Quarterly Culture Edit: Books, Music, Television, Museums (Third Quarter 2026)

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

When reading Tolstoy you can find lines that seem written just for you and your current preoccupation. I am presently trying to break myself of the habit of thinking about about work and the “greatness” and impact I want to have on the world at the expense of living. Just like in “War and Peace,” I found mirrors to myself and examples of who I wanted to be. In this reading, I longed to be like Oblonsky who was greatly respected in his work because he approached it with “complete indifference…in consequence of which he was never carried away by enthusiasm and never made mistakes.”

There are so many passages I highlighted because of their beauty and the way in which Tolstoy can recognize the human condition in a humorous and emphatic way. I was forced to question what we think of today as a “good mother” and to try and understand the decisions of people who are not me and who lived in another time. The story is timeless and I had such a good and rewarding time engaging with the work and having debates in my own head about how to view events and what the author was really saying.

Just like with “War and Peace,” I went with the Maude translation.

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami

This book completely captured me. From the straightforward, almost casual prose, to the extremely slow burning suspense, I found myself reaching for it any spare moment I had. It opens with the narrator learning about a court case involving a woman she used to know and you go back in time to learn about that relationship, and so much more.

I loved the uneasy feeling that emerged midway through the book and was never fully resolved. Making the reader question the integrity of a narrator isn’t unique, but feeling so aligned with a narrator only to be slowly thrown off was a very fun reading experience.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary Japanese works, and who doesn’t mind a lack of clarity and pay off in return for a compelling read that keeps drawing you in without you quite knowing why.

Bonus! This isn’t a book I’ve read yet, but I went to an event with author Min Jin Lee on her American Hagwon book tour. I love her other two books, Pachinko and Free Food for Millionaires, so I was very excited to get a signed copy of her latest release and hear her discuss her writing process and inspiration. She releases a book about every ten years, which reminds me of Donna Tartt, who I also admire.

While the entire discussion was interesting, I was particularly struck by how she describes her readers. She told us how her books go through 18 to 19 drafts before publication, so she’s always confident she is producing a good product. But even the best product isn’t brought to life until a reader reads it. A reader is the casting director, the set designer, the lighting and sound manager. Lee said that reading lights up parts of your brain like nothing else does, and aren’t we so lucky to be able to engage with art in this way?

Greatest Hits Albums

Recently, I want to hear the best of the best, which means that “Greatest Hits” albums are on repeat. Prince’s The Hits / The B-Sides, Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection, and John Denver’s Greatest Hits have been on repeat.

Norm Lewis as Javert

I had a night where I just wanted to listen to Les Miserables straight through. And it wasn’t just any version that would do. I needed Norm Lewis as Javert. The 25th anniversary concert is by far my favorite and I have so much love for his rendition of Stars. It’s making me think I need to give Russian literature a rest and go to Victor Hugo next…

War and Peace Miniseries BBC

After finishing War and Peace, I watched the miniseries staring Lily James and Paul Dano. It was fun to see how others envision the scenes I’d been living in my mind, and I think it helped my retention of the story to see it on screen. It was no replacement for reading the book and there were many concepts that struck me when reading that they couldn’t possibly demonstrate in a television show. It made me realize just how important inner dialogues and commentary by narrators are to my depth of understanding of characters. There’s more room for interpretation in the show and I feel that when reading I can get as close as possible to understanding what a writer wants to convey.

All this to say I enjoyed it, but you should read the book first.

The Rehearsal

I’m not sure if I should technically bring this up because we still have one more episode to go, but we’ve been watching season two and it is uncomfortable, hilarious, and sobering. This is the first comedy(?) show in a long time that Joe and I have been equally obsessed with.