on the shelf, episode two
postcard 9: leah (lbh.reads)'s favorite books
She could remember it all but none of it seemed to come to anything. She had a sense the dream had ended and she had slept on.
prelude
I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.
—Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brönte
Every month, I’ll be featuring someone’s favorite books so you get to hear from someone who isn’t me. For March, I asked one of my best friends, Leah, to tell me hers! Leah has excellent taste in books and her reviews are always so eloquent and beautiful, so you should definitely go and give her a follow.
(Check out her Tiktok and her Goodreads!)
1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A murder mystery in reverse featuring a group of friends at an elite college in New England.
While many people (including me) believe ‘The Goldfinch’ to be Tartt’s magnum opus, ‘The Secret History’ is still a masterpiece, made even more impressive due to the fact it’s a debut novel. It’s a masterclass in pacing, and even though the book is over 600 pages, I can’t think of a single sentence that doesn’t need to be there.
2. Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
Two university students become tangled up with an older married couple.
This novel is one of the first I read as an adult where I felt like the author had plucked the thoughts straight out of my head and written them on the page. If I had to pick a fictional character that I relate the most to, I’d have to say Frances from this book (although this is potentially a big red flag). It’s also just such a well-written novel, with nuanced explorations of relationship dynamics.
3. The Girls by Emma Cline
Based on the infamous Manson family cult and murders, this book tells the story of Californian teenager Evie Boyd in the summer of 1969 as she becomes entangled with a cult at a nearby ranch.
Although it's clearly not your average light-hearted beach read, Cline perfectly paints a portrait of the infamous summer of 1969 California, conveying the oppressive heat so viscerally that you can almost feel the sun beating down on your back as you read. It also perfectly captures the complex coming of age of a teenage girl and the toxicity of female friendships.
4. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
The first in a quartet, this novel follows the childhood and adolescence of two best friends attempting to escape their neighbourhood of poverty and violence in 1950s’ Naples.
Elena Ferrante’s depiction of girlhood, growing up, female friendships and mother-daughter relationships are so astute that it feels almost violent. Although this novel does primarily focus on the friendship between Lenú and Lila, the way Ferrante subtly sets up the other relationship dynamics, and themes of poverty, violence, political upheaval, and the growth of capitalism that are explored throughout the rest of the series is nothing short of genius.
5. On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Switching between the United States and England, this novel tells the story of the long-feuding Belsey family and Kipps family, and its rippling effects on each of the family members.
This was the first book I read in 2024 and when I tell you I couldn’t put it down.....I couldn’t put it down. Zadie Smith has such a talent for writing complex family dynamics and interpersonal relationships, along with touching on some rather ambitious themes of the intersections of race, identity, class (particularly in terms of academia), and the relationship between the personal and the political. It’s a comment on our relentless pursuit of beauty in the modern world, and it’s crafted so wonderfully.
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Set in the Victorian era, this novel tells the story of a plain orphan girl Jane Eyre through her childhood and time as a governess for a rich but mysterious man.
Jane Eyre is probably my favourite classic. When I first read it when I was around 14 in school, I remember pretending to hate it like the rest of my English class, when secretly I couldn’t wait to read more. This book is lauded for its epic tale of romance and gothic aesthetic, but it’s also compelling coming of age story of a formidable young girl who refuses to sacrifice her morals in her search for freedom.
7. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
University student Toru navigates love, loss and self-discovery through his relationships with two very different women.
The reason this book stuck with me so much was because of its exploration of desperation and loneliness of youth, along with the existential crisis of being young and not understanding what life is all about, or what you’re supposed to be doing with it. Murakami is great until he starts writing about women, but sometimes you just have to laugh and move on.
8. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
A young newly-wed becomes obsessed with her new husband’s late wife.
Although the novel is arguably a more subtle mystery/thriller, that doesn’t make it any less enthralling. Every twist is expertly crafted and unexpected, and as a reader you happily let Du Maurier lure you into complicity. One of the most impressive aspects of ‘Rebecca’ lies in Du Maurier’s ability to craft such distinct characters, inextricably blurring the line between who is the villain and hero of the story; who we should root for and who we should not.
9. Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
A tragic and poetic tale of a young girl’s coming of age, surviving the brutality of her childhood through her father's stories.
The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful, and I was in awe of how McDaniel could craft such pretty, poetic sentences to juxtapose the darkness of the novel. Betty as a character is one of the strongest and most resilient I’ve ever read about, and McDaniel writes her coming of age so well, accurately capturing the change in mindset you experience as you grow older and gain maturity. It’s very dark and a brutal read, but if you can handle it, I couldn’t recommend it more.
10. Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion
Through hazy vignettes, this novel tells the story of a woman’s downward spiral in 1960s Los Angeles.
It’s a searing portrait of American life and the female experience in the 1960s, an era characterised by its severe limitations placed on women’s autonomy. The book is, in Didion’s own words, exploring a character who is ‘coming to terms with the meaninglessness of experience’. While Didion shines in her non-fiction, this novel is just as compelling as Didion’s usual essay subjects, with delicately crafted characters and unflinching yet also incredibly witty dialogue.
interlude i: what i read this week
I actually bought…30 books this month. I haven’t really bought books since last April-ish (other than one or two I wanted to read) and it’s my birthday in a few weeks, so I’m absolutely rationalizing it. I’ll do a post with all the books and all the synopses when the packages come in. I’m so excited to read all of them! This week, I read an advanced copy of Mother Doll by Katya Apekina and Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino. I know I’m so late to the game with Trick Mirror—I’ve had it for three years, but the bookstore accidentally sent me the book cover I didn’t like so it got pushed further down my to-read list. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t a life-changing series of essays. I enjoy Jia Tolentino’s articles and cultural criticism, but it wasn’t a flawless collection. I’ll update both on my Goodreads this week!
Here are some articles you should read this week:
interlude ii: what i watched this week
Like every other person, I watched Dune Part Two. As someone who wasn’t a huge fan of part 1, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this one. The cinematography, the worldbuilding, and the acting was all incredible. I feel like it’s one of those movies that has to be watched on a big screen, so I’m so happy that I did.
I also watched The Rat Catcher, which is one of Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptations. It wasn’t my favorite, but I still do love all of his movies because it’s just so aesthetically pleasing.
I currently don’t have a television show to watch, which is highly unusual for me. I might start The Bear or season 3 of Abbott Elementary.
I watched this video on the La La Land ending, this video on Booktok and brainrot, and the lost cities of the Byzantine Empire.
postlude
You have great taste
Leah has great taste!!