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On the heels of our conversation about being “bad book girls,” I somehow found myself reading parts of George Orwell’s 1942 essay on Rudyard Kipling. Parts being the operative word because the essay is highly Orwellian, by which I mean to say: while there can be no doubt about his agile, flinty intelligence and discernment, I always feel condescended to, even berated, in the company of his written word. And so I tend to avoid him, or read him in small sips when absolutely forced, and then of course let’s not even talk about Kipling. But there was something that leapt out at me that I had to share: Orwell’s concept of “the good-bad poem,” which he describes as “a graceful monument to the obvious. It records in memorable form — for verse is a mnemonic device, among other things — some emotion which very nearly every human being can share.” He goes on to describe a Kipling stanza as “a vulgar thought vigorously expressed” (!) and makes the case that the vitality of Kipling’s expression does the hard work of imprinting itself on the reader for a long time to come.

I think there is something here to examine. Why do I enjoy “good-bad” holiday movies, and “good-bad” romances? Part of it, riffing on Orwell, might be that there is some kernel of true sentiment in those texts that feels pleasurable to imagine, or that helps me hang my emotions, or desires, in a convenient way. It is the same love story, repackaged for the thousandth time — another “monument to the obvious”; another “vulgar thought, vigorously expressed.” Put a bit more gently: an opportune contrivance for those of us seeking comfort.

I simultaneously rail against the superciliousness of his tone. A monument to the obvious especially. There is a beautiful part in Sally Rooney’s Normal People where Connell is trying to convince Marianne to stay with him. Their fraught, star-crossed relationship is continuously waylayed by miscommunication, and, as a reader, you are keenly, sickeningly aware that you are about to witness another misfire. Connell says something like, “I think it’s obvious I don’t want you to go,” and she replies: “I don’t find anything about you obvious.” Humans can be so difficult to read — we have defenses, and conventions of politeness, and trouble speaking our minds, and wild inner lives, and all of these elements are in constant, rippling flux. Meanwhile, we often choose to hear things that aren’t there, or miss things entirely. To be human is to misread, under-read, over-read. I’m a perennial over-reader. Mr. Magpie often has occasion to say, “you’re overthinking it.” I know some of this comes from a past relationship in which I was often put on trial for saying things I meant simply that were in turn interpreted as deep-rooted, assaultive. (I now worry about the ten ways “I’ll get back to you” might be misinterpreted. Etc!) And also, I’m an over-reader by training: if my M.A. in literature taught me anything, it is that there are at least a dozen authorized, historied “lenses” for reading any one text, and probably hundreds of unsanctioned ones besides. But my point is: who is Orwell to adjudicate and belittle “the obvious”? I am confident that there are many women out there who will read The Idea of You or any of the other wildly popular, best-selling romance books for the first time and find themselves in the midst of a new awakening.

Some of these thoughts feed into my most recent viewing of “Whiplash” starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, which is one of my absolute favorite films. In it, a talented young percussionist matriculates to an elite music academy, where he is discovered and then pushed to the brink (of his ability, and his sanity) by a demanding instructor. Perfect length, tight editing, excellent acting, and such complexity of narrative. This is a movie that shows and does not tell. It is also, we decided on this most recent revisiting, a sports movie at heart, even though it is about music–and this contributes to its compulsive watchability. (The underdog, the coach, the big final match — fascinating to think about borrowing known tropes from one genre and applying it to another.) But mainly, this movie puts pressure on the notion of greatness. What does it mean to be great, and at what costs, and to what end? Like, jazz is an important cultural art form, and there are standards we expect of professional musicians, and yet — at some point, it is music, which is not life, and certainly not worth losing a life over, and probably not worth losing any aspect of one’s well-being over.

To string these thoughts together, I’ve been wondering how serious we need to be about art, and how straight-laced we need to be about what makes art good, let alone great. Is it enough to say it moved something in you? Is it enough to say it made you laugh, or cry, or just feel good for a minute? And at what point does something become “not art”? I am thinking of massively popular serialized type books. Are those art? Why or why not?

Why does this matter anyway? I suppose all of these recent musings on being a bad book girl are my small, accretive way of giving myself permission to read what I want to read and not feel embarrassed by it. The worst thing I can imagine is reading something solely because I feel it’s what I should be reading. I don’t want to get to the end of my life and think, “I force-read my entire life.” I had this conversation with a girlfriend last week: she was telling me about an obscure book that she finds herself drawn to re-read every few years purely because it reminds her of visiting her grandmother’s house. It is not a literary masterpiece, but it connects her to some fragile part of her adolescence, and the presence of her grandmother, and you know — that is enough. A book can be a monument, too. It can be a time capsule, a way to access an earlier version of yourself. There are, after all, thousands of reasons and ways to read…!

(Feeling spicy, Orwell!)

Post-Scripts.

+On pursuing English as a major all those years ago.

+The sense of an ending.

+We are ourselves in a constant state of rewriting.

+Fishing, writing, and the Roaring Fork.

Shopping Break.

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+Doen is running a great sale this week — my Thanksgiving dress is included and would be chic for the holiday season ahead paired with black velvet heels. The Rosenda dress is also sure to be a wardrobe staple. I find their dresses easy to wear yearround — you could pair this with a chunky knit and suede boots now and sandals in the spring. Same goes for the Romina (under $200!)

+I waited and waited and finally Crown Affair dropped a sale into my lap! You need to add three full-priced items to “a bundle,” and then they appear 30% off in cart. I ordered three dry shampoos to gift three loved ones in my life (and was able to select a travel mini for free at checkout). Hurray! If you are just shopping for yourself, the three items I’d urge you to try using their bundle discount: the dry shampoo, the leave-in conditioner, and the quick dry hair towel.

+Some great new arrivals at J. Crew Factory — I have several pieces I absolutely love from this brand! — including this sweater polo and these studded booties. They also have a great pair of feather trim pants that remind me of the ones from Tuckernuck and/or Sleeper (I own the Sleeper set! — divinely comfortable and so cute paired with velvet heels for a holiday cocktail party. I wore mine to a martini night we hosted last year!)

+The feather pants would be such a good match with these pearl trim mules.

+We have early access to Goop’s sale with code CYBERVIP! I love their Microderm Exfoliator and Scalp Scrub – both great gifts, too. (I wrote detailed reviews of my favorite Goop products here.). And I’ve been a longtime STAN (did I use that correctly…) for their house label knits. Some of my favorite sweaters are G. Label! Consider this gorgeous crewneck!

+Linnea is running a BFCM promo: Spend $100 get $15 off (use code HOL15) Spend $150 get $25 off (use code HOL25) Spend $200 get $45 off (use code HOL45). I just ordered a few of their winter offerings, including their staff favorite Tinsel scent. I know many of you (including those of you with sophisticated noses in “the scent enclave”) love this brand, as do I, for its sophisticated scents and relatively reasonable price tag. I often give these as gifts because they come beautifully packaged with little matches tucked inside. I just put in a cellophane wine bag and tie with a big satin ribbon!

+While we’re talking candles, a reminder that we have 20% off this week at Hotel Lobby with exclusive code JEN20. I love both of these candle brands so much — use them almost exclusively in my home, with the occasional introduction of the spendy and exquisite scents from Cire Trudon (actually 25% off at the moment!).

+I’ve written a lot about the denim brand Pistola. It’s my favorite “less expensive” (but not cheap) denim/pants brand on the market. The styles are SO good and I almost always find my true size is a perfect fit. I especially love these cords, these utility pants, and these jeans.

+Great investment: these Emme Parsons suede wedge heels, currently on sale, especially in black or brown. A perfect transitional shoe you could wear from summer to fall or winter to spring.

+A great gift for a Scrabble lover, or as a “family gift!” Love to give puzzles and games like this — also love the classic games from this brand.

+I have needed to double, and triple, my moisturizer routine. My skin has been so dry. Currently loving L’Occitane for hands, YSE for lips, and InnBeauty for face followed up by this Dennis Gross Blur and Repair Cream, which feels like heaven going on. I also have this rich alpine cream en route to me after I saw someone rave about it online (and I really like my other Ursa Major products!). I really need all the help I can get!