#elif batuman

[genterie]

@linaluvsbooks on instagram

#linaluvsbooks #books #the secret history #donna tartt #mona awad #all's well #isaac bashevis singer #the pentent #mieko kawakami #breasts and eggs #elif batuman #the idiot #just kids #patti smith #if we were villains #m. l. rio

[quotespile]

It can be really exasperating to look back at your past. What’s the matter with you? I want to ask her, my younger self, shaking her shoulder. If I did that, she would probably cry. Maybe I would cry, too.

Elif Batuman, The Idiot

#literature #quotes #Elif Batuman #The Idiot #quote #books #lit

[valentinemachines]

the idiot / elif batuman

#t #m. quotes #elif batuman #she is so my best friend ….

[elektramouthed]

 The professor was talking about the differences between creative and academic writing. I kept nodding. I was thinking about the structural equivalences between a tissue box and a book: both consisted of slips of white paper in a cardboard case; yet—and this was ironic—there was very little functional equivalence, especially if the book wasn’t yours. These were the kinds of things I thought about all the time, even though they were neither pleasant nor useful. I had no idea what you were supposed to be thinking about.

Elif Batuman, from The Idiot

#elif batuman #the idiot #fiction #prose #novels #2022 reads

[sunriserollercoaster]

the idiot, elif batuman

#the idiot elif batuman #elif batuman #102022

[whosafraidofvirginiawoolf]

I kept thinking about the uneven quality of time—the way it was almost always so empty, and then with no warning came a few days that felt so dense and alive and real that it seemed indisputable that that was what life was, that its real nature had finally been revealed. But then time passed and unthinkably grew dead again, and it turned out that that fullness had been an aberration and might never come back.

— The Idiot by Elif Batuman

#the idiot #elif batuman #literature #quote #quotes

[tennantloki]

dreaming of attending an old money new england liberal arts college, fantasizing/raving about elif batuman’s brutally accurate depiction of collegiate girlhood, looking up how to make the perfect rory gilmore-coded iced latte while listening to ultraviolence on repeat 📖

west coast & the other woman are my favs <3

#girlblogging #it girl #girblogger #tumblr girls #this is what makes us girls #2014 tumblr #coquette #dollette #just girly things #lana del rey #ultraviolence #the other woman #west coast #the idiot #elif batuman #lizzy grant #elizabeth woolridge grant #old money #new england #northeast #book quotations #annotations #books and reading #bookblr #coffee #rory gilmore #gilmore girls #chilton rory #latte #iced latte

[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.

#mine #writers and lovers #lily king #last night at the telegraph club #malinda lo #crush #richard siken #homegoing #yaa gyasi #the idiot #elif batuman #piranesi #susanna clarke #open water #caleb azumah nelson #the great believers #rebecca makkai #the starless sea #erin morgenstern #babel #r.f. kuang

[litsnaps]

#literature #quotes #Elif Batuman #The Idiot #quote #lit #books #words

[hazelbutterflies]

either/or elif batuman

#either/or #elif batuman #fiona apple

[visionsofopulence]

Excerpt from The Idiot by Elif Batuman

#the idiot #elif batuman #lit #literature #waifspo #Turkish #author #books #moodboard #writing #waif #lizzy grant #dark academia #light academia #harvard #lana del rey

[quotespile]

As for unhappy families, star-crossed lovers, and exiled heroes, they are simply universal.

Elif Batuman, The Possessed

#literature #quotes #Elif Batuman #The Possessed #quote #books #lit

[opheliaofthemarsh]

The Idiot, Elif Batuman

#the idiot #elif batuman

[elektramouthed]

 I could see it all so clearly—the traffic light changing all night for nobody’s benefit, the first cars passing by as the sky grew light—and I was overcome by the sense of how much more there was in his life than in mine, by the things to do and distances to travel, while I never had done anything or gone anywhere, and never would. All I had ever done was visit my parents all the time—first one parent and then the other, with no sign of it ever stopping. Worse yet, I knew I had no one to blame but myself. If my mother told me not to do something, I didn’t do it. Everyone’s mother told them not to do things, but I was the only one who listened. The eternal pauper in the great marketplace of ideas and of the world, I had nothing to teach anyone. I didn’t have anything anyone wanted.

Elif Batuman, from The Idiot

#elif batuman #the idiot #fiction #prose #novels #2022 reads

[sunriserollercoaster]

the idiot, elif batuman

#the idiot elif batuman #elif batuman #102022

[ivandurak]

Dracula had a totally different experience at the zoo from that of other people.

Elif Batuman. The Idiot.

#elif batuman #the idiot