she's filing her nails while they're dragging the lake

[record]

Now reading: Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill. God, this author is just SO in my head. It's like...what I want to write about, the way I want to write it. I feel very superfluous now. I can't believe I hadn't read her before. So far, I've read a story about prostitution, one about a poorly-considered S&M weekend vacation, and one about a very psychologically odd secretary whose boss spanks her when she makes typing mistakes.

Also, Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt, which is a fascinating cross-disciplinary look at driving, incorporating psychology, game theory, and more! Yay. I really like books that pick a subject that doesn't seem intuitive or easy to write about (I'm thinking Mary Roach's Stiffs) and really wrestle with the little details you don't ever necessarily think about or question. I haven't read the history of salt that W got such a drubbing for reading, but I can completely understand its appeal. I think picking a very narrow, niche-y, even boring or off-putting topic is really the way to go, writing popular nonfiction. A history of everything? A history of a certain thing that's been done to death? Well, why NOT salt. Why not see everything through a different lens. Oh, another good one was the book about the black death...I can't remember it that well, but it was by a local author.

Tonight: Yoshimatsu! Pedicures!
Tomorrow: Movies! Homework!
Sunday: Taxes! Cleaning! Parents!

I think it's clear that my weekend is going to get increasingly horrifying, so I'm just going to enjoy today while it lasts.

Comments

[fuzzz-brain.livejournal.com]

Sorry! I forgot pedicures.

[violetselkie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I "forgot" as well. Because I would much rather have a stranger touch my feet than see a Danny Boyle movie. What?

[devonsego.livejournal.com]

Woah; something I read before you did! I loved Bad Behavior. It's interesting how different the movie Secretary is from the story, but they're both excellent.

[violetselkie.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I had seen a bad review of the movie ages ago (hadn't heard of the story, obviously) and had just assumed it wasn't worth seeing. On a similar vein...have you read JT Leroy? I've thought about it, but haven't been sure if I should bother.

[fuzzz-brain.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I figured that out already. I think manicures are even creepier, though.

[devonsego.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, it's gooooooood. I hadn't heard of the story when I saw it. I was recommending it to a customer who just happened to have the book and promptly loaned it to me. But Maggie Gyllenhall and James Spader; how exactly could that ever go wrong?

I've only read one short story by the infamous JT Leroy. I think it was in a McSweeny's comp but I can't be certain. I remember thinking, "Holy shit, who cares about the writer's real identity; this is good!"