EVENTS FOR A PLACE OF OUR OWN

Monday, June 3: Washington, DC. Politics and Prose, Connecticut Avenue, 7 p.m., in conversation with Christina Cauterucci.

Wednesday, June 5: New York City. P&T Knitwear, Lower East Side, 7 p.m., in conversation with Amelia Possanza.

Thursday, June 6: Toronto Public Library (Virtual Event), 7 p.m. In conversation with Jane Farrow.

Friday, June 14: Edinburgh, Topping & Company, 7:30 p.m., with Alison Bechdel.

Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024: Wilderness Fest, Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, 2:45 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 19: Minneapolis, Magers & Quinn, with Krista Burton, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 21: Chicago, Women & Children First, 7 p.m.

BOOKS I READ IN 2024 (AS OF OCT. 25)

1. The Craft of Literary Biography, ed. Jeffrey Meyers
2. North Korea Confidential, by Daniel Tudor
3. Sycamore Row, by John Grisham
4. Parisian Lives, by Deirdre Bair
5. The Professor and the Parson, by Adam Sisman
6. Royal Holiday, by Jasmine Guillory
7. The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens, by Claire Tomalin
8. Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the making of Modern Asia, by Gary J. Bass
9. We Could Be So Good, by Cat Sebastian
10. Charles Dickens: A Life, by Claire Tomalin
11. The Palace Papers, by Tina Brown
12. King: A Life, by Jonathan Eig
13. The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle, by Anna Shechtman
14. Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disrupter, by Rachel Shteir
15. Betting on the Bird, by Cassandra Medcalf
16. A Spy Alone, by Charles Beaumont
17. Looking for Lorraine, by Imani Perry
18. The New Life, by Tom Crewe
19. The Diana Chronicles, by Tina Brown
20. High School, by Tegan and Sara Quin
21. Keep This Off the Record, by Arden Jay
22. Within My Reach, by Amy Blythe
23. American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump, by Tim Alberta
24. Requiem for a Mezzo, by Carola Dunn
25. Somehow: Thoughts on Love, by Anne Lamott
26. The Secret Life, by Andrew O’Hagan
27. Very Bad Company, by Emma Rosenblum
28. With a Mind to Kill, by Anthony Horowitz
29. Killing Thatcher: The IRA, the Manhunt, and the Long War on the Crown, by Rory Carroll
30. Mona of the Manor, by Armistead Maupin
31. Caledonian Road, by Andrew O’Hagan
32. Not in the Plan, by Dana Hawkins
33. Anansi’s Gold: The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World, by Yepoka Yeebo
34. Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby
35. Emperor of Rome, by Mary Beard
36. Here We Go Again, by Alison Cochrun
37. All the Sinners Bleed, by S.A. Cosby
38. Nine Lives to Die, by Rita Mae Brown
39. Lesbian Love Story: A Memoir in Archives, by Amelia Possanza
40. My Darkest Prayer, by S.A. Cosby
41. Thank You for Listening, by Julia Whelan
42. One Man Against the World, by Tim Weiner
43. To Name the Bigger Lie: A Memoir in Two Stories, by Sarah Viren
44. The Best and the Brightest, by David Halberstam
45. Romantic Comedy, by Curtis Sittenfield
46. The Memo, by Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling
47. A Woman of No Importance, by Sonia Purnell
48. Remembering Satan: A Tragic Case of Recovered Memory, by Lawrence Wright
49. The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley
50. One Last Stop, by Casey McQuiston
51. Blacktop Wasteland, by S.A. Cosby
52. Nothing Ever Just Disappears, by Diarmuid Hester
53. Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, by Katherine Rundell
54. Virginia’s Apple: Collected Memoirs, by Judith Barrington
55. What Happened, Miss Simone, by Alan Light
56. The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA, by Liza Mundy
57. Housemates, by Emma Copley Eisenberg
58. 10 Things That Never Happened, by Alexis Hall
59. Munich, by Robert Harris
60. Death in a Strange Country, by Donna Leon
61. The Last Dream, by Pedro Almodóvar
62. Long Island Compromise, by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
63. Cue the Sun: The Invention of Reality TV, by Emily Nussbaum
64. Murder by the Book, by Claire Harman
65. There There, by Tommy Orange
66. The Queer Arab Glossary, ed. Marwan Kaabour
67. The Pairing, by Casey McQuiston
68. The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America, by Sara B. Franklin
69. The Safekeep, by Yael van der Wouden
70. Hampton Heights, by Dan Kois
71. Our Evenings, by Allan Hollinghurst
72. Orbital, by Samantha Harvey

BOOKS I READ IN 2023 (UPDATED)

1. Bad Actors, by Mick Herron
2. Count Your Lucky Stars, by Alexandra Bellefleur
3. Hell Yeah or No, by Derek Sivers
4. Written in the Stars, by Alexandra Bellefleur
5. Trailed, by Kathryn Miles
6. Decluttering at the Speed of Life, by Dana K. White
7. The Journalist and the Murderer, by Janet Malcolm (re-read)
8. The Private Patient, by PD James (re-read)
9. Skip the Line, by James Altucher
10. No Man’s Land, by Riley Smith
11. Vibrator Nation, by Lynn Comella
12. Roller Girl, by Vanessa North
13. Sex by Design, by Betty Dodson
14. Buzz, by Hallie Lieberman
15. Big Death, Little Death, by Susie Bright
16. Season of the Witch, by David Talbot
17. Sierra City, by Gerri Hill
18. Cowboys and Kisses, by Karin Kallmaker
19. Comfort and Joy, by Karin Kallmaker
20. Watergate, by Garrett M. Graff
21. Steal Like an Artist, by Austin Kleon
22. Show Your Work, by Austin Kleon
23. The More of Less, by Joshua Becker
24. Peril, by Bob Woodward
25. A Swing at Love, by Harper Bliss
26. Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover, by Ruth Marcus
27. Agent Twister, by Philip Augur and Keely Winston
28. Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America, by Krista Burton
29. Nine Black Robes, by Joan Biskupic
30. The Pathless Path, by Paul Millerd
31. Behind the PIne Curtain, by Gerri Hill
32. In a Midnight Wood, by Ellen Hart
33. Twisted at the Root, by Ellen Hart
34. Ceremonies, by Essex Hemphill (re-read)
35. Diving Into the Wreck, by Adrienne Rich (re-read)
36. The Power of Adrienne Rich, by Hilary Holiday (re-read)
37. Written on the Body, by Jeannette Winterson (re-read)
38. Love Unknown: The Life and Worlds of Elizabeth Bishop, by Thomas Travisoro
39. Loving Robert Lowell, by Sandra Hochman
40. Traffic, by Ben Smith
41. Simply the Best, by Karin Kallmaker
42. Touchwood, by Karen Kallmaker
43. Portrait of a Thief, by Grace D. Li
44. Lesbian Death, by Mairead Sullivan
45. Burn It Down, by Maureen Ryan
46. The Passage of Power, by Robert Caro
47. Love & Other Disasters, by Anita Kelly
48. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, by Caroline Fraser
49. Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For (Audible version)
50. It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier
51. Austral, by Carlos Fonseca
52. Vintage Contemporaries, by Dan Kois
53. Bad Summer People, by Emma Rosenblum
54. The One Thing, by Gary Keller w/Jay Papasan
55. Companion Piece, by Ali Smith
56. Homegrown, by Jeffrey Toobin
57. American Spy, by Lauren Wilkinson
58. We Set the Night on Fire, by Martha Shelley
59. There are the Dawning, by Barbara J. Love
60. SPQR, by Mary Beard
61. Becoming Kim Jong Un, by Jung H. Pak
62. Circus of Dreams: Adventures in the 1980s Literary World, by John Walsh
63. A Thread of Violence, by Mark O’Connell
64. Break-Up: How Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon Went to War, by David Clegg and Kieran Andrews
65. Country of the Blind, by Christopher Brookmyre
66. The Book of Evidence, by John Banville (re-read)
67. The Cold, Cold, Ground, by Adrian McKinty
68. The Darien Disaster, by John Prebble
69. I Hear the Sirens in the Street, by Adrian McKinty
70. The Art of the Idea, by John Hunt
71. In the Morning I’ll be Gone, by Adrian McKinty
72. Gun Street Girl, by Adrian McKinty
73. Rain Dogs, by Adrian McKinty
74. A True Account, by Katherine Howe
75. Astor, by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe
76. Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly, by Adrian McKinty
77. The Secret Hours, by Mick Herron
78. The Fall: The End of Fox News, by Michael Wolff
79. Past Lying, by Val McDermid
80. The Falls, by Ian Rankin
81. The Detective Up Late, by Adrian McKinty
82. Lost & Hound, by Rita Mae Brown
83. Salvation of a Saint, by Keigo Higashino
84. Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Hollywood Media Company, by James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams
85. One Summer Night, by Gerri Hill
86. We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America, by Roxanna Asgarian
87. The Vanity Fair Diaries, 1986-1993, by Tina Brown
88. A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré
89. The Secret Life of John le Carré, by Adam Sisman
90. The Pigeon Tunnel, by John le Carré
91. American Classicist: The Life and Loves of Edith Hamilton, by Victoria Houseman
92. After Sappho, by Selby Wynn Schwartz
93. Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wilde Rise & Staggering Fall, by Zeke Faux
94. The Night Brother, by Rosie Garland
95. Northern Spy, by Flynn Berry
96. A Life of My Own, by Claire Tomalin
97. The Possibility of Life, by Jaime Green (read in October, but inexplicably left off the earlier list)

THE BOOKS I READ IN 2023 (AS OF DEC. 15)

1. Bad Actors, by Mick Herron
2. Count Your Lucky Stars, by Alexandra Bellefleur
3. Hell Yeah or No, by Derek Sivers
4. Written in the Stars, by Alexandra Bellefleur
5. Trailed, by Kathryn Miles
6. Decluttering at the Speed of Life, by Dana K. White
7. The Journalist and the Murderer, by Janet Malcolm (reread)
8. The Private Patient, by PD James (reread)
9. Skip the Line, by James Altucher
10. No Man’s Land, by Riley Smith
11. Vibrator Nation, by Lynn Comella
12. Roller Girl, by Vanessa North
13. Sex by Design, by Betty Dodson
14. Buzz, by Hallie Lieberman
15. Big Death, Little Death, by Susie Bright
16. Season of the Witch, by David Talbot
17. Sierra City, by Gerri Hill
18. Cowboys and Kisses, by Karin Kallmaker
19. Comfort and Joy, by Karin Kallmaker
20. Watergate, by Garrett M. Graff
21. Steal Like an Artist, by Austin Kleon
22. Show Your Work, by Austin Kleon
23. The More of Less, by Joshua Becker
24. Peril, by Bob Woodward
25. A Swing at Love, by Harper Bliss
26. Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover, by Ruth Marcus
27. Agent Twister, by Philip Augur and Keely Winston
28. Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America, by Krista Burton
29. Nine Black Robes, by Joan Biskupic
30. The Pathless Path, by Paul Millerd
31. Behind the PIne Curtain, by Gerri Hill
32. In a Midnight Wood, by Ellen Hart
33. Twisted at the Root, by Ellen Hart
34. Ceremonies, by Essex Hemphill (re-read)
35. Diving Into the Wreck, by Adrienne Rich (re-read)
36. The Power of Adrienne Rich, by Hilary Holiday (re-read)
37. Written on the Body, by Jeannette Winterson (re-read)
38. Love Unknown: The Life and Worlds of Elizabeth Bishop, by Thomas Travisoro
39. Loving Robert Lowell, by Sandra Hochman
40. Traffic, by Ben Smith
41. Simply the Best, by Karin Kallmaker
42. Touchwood, by Karen Kallmaker
43. Portrait of a Thief, by Grace D. Li
44. Lesbian Death, by Mairead Sullivan
45. Burn It Down, by Maureen Ryan
46. The Passage of Power, by Robert Caro
47. Love & Other Disasters, by Anita Kelly
48. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, by Caroline Fraser
49. Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For (Audible version)
50. It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier
51. Austral, by Carlos Fonseca
52. Vintage Contemporaries, by Dan Kois
53. Bad Summer People, by Emma Rosenblum
54. The One Thing, by Gary Keller w/Jay Papasan
55. Companion Piece, by Ali Smith
56. Homegrown, by Jeffrey Toobin
57. AMerican Spy, by Lauren Wilkinson
58. We Set the Night on Fire, by Martha Shelley
59. There are the Dawning, by Barbara J. Love
60. SPQR, by Mary Beard
61. Becoming Kim Jong Un, by Jung H. Pak
62. Circus of Dreams: Adventures in the 1980s Literary World, by John Walsh
63. A Thread of Violence, by Mark O’Connell
64. Break-Up: How Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon Went to War, by David Clegg and Kieran Andrews
65. Country of the Blind, by Christopher Brookmyre
66. The Book of Evidence, by John Banville (re-read)
67. The Cold, Cold, Ground, by Adrian McKinty
68. The Darien Disaster, by John Prebble
69. I hear the Sirens in the Street, by Adrian McKinty
70. The Art of the Idea, by John Hunt
71. In the Morning I’ll be Gone, by Adrian McKinty
72. Gun Street Girl, by Adrian McKinty
73. Rain Dogs, by Adrian McKinty
74. A True Account, by Katherine Howe
75. Astor, by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe
76. Police at the Station and They Don’t Look Friendly, by Adrian McKinty
77. The Secret Hours, by Mick Herron
78. The Fall: The End of Fox News, by Michael Wolff
79. Past Lying, by Val McDermid
80. The Falls, by Ian Rankin
81. The Detective Up Late, by Adrian McKinty
82. Lost & Hound, by Rita Mae Brown
83. Salvation of a Saint, by Keigo Higashino
84. Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Hollywood Media Company, by James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams
85. One Summer Night, by Gerri Hill
86. We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America, by Roxanna Asgarian
87. The Vanity Fair Diaries, 1986-1993, by Tina Brown
88. A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré
89. The Secret Life of John le Carré, by Adam Sisman
90. The Pigeon Tunnel, by John le Carré

What a lovely obit. I remember that book so well, though I never owned it. www.nytimes.com/2023/04/2…

This sculpture outside the Edinburgh Council building is called “Everyman,” but is anyone else getting Jerry’s dad vibes?

So cool to see my latest zine (somehow mine is not “Rebel Dykes”) at the Edinburgh Zine Fest communal table. Open through Sunday evening at the Fruitmarket.

Three years! I miss my misspent youth!

A really interesting insight from Hanif Kureishi’s Kureishi Chronicles newsletter hanifkureishi.substack.com/p/a-crick…

Sorry, boss, we can’t just use the Scottish ads in other markets …

Sorry, boss, we can’t just re-use the Scottish ad in any other markets …

The latest episode of Working Overtime has some really good ideas for how you can reprime the creative pump. If they worked for Claes Oldenburg in the 1960s, they should work for us now, right? slate.com/podcasts/…

I’ll take two artisanal haggis, please!

Judging by today’s “In Memoriam” section on Hyperallergic, a career as an artist appears to correlate strongly with a long life.

That feeling when you know that the way to tackle a big, overwhelming task is to break it down into small parts, but you’re not quite sure what the parts should be!

I sent some zines to friends in the US last week. Pretty sure all are stalled by the cyberattack that has meant no international mail has left Britain in the last week or so. www.bbc.com/news/busi…

In the however many days it has been since the various Twitter clients stopped working, I must’ve reflexively checked Echofon hundreds of times. It’ll take some serious retraining to reprogram that reflex.

I’ve been away from New York for four months, and I’ve already forgotten EVERYTHING. I’m trying to make a list for a friend who’s heading there next week, and it took me 5 minutes to come up with “Bryant Park.” (I still remember the names and locations of all the stationery stores, though.)

I admit to being charmed by the sight of burly blokes eating while wearing paper crowns.

Having lunch in an Edinburgh restaurant in the company holiday lunch period means eating to the crackle of Christmas crackers!

Wanted to share some of my Gelli print journals, @onewildcrow

We moved at the end of August, but our stuff is still in transit. We just got a general sense of when it will arrive, and while I’ll be glad to be reunited with some possessions, it has been nice to be a minimalist, at least for a little while. I’m guessing we’ll be donating a bunch of the new arrivals. I don’t feel owned by my stuff the way I have at some points in the not too distant past, and I love it.

I’ve been a bit under the weather for the last few days–one of those I’m not so sick I can only lie in bed and bemoan my fate but I’m really not myself situations. Subject to weird mood swings and I’m better, no wait, I’m really not uncertainties. Needless to say, though, I’m very glad I’m in this weird liminal place than what the Brits call “proper sick.”

Maintaining a Duolingo streak has been much easier since the pandemic, and more recently our move. On the other hand, we haven’t been able to visit Japan since 2018 (finally got a refund for a May 2020 trip deep into 2021), so while it’s easier for me to study, I haven’t had a chance to use what I’ve been learning.

(NO Diamine Invent 2022 spoilers in this post, be assured.) I bought the Diamine Inkvent calendar for the first time this year, and I decided NOT to wait until December to open it up. Like a lot of people, I’ll be traveling for a few days that month, I know I’ll have a ton of work on my plate, and there are no kids in the house. Instead, I’ve been allowing myself to open a bottle a night–in order, I’m not a complete monster!–as a kind of reward when a) I get “enough” work done on my book, and b) I generally have time to enjoy the opening process. I honestly don’t know if it’s much of a motivator–it’s an impending deadline that keeps me sat at my desk for hours, not the prospect of ripping the plastic seal off a little bottle of ink–but it sure is fun. So, my question to the world (or maybe to Diamine): Why wait for December and “advent”? If Diamine, or anyone else except Noodler’s, put out 31 mini bottles of ink in some kind of mystery packaging, I’d gladly buy it and use it as a reward to myself for good behavior at any point in the year. No need to come up with new formulations–that does seem like a LOT of work–just surprise me! 🖋