march madness
what i've been reading & writing this (past) month
the ides of march may have come and gone, but i wanted to share what i had been working on during that month that claims to go in like a lion and out like a lamb (though with the weather here in new york, the only lamb-like figures i’ve seen are the old-fashioned decorations on easter egg-studded stoops).
as i mentioned in my year of rest & restacking (or, my aptly-titled 1-year birthday post to pr0zacprincess), in addition to my INTIMATES series, i’m going to be posting monthly check-ins on my novel writing process for my paid subscribers (i don’t like to gate-keep, but since my novel is most likely going to immediately become a niche famous success i can’t have it out on the open internet for just anyone to read…)
i’m also challenging myself to read more contemporary novels this year—when left to my own devices at the library, i tend to pick either the shortest novella i can find, or the oldest book on the shelf. i figured i’d share some of my reading log with you all. hope you enjoy, and DM me if you’ve read any of these/have any thoughts (unfortunately i can only turn on comments for paid subscribers since half of this post is behind the paywall). ok, now enjoy…
Creep: A Love Story by Emma Van Straaten
TLDR: A first-person narrative told by Alice, a young woman who is delusionally obsessed (she would claim more like, “divinely in love”) with Tom, a man whose apartment she cleans weekly.
Biggest Success: The narrative’s viscerality. There were many times throughout the book that I was legitimately cringing, psychologically hurting. Great language. Also, I really enjoyed the ending (which, as will be shown, is often a sticking point with me).
Biggest Miss: Pacing. As is my plight with most modern-day novels, I felt that it was too long. For a moment there, I was slogging through the middle—but the successful ending made up for it. I was also engaged enough in the story to keep reading, even for the 30-40 pages that felt a bit superfluous.
4/5- I would re-read
My Husband by Maud Ventura
TLDR: A first-person narrative told by Ariane, a forty-year-old school teacher who is delusionally obsessed (again, she would call it “divinely in love”) with her own husband (can you sense that I am drawn to unhinged female protagonists?)
Biggest Success: Stream of consciousness narration. The woman is twisted. It’s great. Shout-out to the fact that one of her biggest issues with her husband is that he called her a clementine when playing a game at a dinner party where each person was assigned to a fruit based on personality. She was really pissed about it, too.
Biggest Miss: Epilogue. Lowkey killed the book for me. If anyone has read, DM me, let’s discuss.
3/5- I wouldn’t re-read
Vagablonde by Anna Dorn
TLDR: A first-person narrative told by Prudence van Teesen, aka Prue, aka Vagablonde, a 30-year-old appellate lawyer with two dreams: to become a rapper and to go off her SSRIs. She does both to varying degrees of success.
Biggest Success: Readability. I read this book so quickly that it was almost like binge-watching a television show. Also, as a formerly manic party girl, it was nice to reconnect to my roots (from a very safe fictional distance).
Biggest Miss: Inability to keep up/rectify intensity. Something I really loved about the first half of the book was the narrator’s palpable spiral into anxiety and mania. But then it kind of just like…stopped? No spoilers here, but the narrator seemed to be able to pull herself out of her own mess pretty easily. Seems unlikely. And even if it isn’t unlikely, it’s boring. Also, use of language didn’t blow me away.
2.5/5- I wouldn’t re-read, but I’m open to trying more by this author for entertainment
Honorable Mentions: Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier & No Tomorrow (Point de Lendemain) by Vivant Denon
These books are more classically #luciecore. As I called myself out earlier, they’re both old (20th & 18th centuries, respectively), and No Tomorrow is really just a thirty-page short story parading as a novella. Coincidentally, both French. Not coincidentally, both interesting reads. DM if you wanna discuss.
and now, onto what i’ve been writing…