* On best vs. favorite. I have read a lot of books I have been impressed by and a lot that I've found profoundly affecting which I wouldn't call FAVORITES even if from a technical standpoint they are better constructed, more clever, more moving, etc. than my favorites. Favorites for me are usually favorites because I happened to read them at the right time and they appeal to my specific taste. And they are rarely challenging, even though I also benefit from reading books I do find challenging. (Do people who think "best" and "favorite" are the same have a terribly high opinion of their own taste, or are they unable to evaluate "best" outside of their preferences, or are they such lovers of literature that they ignore their personal taste in identifying favorites?)
Monday, November 9, 2026
I don't like the best, I like the gooiest
* Speaking of which, I just listened to an audiobook of the first of Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings series, and am grateful that it holds up and remains a favorite, even though I started reading these books 25 years ago while they were still being written. I'm looking forward to revisiting the rest.
book
Feeding Ghosts (Tessa Hulls), a graphic (in the drawing sense, not the bloody or nude sense) memoir about complicated family relationships, communist China, and mental illness, was incredible. And that's despite the fact that I think the author misinterprets a lot of things- maybe that even adds to its depth. I often speed through graphic novels because they have relatively few words, but this one I took my time with, and needed a break between each section.
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