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@readmenyc

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Quotes and things I’ve learned from books I’m reading. Also, books I see people reading around New York City.

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Saw a guy reading this on the downtown A train tonight.

The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living is a 2007 international bestselling self-help book by physician and therapist Dr. Russ Harris.

Core Premise

• The Myth of Happiness: Society teaches us that happiness is our natural state and that feeling anxious, sad, or insecure means something is wrong.

• The Vicious Cycle: Striving constantly to feel good and eliminate negative emotions actually traps us in a cycle of chronic stress, anxiety, and disappointment.

• The Solution: Instead of fighting or running from painful thoughts and feelings, we should learn to accept them and focus instead on living a meaningful, values-driven life.

Based on ACT

The book uses the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a scientifically supported psychological model. The core skills taught in the book include:

• Mindfulness: Connecting fully with the present moment.

• Acceptance: Opening up and making room for uncomfortable feelings without fighting them.

• Cognitive Defusion: Learning to step back and see thoughts as just words or stories, rather than absolute truths or commands.

• Values Clarification: Discovering what truly matters to you and committing to actions aligned with those core values.

#selfhelp #books #nycreads taken in New York, New York by @readmenyc

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3 days ago

Saw man reading on Manhattan bound F train today.

The Couple Next Door is a bestselling 2016 psychological thriller debut novel written by Shari Lapena.

Plot Overview

• The Premise: Anne and Marco Conti attend a birthday dinner party hosted by their next-door neighbors, Cynthia and Graham Stillwell.

• The Incident: When their planned babysitter cancels at the last minute, Marco convinces Anne it is safe to leave their six-month-old baby, Cora, sleeping at home because they live right next door and will keep a baby monitor on while checking in every half hour.

• The Crime: When they return home later that night, they discover that Cora has vanished.

• The Investigation: Detective Rasbach leads the investigation and quickly turns his suspicion toward the panicked parents. As pressure mounts, hidden secrets, past deceptions, and long-buried betrayals between Anne and Marco begin to surface.

#psychologicalthriller #books #nycreads by @readmenyc

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9 days ago

Saw a woman reading this on the 18th Ave F station today.

Butter by Asako Yuzuki (translated by Polly Barton) is an international bestselling novel that explores food, misogyny, obsession, and societal beauty standards in modern Japan.

• True-Story Inspiration: The plot is loosely inspired by the real-life 2009 “Konkatsu Killer” case in Japan involving Kanae Kijima, who was convicted of charming and poisoning lonely men.

• The Story: In Tokyo, imprisoned gourmet cook Manako Kajii is accused of serial murders of wealthy, lonely businessmen using seductive home cooking. She famously proclaims that she cannot tolerate two things: feminists and margarine. Overworked journalist Rika Machida writes to Kajii requesting a beef stew recipe, which sparks a complex, visceral correspondence and in-person interviews at the Tokyo Detention Centre.

Key Themes

• Female Appetite and Fatphobia: The novel critiques the rigid, narrow beauty standards and societal pressure placed on Japanese women regarding their weight and appearance.

• Liberation Through Food: As Rika engages in Kajii’s gastronomic masterclasses, she begins to unlearn her own restrictions around food and pleasure, shifting her relationship with her body and society.

• Misogyny and Media: It examines how the public and the media sensationalized the real-life murder case through a deeply sexist lens, projecting societal anxieties about women, domesticity, and independence.

#nycreads #books #misogyny #japanese taken in Brooklyn, New York by @readmenyc

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9 days ago

I look over and what to my wandering eyes appears … 👀 (a lady reading this book). I’m intrigued. lol.

Young woman reading this on the Coney Island bound F train.

Human Sacrifices is a 2021 collection of twelve “tropical gothic” short stories by Ecuadorian writer María Fernanda Ampuero, translated into English by Frances Riddle.

Core Themes

• Systemic Exploitation: The stories show how marginalized working-class women, children, and immigrants pay the price for the comfort and safety of the elite.

• Violence and Patriarchy: The text explores dark realities tied to machismo, abuse, economic inequity, and colonial rot in Latin America and the U.S.

• Noteworthy Stories: “Biography” follows an undocumented female job seeker who becomes a hostage, while other entries deal with obsessed outcasts and sinister houseguests.

Genre: Feminist horror, dark fiction, short stories

#nycreads #books #horror by @readmenyc

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10 days ago

Guy reading this on the uptown C train around noon (Bk to Manhattan).

The Catcher in the Rye is a classic 1951 coming-of-age novel by American author J. D. Salinger.

Plot and Summary

• The Narrator: The story is told by sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield.

• The Setting: Holden recounts a few days from his life after being expelled from his Pennsylvania prep school, Pencey Prep.

• The Journey: He goes underground in New York City for three days, trying to find truth and running away from what he considers the “phoniness” of the adult world.

Major Themes

• Alienation: Holden feels deeply lonely, isolated, and disconnected from the people around him.

• Loss of Innocence: Holden wants to protect children from growing up, famously imagining himself as the “catcher in the rye” saving kids from falling off a cliff.

• Grief: His emotional instability is tied to the lingering grief over the death of his younger brother, Allie.

#classicliterature #books #nycreads

(Book I was forced to read as part of high school English class - what about you?) taken in Brooklyn, New York by @readmenyc

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20 days ago

Lady reading this on the Manhattan bound F train around noon today.

Anna Karenina is a tragic realist novel by Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878.

Core Plot & Themes

• The Affair: The main plot follows Anna, a wealthy and married St. Petersburg woman, who has a destructive, scandalous love affair with the dashing military officer Count Vronsky.

• Society: Anna rejects her passionless marriage to Alexei Karenin, causing high society to shun her while double standards protect Vronsky.

• Parallel Storyline: The novel contrasts Anna’s downfall with the life of Konstantin Levin, a rural landowner (and Tolstoy’s semi-autobiographical reflection) who searches for spiritual and philosophical meaning, family happiness, and peace.

• Famous Opening: It begins with the iconic line: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

#nycreads #russianliterature #tolstoy #books by @readmenyc

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20 days ago

I saw a man reading this book on the uptown A train around 11a.

The Greeks and the Irrational is a famous 1951 book by classical scholar E. R. Dodds that challenges the old view of ancient Greek culture as purely rational.

Main Ideas of the Book

• Questioning Pure Reason: Dodds asks why people think ancient Greeks were completely immune to primitive, magical, or irrational thoughts found in other human societies.

• Using Modern Tools: He uses modern psychology and anthropology to study the hidden fears, dreams, and religious frenzies of the Greeks.

• Guilt and Anxiety: He explains how social changes and loosening family structures created deep feelings of anxiety and guilt in the Greek mind.

Most users on Reddit agree that the book was a groundbreaking work that changed how we look at ancient history by showing the dark and emotional side of Greece.

#bookstagram #greekliterature #nycreads taken in New York, New York by @readmenyc

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21 days ago

Saw man reading The New York Times (in print!) on the uptown 3 train in Manhattan this morning.

#nyc #newspapers #nycreads taken in New York, New York by @readmenyc

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25 days ago

I saw man reading this on the Manhattan bound F train this afternoon.

I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is a bestselling 2023 nonfiction memoir by Chinese writer Hu Anyan, translated into English by Jack Hargreaves.

Original Chinese Title: 我在北京送快递

Core Themes

• The Gig Economy: The memoir chronicles Hu’s journey working 19 different low-wage, grueling jobs over two decades, including parcel sorting and delivery in Beijing, convenience store clerk, bicycle salesman, and security guard.

• Survival and Sanity: It shares an unvarnished, deadpan look at the physical toll of modern labor, corporate bureaucracy, and surviving mega-city precarity while carrying pocket copies of Chekhov and Carver for solace.

• Literary Success: Originally stemming from essays and blog posts that went viral during COVID-19 lockdowns, the book became a massive literary sensation in China before finding international acclaim.

(Author Douban ID: 1265340)

#memoir #nycreads #china #beijing #books taken in Brooklyn N Y by @readmenyc

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25 days ago

Saw a guy reading the New Yorker magazine on the uptown C train in Brooklyn today. (Unsure of which issue) @newyorkermag taken in Brooklyn, New York by @readmenyc

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a month ago

Saw a woman reading this on the manhattan bound F train today. Apparently it is currently popular because there is a Netflix (@Netflix ) adaption coming out soon.

East of Eden is a 1952 multigenerational epic novel by American author John Steinbeck that retells the Book of Genesis through the intertwined fates of two families in California’s Salinas Valley.

Plot and Setting

Setting: Primarily set in the rich agricultural landscape of California’s Salinas Valley from the mid-19th century through the end of World War I.

The Trasks: Follows brothers Adam and Charles and later Adam’s twin sons, Cal and Aaron, whose relationships mirror the bitter rivalry of Cain and Abel.

The Hamiltons: Loosely based on Steinbeck’s own maternal grandparents, this large, humble, and grounded family acts as a moral and philosophical counterweight to the troubled Trask family.

Major Themes

Timshel: A Hebrew word translated as “thou mayest,” emphasizing the supreme importance of human free will and the power to choose between good and evil.

Good vs. Evil: Explores whether destructive behavior is inherited or a conscious choice.

Love and Acceptance: Examines the devastating psychological consequences that follow when love is withheld or conditional.

#books #nycreads #nyc by @readmenyc

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a month ago

I saw a lady reading this on the uptown F train around noon time in Manhattan.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein is a 2022 debut contemporary novel by Coco Mellors that explores the turbulent, impulsive marriage of a young British artist and an older corporate executive in New York City.

Plot Overview

The Meeting: Twenty-four-year-old painter Cleo meets forty-something advertising executive Frank outside a New Year’s Eve party.

The Marriage: With Cleo’s student visa expiring soon, the pair marry spontaneously after a whirlwind romance, providing her with a Green Card and a life of comfort while upending both their routines.

The Conflict: The massive age gap, financial disparity, and underlying personal struggles—including alcohol abuse and depression—cause their passionate connection to devolve into loneliness, betrayal, and volatility.

Structure and Style

Multiple Perspectives: The narrative shifts viewpoints frequently, jumping into the heads of Cleo, Frank, and their diverse circle of friends and family members in New York.

Vibe-Driven: The book relies more on mood, snappy dialogue, and atmospheric snapshots of city life than a traditional linear plot arc.

Key Themes

Power Imbalances: Explores how age, wealth, and dependence distort a relationship.

Addiction and Escapism: Examines how characters lean on alcohol, work, and relationships to cope with grief and loneliness.

Improvisation: Looks at the ripple effects that a single, life-altering snap decision can cause for a couple and their peers.

#books #bookstagram #nycreads taken in New York, New York by @readmenyc

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1

a month ago