'The Bear,' Virginia Woolf, time traps + more
Also: Grab my new short stories (I think you'll dig 'em)
Thanks to everyone who has gotten their cute paws on THE FEELING! Your interest/support has left me spinning — in fact, I’m about to place an order for another print run.
Oh hey, it’s the actor/comedian/writer/musician Kyle Mooney catching a Feeling in Cleveland!
To purchase, send me $20 via Venmo or PayPal (details below). In the note with your payment, please include your mailing address and to whom I should sign it.
Venmo — send $20 to @whitneymatheson (my last four digits are 8338)
PayPal — send $20 to whitmath@gmail.com (again, my last four digits are 8338)
If you post anything about the book, please tag me so I can smile ‘n’ share. I’d also love *any* photos of the book in the wild/you posing with it. I think I’ve sent THE FEELING to nearly every state in the continental U.S.!
on the calculation of volume
Now I’d like to talk about someone else’s book that knocked me out and around the corner: On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle.
It tells the story of a woman who is living through her 122nd Nov. 18. And while this smells like Groundhog Day, imagine what that story would be like if told from the perspective of a female antiquarian bookseller in France … and if this insane time-bending went on for YEARS AND YEARS. It’s thoughtful and sad and bizarre and exactly how I wanted to kick off my summer reading.
Balle is a Danish writer, and her epic tale continues for a whopping *seven volumes*, though only the first two have been translated in English. (Book III releases on, yes, Nov. 18.) I can’t wait to crack open Book II.
virginia woolf and vita sackville-west: love letters
A couple things led me to these love letters by Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West: One, I kept hearing about how 2025 marks 100 years since the publication of Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway; and two, I’ve been looking at lists of the best literary letters/diaries ever published, because I get my kicks from such things.
All this to say that holy wow, I can’t stop swooning and sighing, and I am NOT easily swoonable.
This 2021 edition includes an intro by Alison Bechdel and does an impressive job of weaving V&V’s passionate letters with their personal diary entries. It just might make you believe in love again.
the bear (season 4)
Before we read TV/film/music reviews, perhaps all critics should be required to share honest revelations about themselves. You know, something like
Before you read my assessment of (MOVIE TITLE), please be advised I dumped my therapist two months ago and began digging a wide moat in my backyard.
or
Below are my thoughts on (BAND’S ALBUM). I still have not gotten over losing the 8th grade spelling bee and actually hate all women with red hair.
My point being, it’s hard to have objective opinions about art, and I’m not sure I could tell you how I felt about Season 4 of The Bear without going into my own experiences with grief, my dwindling bank account and so forth.
Is The Bear still good? Yes, but it is no longer 100% for me. It is a very sad season, and at this moment, I am not particularly seeking out sad entertainment. It is also Fancy Food TV, and while I respect the art of fine dining, I can’t help but seethe a bit while watching the inner workings of a restaurant I can’t afford. You can/should disagree! But one thing we can *all* agree on is that Jamie Lee Curtis is a golden god. (Also, killer soundtrack.)
miscellany
“With narration by Maya Hawke over footage culled from hundreds of sources (from TV commercials to blockbuster films), Alex Ross Perry's VIDEOHEAVEN tells the story of an industry's glorious, confusing, novel, sometimes seedy, but undeniably seismic impact on American movie culture.”
Nice to see Steve Buscemi and AbFab’s Joanna Lumley in the new WEDNESDAY trailer:
Watch/listen to the recent A24 podcast conversation between Ari Aster and Bill Hader:
Thank you and good night!
flipping my wig,
francie fak
write me | send photos | miss you
W,
Thx for posting the pic! 🔥