New York Magazine - USA (2019-09-16)

76 new york | september 16–29, 2019

HowtoDoNothing

BYJENNYODELL

NONFICTION,APRIL 9

➽thisis a blend of

self-help, philosophy,

manifesto, and nonfic-

tionmagic realism—all

genresthat I either tend

todislike or that don’t

existbutthat here con-

gealintoan exhilarating

page-turner about the

internet,work, leisure,

space,time, social me-

dia,and(unfathomable

thoughitmayseem)more.

Readitforthesuspenseoffiguring out how

themagicianperformshertricks. Or read it to

takeadipinhergloriousgeneralist’s brain, which

flowsfromJohnMuirto

Epicurustocommunal-

livingexperimentsofthe

1960s.Andthenkeep

readingitforthebook’s

medicinaleffects:Your

desiccatedattention

spanwillberehydrated,

youranxietysoothed,

andyoursensesoftime,

space,leisure,flow-

ers,and(unfathomable

thoughitmayseem)

morewillbereframed.

Theideasaresubstan-

tive,andthetoneiscalm,kind,andpenetrating,

likeadoctorwithanexcellentbedsidemanner

tellingyouthatyou’regoingtodieifyoudon’t

changeyourlifestyleyesterday.

Doxology

BYNELLZINK

FICTION,AUGUST 27

➽nellzinkpublished

herfirstnovelwhenshe

was 50 yearsold.For 15

years,theonlyperson

whohadreadherfiction

wasanIsraelipenpal

withtheterrificname

AvnerShats.WhenThe

NewYorkerprofiledher

in2015,itwasnotedthat

Zinklivedinanapart-

mentwithnorefrigerator

becausesheregardedrefrigerationas“unneces-

sary.”ThesefactoidsarerepresentativeofZink

as a person and a writer:Sheisalmostheroically

intriguing. If you feel trappedinyourlifeand

yearn to see how someoneelsediditdifferently

with few resources, headovertoGoogleandtype

“Nell Zink interview.”

welcometo“ReadLiketheWind,”NewYorkMagazineand

Vulture’snewspacefordiscoveringbooks.Istartedthisasa

newsletterayearagotoamplifyreadingecstasiesintheway

thatreadingecstasiesactuallyhappen—notbyscanningbest-seller

listsoronlinecompendiumsof“mustread”books,butrandomlyand

onthebackofoffhanddiscoveries.Foryears,I’dbeenreviewingbooks

professionally(meaning“formoney”),butIrarelyfoundmyown

favoritesthroughreviews.Ifoundthemthroughindividualswhose

tasteintriguedme:SomeIknew,someItrailedonline.Anewsletter

seemedlikeavenueforredistributingmyenthusiasm.

NowIamthebookcriticforNewYork,andmynewsletteriscoming

underitsumbrella.ThebooksIendorseinitarebothnewandold

becauseIdon’tknowanyonewhoselectsreadingmaterialonthebasis

of releasedates.Someoftherecommendationsare

notforbooksbutforarticlesorpodcastsorother

deploymentsoflanguage.LookfortheacronymRIYL,

whichstandsfor“RecommendedIfYouLike.”

Iamthrilledtobeyourbookmonger.Picturea

whalecoursingthroughtheoceanstrainingwater

through her baleen plates, maniacally sieving tons of material for

the iotas that provide nourishment. I am the whale, and these rec-

ommendations are our plankton.

WTRN*

S I G N U P

F O R T H E

N E W S L E T T E R

AT V U LT U R E

.CO M/B O O K S.

Brain-electrifyingly good BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS,

by New York literary critic M O L LY YO U N G

*“What to Read Next”

RECOMMENDED

IF YOU LIKE:

RJaron Lanier

RWhole Earth

Catalog

RRachel Kushner

RSiestas

RPublic parks

RTaking a mild

hallucinogen

and going to

an aquarium

➽

The CULTURE PAGES