Emma Batchelor: What I’ve been reading, writing and listening to this month (travel edition)

Posted on 7 March, 2023

Here we are in 2023! I am wishing you a happy new year full of fulfilling connections with new voices, characters, and stories.

This month, I am offering something a little different in terms of reading recommendations. My first novel Now that I See You has recently been released in the US and I am currently overseas visiting bookshops and buying a whole lot of books which I am excited to share. I hope at least one of these suggestions calls out to you.

Books are Magic

There are not one but two Books Are Magic stores in Brooklyn, both of which I was excited to visit. The two stores are owned by Emma Straub and Michael Fusco-Straub, who also live in Brooklyn. Emma is an author and signed copies of her bestselling books including This Time Tomorrow and All Adults Here are available in store and online.

As well as a broad selection of books, the store offers a range of ultra cool merch because who doesn’t want to go around town wearing something that says: Books are Magic? I also picked up a cute literary themed bracelet made by Emma to raise money for abortion education and access.

Here are a few of the books I bought:

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisy

I picked this up after listening to an episode of Sentimental Garbage on breakups where Monica talked about getting divorced in her 20’s. This novel draws on that experience, offering a story that is sharp, funny and relatable.

Published January 2023 | William Morrow

All this Could be Different by Sarah Thankham Matthews

This book was a finalist for the 2022 National Book Award and is a story of a young immigrant woman building a life for herself in America. It’s been described as a profound saga of queer love, friendship and work, all things I am interested in writing and reading about.

Published August 2022 | Viking

Greenlight Books

On my last night in New York I headed to Greenlight Books in Brooklyn for the book launch of a local author Maggie Millner. The shop was absolutely packed which was electrifying. Thankfully I managed to squeeze through the crowds to pick up a few books.

Couplets by Maggie Millner

Maggie’s first book is a queer love story told entirely in rhyming couplets. I just finished reading and it hit me hard.

Published February 2023 | FSG

Poetics of Work by Noemi Lefebvre translated by Sophie Lewis

Drawn in by its arresting cover, I picked this up from the Staff Recommendations shelf. It’s a French experimental novel that deals comically and irreverently with the rise of nationalism and the hegemony of capitalism.

Published March 2021 | Transit Books

McNally Jackson

I stumbled across the new McNally Jackson flagship store on my way to the New York Public Library. The shiny new store at Rockefeller Plaza brings independent book business back to midtown. The shop was bright and airy and I picked a new release and a staff recommendation.

The Houseguest & Other Stories by Amparo Dauila translated by Audrey Harris and Matthew Gleeson

I love looking through the recommendations made by staff and this book was another find from that section. Likened to the films of Alfred Hitchcock, this collection of short stories from Mexican writer Amparo Dauila are terrifying, mesmerising, and expertly crafted.

Translation published November 2018 | New Directions

They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey

Meg Howrey was a professional ballet dancer and actor before becoming an acclaimed novelist. Unpicking the threads of art, love, life and death, They’re Going to Love You asks what it takes to be an artist in America.

Published November 2022 | Double Day

The Drama Bookshop

This bookshop lies in the theatre district and has been an important part of theatre culture in New York. As well as housing hundreds of plays and a selection of books, The Drama Bookshop has a café where countless creative works have been conceived. I was excited to see a book by a Canberra author on the shelves: This is not a Book about Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carven.

Here are a couple of the plays I got:

The Collaboration by Anthony McCarten

I was lucky enough to see this play on Broadway when I was in New York. Starring Jeremy Pope as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol, the play, set in 1984 New York, follows these two renowned contemporary artists as they begin a collaboration.

World debut February 2022 at the Young Vic, London

Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties; In Essence, A Queer And Occasionally Hazardous Exploration; Do You Remember When You Were In Middle School And You Read About Shakleton And How He Explored The Antarctic?; Imagine The Antarctic As A Pussy And It’s Sort Of Like That by Jen Silverman

The title says it all really. In a previous literary dispatch I recommended We Play Ourselves, Jen Silverman’s debut novel which I loved. I bought a collection of her plays but the title of this one is my favourite.

Published 2018

Yu and Me Books

Ahead of their show Airplay which was recently performed at The Canberra Theatre Centre, I spoke to circus performers Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone who happened to live in New York. They gave me a handful of recommendations, one of which was Sweet Pickle Bookstore, an extra cute bookstore selling both pickles and second hand books. Another of their recommendations was Yu and Me Books, a store (and café) stocking books by women and immigrant writers.

I Want to Die but I Want Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee translated by Anton Hur

This book was a bestseller in South Korea and was translated into English last year. It’s been classified as a ‘therapy memoir’, a subgenre I hadn’t been aware existed before now. Recording her dialogues with her psychiatrist over a 12-week period, author Baek Sehee untangles her depression and cycles of self-abuse.

Published June 2022 | Bloomsbury

Bureau of General Services – Queer Division

Within the LGBT+ Community Centre in Greenwich Village on the lower west side is the Bureau of General Services – Queer Division, a bookshop specialising in queer texts including fiction, non-fiction, poetry and zines. As well as a number of books I also picked up a fun neon pink jumper by HOMOCATS. The community centre also features an important collection of art made and contributed by visitors over the years including a bathroom painted by Keith Haring.

Personal Attention Roleplay by Helen Chau Bradley

The stories in this collection are propelled by queer loneliness, mixed-race confusion, late capitalist despondency, and the pitfalls of intimacy. Set mostly in Canada, this debut gives voice to young Asian misfits struggling with the desire to see themselves reflected in the world around them.

Published 2021 Metonymy Press

Bonus listening recommendations

Keeping up with my regular podcasts has definitely helped me feel less homesick while I’ve been away. These are a few that have been keeping me excellent company.

• The Rewatchables – In-depth discussions on re-watchable movies
• You Must Remember This – Untold stories of the secret or forgotten past of Hollywood
• If Books Could Kill – The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds

If you are heading to New York, I can heartily recommend visiting each of these shops. If not, visit one of our many wonderful Canberra bookshops and they will be able to special order titles if they aren’t already in stock.