Morning, Hart Beat! How are these last few breaths of winter treating you? Per usual, the “storms” aren’t nearly as bad as they are predicted to be but, because this is New York and not Maine, the entire city has been shutting down. One day last week, all above ground subways (aka 90% of all subways) were closed as were most of the business in my neighborhood. It was the perfect day to hold up at home with my knitting, best friend (hi Alli!), pups and watch endless episodes of The Great British Bake Off.
The other thing I love to do on snow days off is to cuddle up with the dogs and read on my brand, spanking new Kindle. I’ve honestly been reading SO much more than I was before and have decided to stop analyzing why and just go with it. The great thing about reading is the more you read the more you want to read and lucky for me, I’ve found the best new place to discover great reads. Do you follow The Subway Book Review on Instagram yet, Hart Beat?
The feed was started by a young woman, Uli Beutter Cohen, when she moved to New York City in 2013. Here’s her reasoning for starting the projects:
Before I moved to New York City, a friend told me: “Don’t ask what New York can do for you. Find out what you can give to New York.” That made me keep my eyes open when I got here in 2013. I couldn’t help but notice how many people read printed books on the subway – and such a variety of titles too. The subway is a literary microcosmos. Within one car, you can find it all: self-published novelties, the next bestseller, and beloved classics.
SO TRUE, ULI. I’m always so shocked to see so many different titles on the train and love the idea of hearing the stories of the people reading them. Uli quotes each of the individuals she snaps pictures of (a la HONY) and it’s so great to see into each person’s world.
Now that I read out of a Kindle I fear Uli won’t interview me :( I guess I’ll just have to live vicariously through her Instagram. I just finished reading Jodi Picoult’s new novel, Small Great Things, and was honestly a little disappointed. Now I need a new recommendation! Send me any if you have them, Hart Beat!
P.S. Elizabeth Gilbert was on the feed! I think it’s destiny that I read her new book now, Hart Beat.
All photos via @subwaybookreview.
