#method reading

Method Reading is a series where I turn my fascination with an actor (in this case the ensemble) into a form of thought practice. Instead of developing a parasocial relationship or doomscrolling, I read books connected to the works they have done, or books they’ve recommended, to learn more not just about them, but the world, the arts, and myself in general.

In this entry, I’m talking about the Off Campus books. Not all of them individually, but rather the ones I enjoyed the most (note: I read them all at this point) and what has me excited for the upcoming season of the show.

To put it simply, Off Campus took over my life in the most unexpected way. I loved the series so much that I found myself diving into the books just to prolong the obsession.

As I mentioned in my review, the books themselves aren’t entirely for me. There were aspects I struggled with, but there were also parts I genuinely enjoyed. More than anything, it was the characters, their friendships, their found-family dynamic, and just how ridiculously funny they are together that won me over. So far, I actually prefer many of the changes made in the show, and I’m excited to see how they continue expanding the world of Off Campus on screen.

The first book I picked up was The Mistake, which is Logan’s story, and I’m glad it was my introduction because I immediately adored Grace.

In the Mistake we follow Logan is completely consumed by his crush on Hannah, who happens to be dating his best friend, Garrett. Then, thanks to a mistake, he ends up knocking on the door of a freshman named Grace, and everything changes from there.

Grace is, hands down, my favorite character in the books. She humbled Logan, made him grovel spectacularly, and never let him get away with anything. As a true people's princess should. Mark my words, I would protect her with my entire being. Because she is the most precious, best girl. And not to get ahead of myself, she’s also the best wife and mom. 

I also ended up reading some of the later books, where the original ensemble are now adults with their other halves and children. Unexpectedly, one of the books I found myself enjoying was Love Song. It is messy. Like, really, really, messy. But I did have fun. 

Love Song follows Blake, Logan and Grace’s daughter, as she escapes to the Lake Tahoe house co-owned by the Logan and Graham families. Unfortunately for her, Wyatt Graham, Garrett and Hannah’s son and one half of their twins, shows up as well.

What sold me on the book wasn't even the romance. It was how completely unhinged Logan becomes when it comes to protecting his daughter. Add in the chaotic group chats, sports rivalry that is close to cutting off family ties, and Dean's absurd group chat names… I was thoroughly entertained. A lot of messy things happen in the book, but watching the Off Campus boys become parents, especially Logan, was easily my favorite part.

Across all the books, my favorite element has never really been romance. It's the friendships. Most especially Garrett and Logan's. They're truly ride-or-die for each other, to the point that, spoiler alert, their children eventually end up together.

As for the show, I'm incredibly excited about what's ahead. So far, I've been consistently impressed by what Louisa Levy and everyone involved have built with Off Campus. I've seen some complaints online about scenes being changed or certain moments not making it into the adaptation, but I think it's worth remembering that this is an adaptation.

We obviously have talented creatives behind this project, and they've already managed to surprise many of us in genuinely good ways. Instead of focusing on what's missing from the page, I hope more viewers allow themselves to be surprised by what the show is trying to do.

And given some of the recent things going, I also hope fans especially those crossing lines for no reason, don't end up hurting a genuinely promising series. 

At the end of the day, this is a television show. A very good one, in my opinion. So I hope we practice enjoying what we have, moving on when necessary, and respecting the people involved in making it. If we want this show to have a long and healthy run, because that's the least we can do.

Don't ruin it for the people who are simply here to have a good time.

So, if you are in the mood for: a good laugh, want to expand the world beyond what the show gave us, and enjoy your romances on the spicier side, the books are well worth picking up while we wait for Season 2.

This is a shortform series where I turn my fascination with an actor into a form of thought practice. Instead of developing a parasocial relationship or doomscrolling, I read books connected to the works they’ve done or books they’ve recommended. 

For this entry, we’re diving into The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, a novel Luke Thompson narrated for audiobook. This is the first book he narrated that is written by Dostoevsky before White Knights. 

The Brothers Karamazov mainly follows the lives of three brothers Dmitri, Ivan, and Alyosha, and their complicated relationship with their father, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, a selfish and deeply immoral man who is far from an ideal patriarch.

We have Dmitri, the eldest from the first wife, who is passionate and impulsive, caught in a romantic rivalry with his own father over a woman. From the second wife, we have two. First is Ivan, who is intellectual and skeptical, constantly wrestling with reason, morality, and faith. And Alyosha, the youngest, is gentle and spiritual, the kind of person everyone seems to adore, someone people struggle to find fault in.

When Fyodor is murdered, Dmitri becomes the primary suspect, and from there, the novel unfolds into a layered exploration of how the family deals with guilt, truth, morality, faith, and justice. It blends family drama, crime, philosophy, and spiritual exploration in a way that pushes you to reflect on human nature and the complexities of morality itself.

This book is thick, and at first, I thought I wouldn’t make it to the end. But after around 40 days, switching between the physical book, my Kindle, and especially the audiobook. I finally finished this beast. The audiobook, in particular, really helped me through it. Luke’s narration gave the novel more life and made it easier for me to emotionally connect with and better understand the material.

Reading this book felt like an incredibly long episode of Law & Order mixed with intense philosophical and faith-driven conversations. It constantly asks: What is it to be good? What is evil? Are these things external forces, or do they exist within all of us? For me, as of late, the novel also explores how poor upbringing manifests differently in each of the brothers, and how people cope with the emotional and psychological consequences of the environments they were raised in. 

What amazed me most is that this book was written between 1878 and 1880, yet it still feels relevant. I also loved the little Shakespeare references sprinkled throughout the text, which, as a sidenote, once again proves how timeless Shakespeare is and how far-reaching his influence continues to be. (Case in point: there are even Shakespeare references in Off Campus. I just needed to mention that because I like the show and have been rewatching it for the nth time.)

This book left me with so many questions and reflections that it feels like the kind of novel I could revisit at different stages of my life and walk away with entirely different answers each time.

What I also learned after reading this book is that it’s better to read the introduction after finishing the book. It gave me an even deeper fascination with and appreciation for what I had just read, and that’s something I’m really happy about.

So, if you’re in the mood for deep philosophical thinking, morally complex characters, psychological depth, and explorations of faith and humanity, with a pinch of mystery and crime woven in, this might be for you.

Method Reading is a series where I turn my fascination with an actor into a form of thought practice. Because we don’t encourage the development of parasocial relationships here. We are choosing curiosity over mindless consumption in this house. Only peaceful growth, reflection, and the expansion of knowledge are welcome here.

For this entry, we’re diving into The Corrections, a novel recommended by Luke Thompson as the book he’d love to read again for the very first time, a detail he shared on The Inklings Podcast.

In the book, we follow the Lambert family, a Midwestern household at a breaking point. At its center is Enid, the mother, who is determined to gather her family for one last Christmas in their home in St. Jude, Missouri, as her husband Alfred’s health steadily declines.

The novel shifts perspectives among the family members, particularly their children: Gary, Chip, and Denise. Tracing their individual struggles, failures, and attempts at self-correction.

This book is dense, packed with personal crises, depression, consumerism, sexual identity, and moral compromise, to name a few. I won’t lie: a chapter in, I found myself questioning why I started it at all. I was genuinely aghast at what I was reading, a character so deeply unpleasant that it almost pushed me away. And yet, he remains central to the narrative.

I had to step back and reassess how I approached the book. I checked reviews, looked into interviews with the author, and tried to understand its intent. Then it clicked: that it’s supposed to feel this way. What also helped was viewing the novel through the lens of dark humor and satire. It also makes sense knowing now that Franzen was aiming to tap into a more male readership.

Family

Family, for what it means, what it demands, and how we show up for one another is a universal thing for all of us. The characters in this book are as real and flawed as they come, which makes them uncomfortably familiar. There are secrets, unspoken resentments, and yet, beneath it all, a persistent desire to still be there for each other in whatever way possible.

You’ll likely see parts of your own family or people you know reflected in the Lamberts. And despite the dysfunction and discomfort, I found myself pushing through. Not because it was easy, but because the characters began to feel real. In some ways, they felt known. And I wanted things to get better for them.

Success and Self-Perception

Throughout the novel, there’s an ongoing tension between what could have been and what should have been. The characters grapple with ideas of success. What it looks like, what it feels like, and whether it’s even real. There’s a constant performance of having it all together, even when everything is unraveling beneath the surface.

Much of what they chase feels immediate and hollow, leading to destructive coping mechanisms, like substance use, moral compromise, emotional emptiness, and ultimately, denial of their own suffering.

Corrections

The idea of “corrections”, whether as an action or a concept, appears repeatedly throughout the novel. It speaks to the human desire to fix what has already happened, to rewrite mistakes, or to escape the consequences of them. But more often than not, the characters find themselves trapped in the very systems: emotional, social, even institutional that they hoped to correct.This, more than anything, is what held me emotionally.

The Corrections is not fast-paced or lighthearted. There are no clear heroes, no easy resolutions, and I underestimated that when I picked it up. But I kept reading through. I stayed for the family dysfunction, the sharp social satire, and the deeply character-driven narrative.

Most of all, I stayed because I hoped things would get better for everyone. And somewhere along the way, I learned to empathize.