Hatchie on recent reads and ever-growing TBR

Hatchie. Photo credit: Sylvia Austin (@sylaust)

Between writing music and playing shows, Hatchie turns to books as a form of solace and escape. The Meanjin-born, now Naarm-based, artist whose shimmering dream-pop has garnered a loyal global following shares how reading plays a distinctly separate but essential role in her life. “I read books to blow off steam, decompress and escape my daily life,” she says. But every now and then, a book slips through and mirrors what she’s writing about like Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain, which she read during the creation of her upcoming album.

Hatchie tells us about her current read, the titles stacked high on her beside table, the bookstore she always returns to in Northcote, and the memoir she can’t wait to revisit.

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What book are you currently reading?

I just started Girl On Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert this week. I’ve already underlined a few things in the first chapter so I think it’s going to be a very important read for me.

What is the last book you read?

Stinkbug by Sinead Stubbins. I’ve been trying to read more books by Australian authors and this one was a fun, easy read about a work retreat gone awry.

Is there a connection between what you read and the music you create? If so, have any books in particular influenced your songwriting/creative process?

To be honest, I consider reading books and making music two very separate parts of my life. I read books to blow off steam, decompress and escape my daily life. One book that did happen to really align with what I was concurrently writing about during the conception of my upcoming album was Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain. It helped me understand and process what I was experiencing so I could see the beauty in it.

Do you listen to music when you read, if so what would be on your reading playlist?

I find it impossible to concentrate on reading when I’m listening to music with lyrics, it distracts me and I can’t absorb anything. I usually read in silence or with instrumental music in the background. Lately I’ve been putting on random jazz playlists on youtube and they seem to do the trick!

Do you tend to read more fiction or nonfiction? 

I go through phases! The past year I’ve read mostly fun fiction because I’ve found myself too tired to read anything particularly heavy or intellectual at the end of each day, but I’ve circled back around to nonfiction this week. 

Who would you say are your favourite female authors?

I don’t often read two books by the same author as I like to change things up and expand my library for each read. I did really enjoy the tone of All The Lovers In The Night by Kieko Kawakami, so I look forward to exploring her other work.

What books live on your bedside table right now in your TBR stack? 

As well as Girl on Girl, I’ve recently added Wanted by Gillian Anderson, Nouvelle Femmes: Modern Women of the French New Wave and Their Enduring Contribution to Cinema by Ericka Knudsen, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith to my ever-growing bedside stack.

Favourite independent bookstore? (can be anywhere in the world!)

I love Ramona Books on High Street in Northcote, it’s walking distance to my place and always has great recommendations. 

Have you read a new release or discovered a new author lately that you’ve loved? 

Funnily enough, the last time I visited Ramona Books I picked out Dylin Hardcastle’s A Language of Limbs based purely on the handwritten recommendation by a staff member. I was utterly blown away. One of those experiences when you can’t imagine picking another book up after finishing because you need some time to digest what you’ve just read. Tears were shed.

And finally… the hardest question. What would you say is your favourite book of all time?

I don’t think I’ve found it yet! The search continues… One book I thoroughly enjoyed and can’t wait to re-read is Be My Baby, Ronnie Spector’s autobiography. 

Listen to Hatchie below and find more recommendations from Hatchie on Patreon.