. your favorite lgbtq+ fiction

last night at the telegraph club (again lol), on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong (it's not really like a central theme iirc but it is important to the narrative/character), loveless by alice oseman, the great believers by rebecca makkai (really heavy topic though)!