Over the past few months, I’ve been completing one book per week as part of a reading challenge that’s proven to be rigorous but fun. I have rediscovered some of the joy of reading that I remember from my childhood, when books were the basis of my hometown, to which I always try to return. When I re-read a book just to spend more time with its characters.
I had this experience with “Detransition, Baby” by Torrey Peters, which won a PEN/Hemingway Award in February. I first read the book last winter, but recently I found myself wondering about one of its characters, Reese, a transgender woman trying to decide if she wants to start a new one. family with ex lover and new girlfriend of ex lover or not. I tend to text Reese, like she’s a friend I haven’t seen in a long time.
I never tire of hearing about artists’ inspiration or getting recommendations from creators whose work I love. So I asked Peters about the culture she’s been enjoying lately. I reached out to her by phone from her home in Brooklyn, where she had just returned from a winter in Colombia before setting off to book tours in the US and Europe this spring.
Scandinavian literature
“I am obsessed with this book ‘Independents,’ by Halldor Laxness,” Peters told me. The 1930s novel explores the life of an Icelandic shepherd farmer. “You start reading about the shepherd farmer and you think it’s the most boring book in the world,” says Peters. But it grew on her. She’s particularly drawn to Laxness’ warmth for his characters and the affectionate way he teases them.
Appreciating the book’s “warmth, humor, and ludicrousness” “requires a kind of focus that I think is out of fashion,” says Peters.
She finds Looseness and the demands he places on readers as inspiration for her own work. “I spend a lot of time thinking, ‘How can I do the Halldor Laxness thing, but how can I do it for people who are on Twitter all day? Who grew up watching Tarantino? ‘”
Wake up early
Peters wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and reads by candlelight; on a fine day, she can read for two hours. Then she’ll take on computer scientist and writer Cal Newport’s podcast, “Deep Questions.” “It’s like a job coach just gently encouraging you in the background,” she says.
When it’s warm, she goes to the river to watch the sun. Because of the location of her Brooklyn neighborhood, Peters said, she couldn’t directly see it increase. “But you can watch the sunrise in the reflections of the buildings and it’s almost more beautiful than the sunrise,” she said. “It’s like watching the sun rise in a broken mirror.”
Looking for cakes
Peters is a croissant connoisseur and has strong views on fillings. “I am very anti-pistachio in croissants,” she said. “But if you’re just completely reinventing the croissant and putting Halloumi in it, I’d go with that.”
What’s next?
In an email after we spoke, Peters wrote that she was looking forward to reading “Bad Girls,” the English translation of his novel. Argentinian writer Camila Sosa Villada, will be published in May. The book is about a group of transgender sex workers who find and adopt an abandoned baby, “in a way, this seems like the opposite of ‘Detransition, Baby’,” she wrote.
What have you been reading or watching, cooking or listening to lately that interests you? Drop me a line and let me know.
For more
WEEKEND FOR…
Podcasts: Those six help with navigation the weirdness of everyday life.
Road trips: High gas prices rarely stop vacationers.
🎥 Documentary: In our streaming picks, a Japanese World War II veteran single-mindedly pursue news about the fate of teammates.
WEEK IN CULTURE
Oscars fail
What you get for $630,000: An 1893 house outside New Orleans, a log cabin in Tujunga, California, or an Edwardian house in Cincinnati.
The hunt: Southern California rents come as a shock to these Midwestern transplants. Which house did they choose? Play our game.
The world through the lens: Skip the lawn mowing; help the bees.
FOOD
“Tiny wins”: More people looking for food after the challenges of the past few years.
Friday off: Some employers are attracting talent by offering shorter work week.
Addiction help: A psychedelic drug Emerging as an effective treatment for drug and alcohol abuse.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Duke vs. North Carolina, NCAA Men’s Four Finals: Somehow, college basketball’s biggest competitors never met in today’s NCAA tournament. Duke and North Carolina – located about 10 miles apart – bring centuries’ worth of grudges to this match, and are threatened with a spot in the national title game. If that wasn’t enticing enough, this is also the final season of Duke’s Hall of Fame head coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Last month, North Carolina spoiled its last home game. Will The Tar Heels also end his career? 8:50 p.m. Eastern tonight on TBS.
For more:
NOW TO PLAY
