Slouching Towards Bethlehem | 
pickThe pieces in this collection were written in the mid 60's and focus largely on Didion's experiences in California. There is some fascinating stuff in them, particularly the eponymous essay which describes her meetings with San Fransisco's counter-culture. I also enjoyed the essay on Hawaii which provided a bit of background to her novel Democracy. Her writing is as stylish as ever but I was in 2 minds about some of her attitudes.
I don't believe in numerology, but given it's Joan Didion writing, this (from 1967) is spooky
pickJoan Didion was once considered a radical writer for turning standard syntax on its ear and adding her personal reflections and stories into her articles. My, how times have changed! It‘s nice to hear that Joan, now 84, is still writing and rocking the boat. 🙌🏻 Her essay “On Self-Respect” moved me most. And who better than Diane Keaton to deliver Didion‘s profound thoughts?
One of the bargains offered by Early Bird Books today. I think it‘s going on my TBR.
My only advantage as a reporter is that I am so physically small, so temperamentally unobtrusive, and so neurotically inarticulate that people tend to forget that my presence runs counter to their best interests. And it always does. That is one last thing to remember: writers are always selling somebody out.
I recently read “On Keeping a Notebook.” I liked Didion‘s take on notebooks, but I struggle to keep one, only junk journaling when I‘m particularly stressed out. Do you keep a notebook, journal, or diary?
DAY 3: Joan Didion wrote numerous journalistic essays about 60s and 70s America, many based in #California. These were my first two Didion books and I love her conversational style. She‘s a phenomenal nonfiction writer.
#NoFemmeber
#California #NoFemmeber @Cinfhen I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought of this first. It's on my TBR- I enjoy getting immersed in historical times and places that I know little about. The song is completely different: more stream-of-consciousness and poetry than journalism. In addition to creating three amazing albums, EMA also introduced me to William Gibson: several songs on her 2nd album reference Neuromancer, with an internet-age twist.
panI'm giving "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" 1 star, but not because it's bad or poorly written but mostly because I just didn't understand it.
Head over to my blog to see my review and let me know what you thought of this book if you've read it! ?
R.E. Parrish comics (Litsy cut off the signature)
https://www.facebook.com/reparrishcomics/
This is basically every Joan Didion book ever.
2/3 #litsylaughs
so-soI know Didion‘s writing sets the standard for excellence but I found most of these essays about life during the 60s to be depressing and disjointed. The last two sections were much better than the first but I enjoyed her book The Year of Magical Thinking so much more.
A counter culture California girl.
#CaliforniaGurls #HeatofJuly
@Cinfhen @BarbaraBB
#QuotsyJune13 #singular
This singular quote is from an essay Joan Didion write for Vogue magazine in 1961.
(https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vogue.com/article/joan-didion-self-respect-essa...)
It was reprinted in the tagged book in 1968.
Thank you to @TK-421 for another fun monthly quote challenge.💙🖌📚
#readingwomenmonth essays this is yet another #tbr that is also another one I was excited to find on scribd. I really need to read some of her stuff
#Riotgrams #BookYouveReread
Beautiful language and observations, whether you‘re reading for the first time or fifth.
I love these Picador editions. Striking designs for tiny editions with big heart and ideas. Thanks again @saresmoore !
Part 1 of my haul from a used book sale. Some of these paperbacks were just too pretty to pass up. Hopefully I'll get around to reading some of them!
pickSo good! I love Joan Didion‘s writing. She could write out her shopping list and I‘d love it
Quintessential California reading on a California beach. Today, I touched the Pacific for the first time! Any recs, fiction or nonfiction, that capture the spirit of this state for you guys?
Big latte. Small book.
"In some ways it was the conventional clandestine affair in a place like San Bernadine, a place where little is bright or graceful, where it is routine to misplace the future and easy to start looking for it in bed."
Oh to be Joan, to overflow with insight and grace.
Duck Fried Rice, $2 glass of red house wine that turned out to be surprisingly delicious, and Joan Didion‘s Slouching Towards Bethlehem make for a wonderful way to end an enjoyable Sacramento layover. #bookandfood #JoanDidion
#RiotGrams Day 21: While I would like to say that I am above judging a book by its cover, I DO Judge a book by its cover, and this one, unfortunately, simply does not make the cut: #BadCovers - such a shame because I‘ve heard so many great things about this novel that I am so looking forward to reading, but the cover is super uninviting.
I‘ve read every essay in this collection dozens (and dozens) of times, but will always have special love for “On Keeping a Notebook,” the piece of writing that made me want to write.
#cleartheshelvesgiveaway @mrozzz
1) 39
2) A younger brother who turned 34 on Valentine's Day
3) No
4) Confederacy of Dunces
5) I believe the character limit for posts is 451...
6) 📚🤘
7) Baklava
8) I'm what some might (unjustly) refer to as a germaphobe. I like to think that I'm a cautious & sanitary eater.
9) 😺
10) Coffee
11) Slouching Towards Bethlehem
12) @rohit-sawant @britt_brooke @batsy @JenP
Thanks for the tag @saresmoore
@Gyldholm #hallowhoareyou
pickReally good the last essay is the best... I really felt that one
#24in48
On the last three hour stretch! I‘m so close to finishing all seven books I chose for this #readathon. I think an hour each for the last three books should do it! Hope everyone else is wrapping up their final hours and still enjoying themselves! @24in48
pick“We forget all too soon the things we thought we could never forget. We forget the loves and the betrayals alike, forget what we whispered and what we screamed, forget who we were.”
Wow, this was so good! What a smart and thoughtful essay collection, consisting mostly of journalism pieces and personal experiences in 1960s California. Can‘t wait to read more Didion! This was my first.
PS. Keaton‘s narration was pretty meh.
pickA lyrical snapshot of the multifaceted 1960‘s. Joan Didion is a small woman who seamlessly insinuated herself into the background of the story so she could observe, capture the near-intangibles and weave detailed essays.
Joan Didion, Slouching Toward Bethlehem
pickI now understand why Joan Didion was a respected writer before The Year of Magical Thinking.
In her journalism, she spells out the facts and adds subtle commentary only in subtext. She points out patterns, oddities, or things to watch for in her subtextual commentary, but just when you think she‘s going to make a bold statement, she withholds...to read more: http://www.amyyuki.com/books/2017/11/28/slouching-towards-bethlehem-by-joan-didi...
60‘s California. #essays #johnwayne #joanbaez #instituteforthestudyofnonviolence
Cool sounding, but probably not the best approach unless you're Joan Didion awesome.
So,
"Let grammar, punctuation, and spelling into your life! Even the most energetic and wonderful mess has to be turned into sentences."
- Terry Pratchett
?
#play #QuotsyDec17
@TK-421
so-soi like her essays more than her novels, but the generational gap including the 60s movement on this collection has me with a big so-so feeling.
I recently sat down and watched the Joan Didion documentary, created by her nephew, Griffin Dunne. What an amazing woman! Now, I want to read all her works! Happy me, I recently received the gorgeous #PicadorModernClassics edition from the lovely people at @picador. I‘ve been dipping in an out and have been absolutely entranced.
#joandidion #slouchingtowardsbethlehem #amreading #womenwriters
When a #pocket sized book finally delivers...it fits in my coat pocket! One of the lovely new pocket editions from Picador Modern Classics designed to be "small enough to fit in your pocket and unique enough to stand out on your bookshelf."
Loving this overcast Saturday morning, resting my broken foot while watching the Netflix documentary, Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold. She is a fascinating character.
At no point have I ever been able successfully to keep a diary (...) and on those few occasions when I have tried dutifully to record a day's events, boredom has so overcome me that the results are mysterious at best.
My first notebook was a Big Five tablet, given to me by my mother with the sensible suggestion that I stop whining and learn to amuse myself by writing down my thoughts.
On keeping a notebook
And for good measure, a recent quote from one of these essays that I could definitely relate to!
(from the essay about Joan Baez and her peace school)
Found unlistened to in my Audible library.
The title comes from the Yeats' poem "The Second Coming."
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity..."
pick🌟🌟🌟🌟⭐
Love Didion! Really enjoyed this book of essays. Can't wait to read more!
#books #bookish #bookworm #bookaddict #joandidion #bookish #bookreview
