The Atavists

book by Lydia Millet

Themes: absurdity, capitalism, alienation, morality, modern life

Collected here are my notes, highlights, and returning thoughts on this book—observations that surfaced during reading and what stayed with me after.

small books, strong feelings

Quick Lit: Short and Sweet Reviews — January 2026

A grumpy bookseller novel, Lydia Millet’s razor-sharp short stories, Joy Harjo as the wise auntie we all need, and a strange new Roxane Gay–imprint release about grief, obsession, and the soul of a dog.

the year ends but acquisition does not

Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

My Top Ten Tuesday Post-Christmas book haul reveals: translated Nobel Prize winner I keep abandoning, writing guides that might finally crack my note-taking chaos, a bookseller so bitter it might be too mean even for me, and the best neighborhood book box score of 2025.