It’s May. Yay!
Content and culture consumption April 2026
Hello, hello and welcome to CRONE LIFE and my monthly round-up of everything I consumed last month—what I read, what I bought, what I saw and what I thought.
Books I read
When The Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s, John Ganz. I came across John Ganz, who also writes for The Nation and the like, through his Substack, Unpopular Front. I don’t know much about him–his author bio is strangely uninformative–but I enjoyed his book, a collection of essays about the political movements that led to MAGA and the election of Trump. He obviously did a LOT of research and it’s well integrated into the narrative in a way that makes him sound really smart. Well, he probably is really smart. I do love smart writing, even if the writer is sometimes way too enthusiastic about William Hazlitt.1
The First Fifteen Lives of Henry August, Claire North.2 DNF. Henry August dies and relives the same life over and over again, which distinguishes him from vampires, who not only drink human blood but move forward through time, a progression which has to be more satisfying. I dislike these contrived pseudo time travel narratives, which always seem to promise an exciting revelation which never manifests. I will never know the significance of the pending Big Event discovered (and, possibly, thwarted), by Henry August, though, because I abandoned this halfway through.
Murder Bimbo, Rebecca Kovack. Also a DNF. I tend to dislike these books that tell one narrative, then switch halfway through and purport to tell you the real story of what happened. Well it depends on whether what happens in the first half is interesting enough and the first half of Murder Bimbo confused me completely. The premise is that a sex worker is hired by an extremist group to assassinate someone known throughout as “Meat Neck.” It’s told through a series of emails from this sex worker, whose email handle is “Murder Bimbo,” to a podcaster (the podcast is titled “Justice for Bimbos”) she hopes can help her avoid jail time, or something like that. So far so good. She’s a very unreliable narrator, though, and I tired of paying attention, all the while aware I was probably missing all the nuances and in-jokes. There must have been some, because Lyz Lenz found this book “riotously funny.”3 Here’s a review from someone who did read the whole thing (and liked it).
Kingfisher, Patricia A. McKillip. After 2 DNFs, I turned to the soothing words of Patricia A. McKillip, a fantasy writer whose work I’ve always enjoyed. This one is very reminiscent of some of Diana Wynne Jones’ novels (specifically Fire and Hemlock) in that there are things forgotten that must come to the surface in order to drive the plot. Also a combination of fantastical happenings with the mundanity of working as a waitress or searching for a parking space. There are also knights in armor and a parallel faery-world reality. Soothing indeed!
Real Estate, Deborah Levy. The third and final installment of her “living autobiography,” which is not so much chronological as organized around themes. The theme here is places she’s lived, or stayed, or worked in. Witty and thought-provoking as always. You should read it too, along with Things I Don’t Want to Know and The Cost of Living. I need to buy the boxed set, or the equivalent.
Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor. I saw the Hugo nominees list and realized I had read everything but this and the Adrian Tchaikovsky one, which let’s face it I probably won’t, so I decided to be a completist. It’s about a disabled Nigerian novelist named Zelu who, in a moment of despair, writes a science-fiction novel she titles Rusted Robots. This becomes a HUGE success, a la Harry Potter or the like. It’s a book within a book, innit. The dual narrative does keep the reader from being bored, although both “books” feel a little bit like homework. I appreciated it, even though “Rusted Robots” is a stupid title and the book doesn’t wrap up as much as just stop. Maybe there will be a sequel! Or maybe it will be like Rusted Robots and just end there.
Stone Yard Devotional, Charlotte Wood. I picked this up because it was positively mentioned in the NYT review of her most recent novel (most recently published in the US, anyway), The Natural Way of Things. The protagonist ends up living with a bunch of nuns near her childhood home, and meets up again with a few people she knew in high school. It’s mostly about grief and coming to terms with your past, though there are also many hints about how the outside world is in a state of decline.[it might have been more interesting without the latter] I loved it at first and then as I kept reading I felt as though the tale attenuated into nothing. I can see why it was shortlisted for the Booker though–excellent prose, a pleasure to read. I might take a look at her latest as well.4
Things I bought
Ulta: Byoma Hydrating Recovery Oil, to use with the gua sha tool I bought in March. It’s got squalane, jojoba and sea buckthorn oils and I like the smell. The matte-purple-with-yellow-text packaging is cute and kinda candified.
Ebay:
Pact blue cotton gauze dress. So big I was swimming in it. The next size down looks too small. Returned.
Eileen Fisher beige linen pants. The rise was too low. I thought they were a five-pocket jeans style, but they weren’t. Returned.
Nicole Miller green and orange floral linen top. I love this and plan to wear it all summer.
BioNatura brown leather slingback mary janes. These have a low cork wedge and modest cutouts. I wanted a summery shoe that covered my toes but wasn’t quite a sandal. These fit the bill nicely.
Tommy Bahama men’s cotton poplin pajama pants in blue and red tropical print. I bought a pair of Ralph Lauren Polo men’s cotton pajama bottoms last year and wore them all summer. Hoping for a repeat with these. They have a “Christmas in the tropics” theme (how weird!) but it’s not obvious.
OrthoFeet “Sanibel” black mesh mary janes. I forgot I need to size down in this type of shoe, so they are going back. My feet slide around in an uncomfortable way and the whole point of an orthopedic shoe is comfort.
Nordstrom Rack: three discounted brand-name bras, my usual size, none fit, all bad in different ways. Returned.
I returned the Old Navy jeans from March because the already-loose waist stretched out too much. I tried a size down in a different wash and couldn’t get them on. Oh well.
Eileen Fisher Renew: Basic white linen shorts. Boring, perhaps.
Stylevana: Japanese cosmetics, ordered in March, arrived April.
&Honey Melty Matomake Stick 4.0 Super Hold. Like an anti-frizz mascara for your hair, but with a larger brush. Works, but I don’t love the scent. It contains honey and argan oil, or so it claims.
Judydoll Hypersharp Eyeliner 01 Black. A liquid eyeliner with a very fine brushtip so I can tightline my eyes. Works very well (with practice). Should have bought 2 or 3–I’m afraid it will run out or dry up.
Sephora sale: Yes, I succumbed to the relentless influencing.
BondiBoost Anti-Frizz Fly Away Wand Hair Serum with Aloe Vera and Caffeine. This one really is mascara-size, so harder to apply successfully. Doesn’t smell though. Not sure what the caffeine is for?
Cyklar Mini Sacred Santal Sensorial Body Wash for Moisture Barrier. Sensorial indeed. Love the smell. Feels very soft, somehow.
Stuff I watched
Paradise on Hulu. Finished the second season. Ridiculously bonkers sci-fi in the best possible way. Can’t wait for season three.
X-files on Hulu. Son requested we watch. Skipped around season 1, didn’t really love anything, will eventually start season 2 which I hear is better. I remember NOTHING from watching in the 90s.
Abbot Elementary on HBO and Hulu. Not loving the latest season. Mr. Johnson’s appeal mostly eludes me and everyone else seems bewilderingly out of character, except Ada and O’Shon. The Phillies game episode was pretty funny, though my husband didn’t get it (due to cultural differences I expect).
Tasting History on YouTube. I continue to be mesmerized by Max Miller’s big blue eyes and earnest demeanor.5 Husband and son like the history parts best.
Event I attended
Drove up to Rhinebeck to hear the Dean of the Yale Divinity School give a presentation on “ecotheological design,” sponsored by the Yale Club of Mid-Hudson Valley. He oversaw the design and development of the Living Village at the div school, which is apparently the most sustainable building ever–solar powered through photovoltaic roof tiles, all the water is recycled and purified on-site, only green LEEDS-certified building materials, etc. It looks very nice. I love Christians when they are sensible and life-affirming. His presentation was followed by questions posed by a panel of notable local alumni–a Mayor, a professor (div school grad)6 who runs a Nepalese children’s foundation, a local architect and the head of Scenic Hudson. I felt most unaccomplished in comparison.
Exciting Developments in Veronicaworld!
She has a new friend—a tabby tomcat who visits the backyard and stares at Veronica through the basement window. He’s also come up on the deck to stare through the kitchen window. She doesn’t seem to mind his presence. When she’s outside, she perches on the deck railing and stares back at him sitting on the ground. He made a tunnel through the forsythia bush so he can quickly escape when I try to take a photo.
To be fair, I liked Hazlitt too, when I read him back in the day. So rational and soothing in that long-18th century way.
Pseudonym for Catherine Webb.
Or something like that, I can’t find the post so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
I started this in late April but didn’t finish until May 1. I’m including it anyway.
Yes I do know he’s married.
She teaches philosophy at Marist University.
Thanks for the mention of Patricia McKillip. She slipped off my reading list years ago and I am happy to pick her up again with Kingfisher!
I like to support other Crones and enjoy reading these types of personal lists, yet if you had links to all these things, I think it would make it more fun. Maybe it's just me?