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@lavelle.reads

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a book hoarder reads things and tells you what she thinks ✨
I probably never use semi-colons correctly; I like using them anyway

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september dump

september has felt like the longest month this year, but also the most fun :) posting these for memories more than anything else xoxoxoxo my heart is so full!!

1-4: finally went back to USS! SHREK FOREVER 💚💚
5: new hat :)
6: new nails (that i've already broken lmaooooo)
7-8: couple snapshots of the 4!! weddings i've attended in as many weeks (😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨)
9: shirt designed by me, I love godzilla ♥️♥️
10: keaton henson :)
11: my walls are running out of space and I love it
12: SWF preview
13 Verity movie preview
14: Kitten - review up soon but tldr I really liked it
15: a compliment i've kept in my heart this month 🥰✨

happy october you guys!! by @lavelle.reads

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16 days ago

artificial intimacy by sherry turkle – a really essential read in our current world, imo.

focusing on the social aspects of AI, Turkle shows us just how much we stand to lose by giving up the messiness of human conversation, relationships, and effort, in exchange for the soothing ease that comes with using AI.

I think about all the frictions—real or imagined—in my own life with real people and all that I stand to lose. I often fret about saying the wrong things, or panic when an interaction doesn't go according to plan. I worry about people getting sick of me.

and I understand the appeal of a chatbot—all these fears erased. a chatbot is never too busy for you. a chatbot never argues with you. a chatbot literally can't leave. but it's also all these things that make my relationships more meaningful to me - that I reminisce on my history with my loved ones, and find not only good memories, but difficult spots that we've overcome. that they’ve chosen to be in my life anyway. a chatbot doesn’t “choose”. it is, quite simply, just there.

cont ➡️

people also argue that using AI gives them perfection—the "right" thing to say, unmarred by clumsy phrasing or bad grammar. but I think the work of finding those words is important. and putting in that work makes it easier and easier to do it again each time. when someone says something to me, I want to hear their own voice in it, and vice versa. I don’t ever want a robot to speak for me.

the same goes for work—again, any mistakes made at work can send me into a tailspin. sometimes, the work itself is menial, tedious, and literally gives me migraines. delegating everything to a chat bot feels easier. but I want to feel real ownership over what I do. I want my successes to feel mine. if not, what’s all this for?

➡️

it was easy for me to love this book, because I obviously agree witho what Turkle is saying. I do feel we are increasingly settling for a growingly artificial world, insofar as we get the stimulation we need—validation, entertainment, accomplishment, etc—immediately, and with less and less effort to get there. the value of things feels continually cheapened. and it feels like an insurmountable mountain to c by @lavelle.reads

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41

a month ago

finally found the time to sit down with Minihorror, and I want to talk about how much I enjoyed this weird, little book.

we follow Mini and Miki, two misfits as they navigate daily life in Vienna. in this surrealist book , the “horrors” of everyday life, are stretched into stranger, more alien phenomenon—and felt so validating given how I’ve been feeling recently.

a non-exhaustive list of everyday nightmares:
- worrying if the clinic has missed your number, even though you’ve been sat waiting the whole time
- customer service calls that only create more frustrations
- spring cleaning exposing your worst habits
- dieting
- shopping for presents
- accidentally dropping coins on the floor, and watching well-meaning people scurry around helping to pick them up, when you’d very much rather just let the money go
- attempting to go blonde

reading this felt like getting punched and hugged all at the same time, somehow (COMPLIMENTARY). Mini and Miki’s struggles were so painfully relatable. but the light and darkly humorous tone of this book also allowed me to have a giggle at these very things that have caused me so much anguish in my real life. and made them feel a little less dire—or at the very least, a little more common and normal. I grapple with so much anxiety all the time, and it can get so difficult to feel like I have any agency at all over my own mind…reading Minihorror just felt really, really liberating. and nice. :)

basically I loved this book. out in october! thank you @faberbooks @faber_international ♥️♥️ by @lavelle.reads

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a month ago

There Lives a Young Girl in Me Who Will Not Die.

cried my way through this poetry collection. I debated posting some of my favourites as it felt like baring my SOUL but whatever here we are!! by @lavelle.reads

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2 months ago

I came, I saw this trend, and I wanted to do it too 😚

I loved seeing everyone celebrate their qualities and what's important to them, so here's my non-exhaustive list as well xoxo by @lavelle.reads

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2 months ago

what if you have a sick sister—like, REALLY sick—and are desperate to do anything to save her? and what if Death (in the form of a hot, red-lipped, fashionable woman) appears, and promises to save your sister…but only if you help to seduce her son, and then break his heart? what if you don’t have any experience in that area, or with guys in general? and what if, when you finally meet Death’s son, he turns out to be exactly the type of guy you’d fall for?

I could’ve legitimately read another 100 pages of Death’s a Bitch; I loved it so much. Eloise Rodger’s storytelling is so funny, so enthralling, and perfect. I know it’s kind of a cliché to say at this point, but I GENUINELY CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS A DEBUT. and I’m already looking forward to her next book :)

but this story isn’t just funny - it’s also pretty heartbreaking. Aggie’s sister, Marcie, suffers from an eating disorder, and the book doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of this situation. what is it like to grieve a loved one who, for all intents and purposes, is still here? how can we help, if they don’t necessarily want it? and how do we cope with the intense anger we might feel, while also feeling intensely worried and sad and afraid all at once?

I loved Aggie so much, and saw myself in her as an older sister—her fierce desire to protect Marcie, and their immense love for each other (while also, of course, fighting with each other as sisters do). she also deals with a myriad of her own insecurities, which we watch her grapple with in the course of the relationships she forms throughout the novel. and by the end, you feel hopeful for her in spite of everything she’s faced.

if you want a book that will have you giggling one moment, then tearing up the next, Death’s a Bitch is perfect for you. out January 2027! I can’t wait for everyone to experience this with me ♥️♥️

thank you @faberbooks @faber_international 😚😚 by @lavelle.reads

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2 months ago

birthday!!!

another year round the sun, unbelievably.

if you know me at all, you know I bitch and moan about getting older every year LMAO. but I guess it's just because I’m embracing more of myself as I get older, and consequently growing more playful and silly—which seems incongruous with how "serious" my age is getting. and then I remind myself that everyone in New Girl started Season 1 aged 29-30ish...which means I have plenty more seasons to continue being dumb while I figure shit out. 😌 LMAO

had the most beautiful weekend spent feeling so relaxed, and loved, and grateful. I read books! I soaked in a tub! I ate food that doesn't exist in singapore anymore (shoutout to chilli's triple dipper)!

also so lucky to share my birthday month with 3 of my closest friends, which means our celebrations go 4x as hard ✨ I love you guys forever ♥️♥️♥️♥️

here's to 31!! (I still feel sick typing that lmaoooooooo but WE MOVE) by @lavelle.reads

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3 months ago

I’ve been slowly reading Your Presence is a Danger to Your Life, which might be one of the most harrowing books I’ve ever read. and also a crucial, crucial read.

a collection of 26 first-hand accounts from Palestinians, this details the aftermath of October 7 2023, and all the horrors they’ve endured since. across all ages and genders, each testimony is uniquely heartbreaking, and documents just how intense and how varied the cruelty inflicted on Palestinians has been.

even with everything written down in these pages, I still find it impossible to imagine the sheer pain, loss, and suffering that these people have gone through. the title borrows from one of the many, many flyers dropped in Gaza, before one of many, many bombings ensued—yet another nightmare I simply cannot imagine. and thinking about how almost 3 years have passed since this fresh wave of violence first started…my heart just aches. this collection is yet another testament to the resilience and strength of Palestine—but no human should ever have to endure what these people have gone through. nobody should ever have to withstand this much.

I lack the intellect and the words to speak about this more adequately, except to say that the plight of Palestine must never be forgotten or ignored. and I don’t know how we will look back on these years without feeling anything other than shame and regret. I don’t know. free Palestine forever. I hope with all my heart that we see an end to their suffering as soon as possible; it’s already gone on for far, far, far too long. by @lavelle.reads

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4 months ago

Chuck and Joey meet at a bar. she’s 23, living paycheck to paycheck. her longest "relationship" was about 5 months. he’s in his mid-30s, an “aspiring novelist” who currently works as a copywriter—LEAD copywriter, he’s sure to emphasise—at a big ad agency. he’s just broken things off with his fiancée, whom he’s been with for more than a decade. everything’s electric, and perfect. how could anything go wrong? (lol.)

I Want You to be Happy provides a refreshingly tender take on this slightly clichéd dynamic. both Chuck and Joey are lonely and lost. both are looking for something to break up the tedium of their lives. for Chuck, that’s a younger woman who writes poetry, is really, really hot, and lives with the freedom that youth offers. for Joey, that’s an older man who has a lovely apartment, knows all the writers she talks about, and seems settled and steady. but, predictably, as they spend more time together, things start to fall apart.

what I really enjoyed about this novel was how it treated both subjects with equal tenderness and grace. Joey is never portrayed as some over-exceedingly naïve, wide-eyed, “damsel in distress”. and Chuck’s existential crises and unhealthy coping mechanisms are very real, and invite you to look at him through a more empathetic lens (I still dislike him though!! sorry!!!!).

this novel also asks: when a relationship ends, does someone really have to be the villain? does someone have to come out “on top”? or can things just sort of end? I was rooting for some sort of comeuppance for Chuck LMFAO, that (spoiler alert! ) never came. and then I started thinking about why that was so important to me, which became a whole thing…but BASICALLY, the answer is yes—things can just end. beyond the immediate, petty vindication you might feel if your ex or whatever turns out to be having a rougher time than you are, there’s really not much else there that will change your life or inspire growth. sometimes, it’s okay to just let chapters close. y’know?

overall, a stunning debut novel ♥️ by @lavelle.reads

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4 months ago

one thing about me is I ADORE a polarising read – and Hello, Limerence is exactly that: funny, refreshing, and also intensely frustrating all at once.

we follow 20-something year old Mika as she navigates the world of love, sex, the patriarchy, and boring jobs that pay the bills. she's the target of numerous unwanted sexual advances in her daily life. her job is stupid and meaningless. she's plagued by her family’s concerns about her singlehood. the men who want her often fetishize her. her best friend is infinitely more popular than her. etc, etc, etc.

how else to escape the tedium of life, but to develop numerous obsessive, all-encompassing crushes? how else to feel motivated to get out of bed, to shower, go to work, socialise, except by the thought of seeing That Person there? how else not to feel lonely at night, except by messaging Them, or Thinking About Them, or Imagining Them Messaging You?

Hello, Limerence is a testament to the power of A Crush – both to brighten up your life, and to lowkey ruin it. the butterflies you get when your crush looks your way? fun. getting to speak to them? double fun. when fantasizing about your crush interferes with your real life though, or when you’re too focused on the Idea of a person vs who they actually are…? that’s when things get rough. and can a crush/actual relationship actually save you from your life/yourself? (obviously, the answer is no.)

if you enjoy messy, kinda toxic, but also pretty funny FMCs, this is the book for you. Mika is chaotic, spiteful, even a little ungrateful. she’s somehow both insecure and intensely narcissistic. she’s mean. she’s delusional. she’s lonely. she’s broke. and she’s only in her early 20s!!

I loved that I kinda hated Mika, and I loved how absurd the story got at times. Mika's honestly so funny, while also kind of an asshole LMAO. the writing style is sharp, witty, and raw; it can be hard to write a character that’s both really annoying and sympathetic, but I think Yamaguchi does that brilliantly here.

for fans of Girls, Fleabag, and Sex and the City. I had fun. ♥️

thank you @faberbooks @faber_international for this proof copy! 💅🏻 by @lavelle.reads

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4 months ago

my trinket collection is rated 5 stars!! (aka I have finally fully unpacked and can revel in my favourite things again: oddities and jingly bits) ✨

(not a book post obviously but I am very happy xo) taken in Trinket Heaven by @lavelle.reads

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5 months ago

my two weeks of rest and relaxation ✨

if you told Lavelle from even just 5 years ago that she’d get to travel so often to meet the friends she made online by blabbering about books…she’d never believe you!! but here we are, on my FOURTH annual trip to see my beautiful friends in the UK ☹️ I am so so so lucky, just typing this out makes me wanna cry lmaoooo

crazy to think that I’ve been friends with some of these people for SIX years now – and crazier to think about how much they’ve welcomed me into their lives. Alice, Amy, Ciska, Clare, Hanna – thank you for sharing your homes, your time, your love, and your lives with me. meeting you feels so comfortable every single time, like coming home…I essentially have homes everywhere now?? hehe. and getting to see how everyone has grown every year? insane. I’m somehow a proud mama hen, and also a baby chick being looked after by my generous and loving friends. (thank you guys for always taking charge of the planning…as you know, that is my nightmare LMAO.)

shoutout to Eleanor, Jae, Nadia, and Steph for also taking time out of your busy schedules to see me this trip!! shall we make this an annual occurrence too 😚😚 hahahaha

already looking forward to next year!!!!!! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ by @lavelle.reads

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5 months ago