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Hana's avatar

Okay here I go, just downloaded the Claude app 😱 I’ve been very resistant out of pure laziness of not wanting to learn something new, but I’d follow you anywhere so here I go hahaha

Also loved The Sicilian Inheritance :)

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Jaime Lewis's avatar

Follow me only at your own peril! ☠️

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Dianne Jacob's avatar

Thanks for the mention!

I started reading this book, by the author of Call me By Your Name, and it's fantastic: My Roman Year. The writing, the scenes, the humor... wow! I'm reading it slowly, trying to make it last.

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Jaime Lewis's avatar

I loved Call Me By Your Name—I bet I'd love his memoir!

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Nicole Ziza Bauer's avatar

Yes to so much of this. I hope you make it back here :)

I’d add to Claude’s list: Jhumpa Lahiri’s In Other Words. Not so much transportive as she captures the yearning for another culture so beautifully. Plus, she writes it in Italian (side by side with English) as something to aspire to!

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Jaime Lewis's avatar

Honestly, another great read to add to the list: your newsletter. I feel like you operate in a parallel universe in which I take the leap and just GO.

https://zizavita.substack.com/

Thanks so much for reading, and for the reading list addition.

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Nicole Ziza Bauer's avatar

Oh, grazie. That is very kind of you to say ☺️ maybe both our universes will align one day!

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Holly Peterson's avatar

Oh good, I'm not the first to comment. Sorry for my enthusiasm for your substack. I lol'd at your snort to the Giotto comment. Jeesh, Claude. He does have a point about trying to live our best Italian life in SLO. Thanks for the reading reco's.

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Jaime Lewis's avatar

I *love* your enthusiasm for the Substack. Do not edit yourself in this regard. :)

Yeah, SLO is a pretty great runner-up to Italy. But it's not the same.

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Sandi Sig's avatar

AI had done a pretty good job of getting us from Nacadoches to Natchez with great blues along the way. I’m in!

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Jaime Lewis's avatar

Yep, pretty impressive!

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Brigit Binns's avatar

Wow. You beat me to it! I too have been dragging my feet on AI--as an author who has had 7 of my cookbooks "scraped"--but Claude (within reason) sounds like a fine, um, partner.

(Out of kindness and concern, I'll refrain from telling you where I'm off to in less than a week :/ ... and feeling most exceedingly lucky, at that. Will report back on the masquerading-as-Canadian project.)

BUT I'm so happy you liked "Still Life" as much as I did. One of the best books for the @50 I've read in the last 12 months. And THANK YOU for adding a few more to my reading list! Keep it up -- you ARE productive! Keep writing!

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Jaime Lewis's avatar

Yeah, there's a lot NOT to love about AI. I am with you on that.

Oh no, you have to tell me which part of Italy you're off to! Is it Florence? Sigh.

Sending you wishes for happy trails!

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