what a beautiful January of reading....first, so happy about Matt's book: I LOVED IT and read it in a single sitting, on a cold Afternoon--funny, and intelligent without pretense and powerfully poignant at the end...im thrilled you enjoyed as well...and im excited about Long Form, I'll pick up a copy next week when in London...btw, Victor Heringer was a poet--his first publication was a collection of poetry and his first novel is supposed to be fabulous. his work was introduced to me by a few friends in Rio who are writers....a pitty about Olsen, it's on my writing desk tbr pile...but i'll still read it for sure.. and as i've said before, you should include at least a 1-star or 2-star review always, i love them hahahahah.see you soon, bb

I’ve been dying to read The Long Form and now you’ve bumped it right up the list! I didn’t finish Austral even though I was more than halfway through and my Spanish copy was very expensive. I fully agree with your take and your comments on the resolution reassured me of my decision haha

Glad you liked The Love of Singular Men Marc, Shawn and I are planning on reading that this year. Periene Press books don’t always work for me but they are usually interesting in some way. I must admit I usually stay well away from books where motherhood is central but you did sound convincing where The Long Form was concerned, I’d almost like to reread Tom Jones and then read it.

The Long Form was one of my favorite reads from 2023. Such a marvelous mix of essay and fiction. I also happened to enjoy Austral, but can clearly see your point - narrative was strong but the ideas a bit hermetic (or just not solid enough)

Tom Jones is great

I’ve wanted to read The Long Form so it was nice to hear you talk about it as well as your personal connection to the book in regard to your twins!

I wonder if I should expect to see The Long Form showered with award nominations. Maybe its readership will be too elitist, too intellectual? Curious to see. It's absolutely outstanding in my experience.

Pausing video to see if The Long Form is available in the US….and now I’m a bit thankful the rest of these don’t seem like must buys.

Reading Long Form now.. about ⅓ of the way in. Thank you so much for recommending this one. I appreciate your efforts on your channel. I have gained so much from viewing it. 😊

Random question. I take it that you’re English? Do you have any literary prose/fiction magazines that can be subscribed from in England. Would love to know your thoughts and recommendations. It seems that most are from the US so you end up paying a fortune worth of shipping. Which is the case with the Paris Review.