consumption diaries #29: everything I read in may
plus what I watched and spent my money on
if you're new here, Consumption Diaries are a monthly roundup of what I've consumed and what has consumed me in the past month: books, movies, various fixations. You can find last month's here.
This edition of Consumption Diaries is quite delayed. I was holding onto the last vestiges of spring in May, as were my allergies, but I had a busy month. I also went to Argentina! If you make it to the bottom, there's a related treat for you, and if you are my friend and also live in DC, if you're nice there's potentially a real treat in that I'll give you an alfajor.
Really, though, my substack feels so trivial amid the state of the planet. This isn’t to say I find anyone else’s newsletters trivial, and I quite enjoy them all, but sitting down to write mundane things about books or make silly little lists makes me feel helpless and useless. Things are bad right now! We all know this!
Reading felt like a chore at times, especially as I committed to or recovered from socializing, worrying, being angry, etc., so you'll find a romance, a very short sci-fi novel, and a graphic novel in the mix this month. I honestly prefer my reading to teach me something about the world rather than give me an escape, but they can't all be heavy hitting literary fiction and literally no one is policing my reading except for me.
My happy list for the month, before we get into the things that consumed me:
glitter
laughing in an annoying situation
an espresso martini at any time of day
"we are starting our initial descent"
lavender matcha
brief moments of feeling completely seen and also completely accepted among friends
soju
doing hobbies poorly and still having fun
bookstores with tall ceilings
rooftops
what I read
You can also follow my Goodreads or StoryGraph, both of which I update regularly, if you prefer to keep up with people's reading that way. There’s also my bookstagram account, which I neglect 90% of the time and then update in sporadic bursts.
One-star Romance by Laura Hankin
I thought this was cute! I initially bought it because Laura interviewed
during the DC leg of the Most Famous Girl in the World book tour, but then I promptly exited my romance phase and let this sit on my shelf for a bit. I picked it up during a reading rut, skeptical that I'd actually enjoy a romance, but I stand before you humbled. One-Star Romance relies on the wrong timing trope (is there an actual name for this?), which I think I like because I like yearning and disappointment. The premise is that the main character finds out her best friend's boyfriend's best friend left her new novel a one-star review on goodreads, without explanation, and the two begin a years-long enemies to lovers campaign.All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells
If this had been put on your radar recently, it's probably because of the imminent TV show. It's told from the perspective of the robot equivalent of a TV dad — said robot hacks itself so that it doesn't have to take orders, pretends to hate humans but secretly loves them, and just wants to watch his shows. The Murderbot Diaries are different than my usual reading because my real-life pals are passing this book around, which made it all the more fun. I'm going to aim to continue the series next month!
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, trans. by Ros Schwartz
What an unsettling, fascinating read. I try to avoid the cliche "haunting" if there aren't literal ghosts involved, but it applies to I Who Have Never Known Men, where the ghosts of former lives — and lives that could have been — propel the entire plot. I wanted to see what the hype was after the book's proliferation on TikTok, to the point that it was sold out everywhere for a moment, and though I was initially surprised dystopian feminist lit fic had enthralled the romantasy crowd and sad girls alike, I understand why it was resurfaced and became so popular. I had a few qualms with it, mostly nitpicking about logistics (bread and milk and meat lasting for decades?) but it is unlike anything I've ever read.
Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel
Most of us were introduced to Alison Bechdel via women's studies or LGBTQIA+ literature classes that included Fun Home on their syllabi, and even if you haven't been paying attention in the meantime (like me), you'll immediately recognize Bechdel's distinct style. While it did feel a little MSNBC-mom, lawn-sign liberal to me at times (and that could just be me), I thought it was both funny and endearing. Graphic novels are fun! I should read more of them! And thank you to the publisher for sending me a finished copy.
A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro, trans. by Frances Riddle
My first thought upon finishing this book was literally "holy shit lol" (brain rot!) and my second was "who can I recommend this book to." Well, it's all of you. I bought this in Argentina while I was on a journey to find Charco Press books. The plot follows a woman who is returning home to a suburb of Buenos Aires after a decades-long absence, the cause of which is slowly revealed to us as the novel progresses. While there is a sense of mystery for the reader as we try to figure out what exactly happened, it’s not cheap or gimmicky — which is important, because the truth is pretty devastating and explains why our protagonist is so damaged. (This isn’t a spoiler; both the description and basically the first page tell you there has been a tragic accident.) It’s about identity to some extent, but also how our choices and mistakes can define it.
what I watched
I watched shockingly few movies in May, and both completely opposite of each other. I hope I’m not in a movie rut, but just in case, please give me some summery movie recs, of all genres!
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith — lol I have nothing to say about this. Everyone is awful at acting here but I stand by it. I quote it regularly. You'll never make me hate Star Wars.
A Woman Under the Influence (1974) — Voyeuristic in its intimacy; almost hard to get through and more uncomfortable than not just to watch because it feels like you shouldn't be viewing such intimate moments. Mabel just wants to be loved as much as she wants to pour love into everyone around her. That loss of self can drive a person mad. "Tell me how you want me to be" line was so sad. Devastating to see how much has changed for women — and yet so little.
You can also follow me on Letterboxd to watch me transform into a film bro before your very eyes, but also because this is one of the last social media outlets I actually like.
In the TV show genre, I thought “Running Point” was silly but entertaining. I'm so fascinated by how sports content has us all in a chokehold right now, both on screen and off (looking at you, romance novels). Maybe I'll do a Substack on this one day!
I also watched all of “Sirens” in one day — ever since “The Bold Type” I'll watch anything Meghann Fahy's in. It is so compelling, and it is also so Sisters. Anyone who has one will know. I think you can take from it whatever you want, but for me, I was most struck by the multitudes of women, how we don't always allow each other to have them. I will say, I thought the ending was weak, but fine.
And of course I finished a K-drama, “Dear Hongrang,” which I was so excited for because the leads are two of my favorites. I flew through it, but it fell kind of short for me. Hated the ending!
what I bought
books: While I was in Argentina, I bought three Charco Press books: A Little Luck (see above), The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada, and A Perfect Cemetery by Federico Falco. There were many more available, but I decided to stick with Argentine authors.
These J.Crew textured "satin" pants, which I realize now are not real satin and are in fact some shitty synthetic plastic blend, but I do really like them.
For anyone following along in my left-handed pen quest, I have a new contender to add to the mix: The Writech nebula gel pen, which literally has “even left-handers love it” on the box. What other pens even acknowledge our existence?! These dry super fast, and as a bonus, they’re super cute.
what people were reading in public
I love snooping on people reading in public, as we all do, and when I was in Buenos Aires this month (stay tuned for a dedicated post on this, I'm a travel blogger now) I especially wanted to see what people were reading assuming they were books I'd never heard of in English. A few:
El beso de la mujer araña by Manuel Puig, (Kiss of the Spider Woman)
Thank god I know enough Spanish to immediately translate this title and do a real-time double-take. What an incredible title. Wikipedia says: It depicts the daily conversations between two cellmates in an Argentine prison, Molina and Valentín, and the intimate bond they form in the process. After its 1976 publication, it was adapted as a play in 1983, a film that won an Academy Award in 1985, a Broadway musical in 1993, and then another film based on the Broadway show that only just premiered at Sundance this year. So obviously, there is an English translation available.
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
This book actually was published first in English in 1992, and the title definitely sounds cooler in Spanish. It seems really interesting, but I always wonder if these type of sociological books, particular about gender or race, age well.
Las malas by Camila Sosa Villada, (Bad Girls)
Hell ya trans literature! I actually have heard of this one, as it was translated to English a couple of years ago. It’s about a trans woman who leaves her small Argentine town and oppressive upbringing and finds a family in the world of trans sex workers. I’ve added it to my TBR!
Tratado Elemental De Ciencia Oculta by Papus (Elementary Treatise of Occult Science)
OK, metal! This was written by a French physician in the late 1800s. According to the goodreads description, it sounds like the book attempts to explain certain phenomena in the natural world through multiple scientific lenses. Considering this book was written 130 years ago — for context, Einstein's theory of relativity, fundamental to our understanding of the world, wasn't yet published — I'd be so curious to see the explanations and theories the author gives.
That's all from me. Despite the horrors, I am looking forward to another June (or at least the rest of it now that we’re halfway through) the best month of summer, and all of the time I'll get to spend with the people I love — and maybe some good books too? (Gay ones! Happy pride!)
And before you go, tell me what you’re reading, watching, and being consumed by in the comments please :)
Loved The Bold Type! Sutton was my fave!
Love the call back to The Bold Type, such a great show