title: Trying to Float: A Memoir
author:  Nicolaia Rips 
description: &ldquo;Nicolaia Rips is an old-soul sophisticate who&rsquo;s written a breezy memoir. [<i>Trying to Float</i>] is like <i>Eloise</i> Meets Wes Anderson.&rdquo; (<i>Elle</i>)<br /><br />&ldquo;A charmingly self-deprecating and very funny collection of short chapters chronicling the awkwardness of elementary-school growing pains against the backdrop of living in the iconic and infamous Chelsea Hotel, <i>Trying to Float</i> is at once highly insightful and deeply familiar.&rdquo; (<i>W Magazine</i>)<br /><br />&ldquo;Seventeen-year-old Nicolaia Rips is wise beyond her years in her off-kilter memoir, <i>Trying to Float</i>.&rdquo; (<i>Vanity Fair</i>)<br /><br />&quot;Rips&rsquo; ability to write simply, paired with her dry wit, propels the reader through her coming-of-age...An impressive debut.&quot; (<i>Onion A.V. Club</i>)<br /><br /><xml> </xml>&#8220;<I>Trying to Float</I> is hysterically droll, touching, elegant, and wise&#8212; a coming-of-age story from someone who possibly came of age before her parents. &nbsp;&nbsp;No doubt, people will allude to other books in attempts to describe this one (Holden Caulfield if he went to public school, Eloise without room service) but truly Nicolaia&#8217;s chronicle is sui generis.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I had such a good time reading it that the person I share an apartment with told me to stop saying, &#8220;You can&#8217;t believe how extraordinary this is!&#8221; because he was trying to concentrate on something else and anyway, he believed me the first time."<xml> </xml> (Patricia Marx <i>New Yorker staff writer and author of Lets Be Less Stupid and Him Her Him Again The End of Hi</i>)<br /><br /><xml> </xml>&#8220;These little tales about little rascals in New York City are charming, strange, and inspiring.&nbsp; What a very funny, improbably truthful book about childhood this is.&#8221;<xml> </xml> (Joseph ONeill, author of Netherland and The Dog)<br /><br /><xml></xml>"As a former resident of the Chelsea Hotel, I came at this book with trepidation. What could an 17-year-old have to say about the last Dionysian castle in New York City? My skepticism ended with the prologue. Nicolaia Rips writes with wit, discipline, and grace. Her voice is real. With this book she is announcing herself as a force in the next generation of artists."<BR> <xml> </xml> (Ethan Hawke)<br /><br /><xml><m:mathpr><m:mathfont m:val="Cambria Math"><m:brkbin m:val="before"><m:brkbinsub m:val="--"><m:smallfrac m:val="off"><m:dispdef><m:lmargin m:val="0"><m:rmargin m:val="0"><m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"><m:wrapindent m:val="1440"><m:intlim m:val="subSup"><m:narylim m:val="undOvr"></m:narylim></m:intlim></m:wrapindent></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></m:brkbinsub></m:brkbin></m:mathfont></m:mathpr></xml>"Rips is a gifted writer who quickly reveals a mature, nuanced insight into human behavior. She has a genuine talent for extracting comic potential within these encounters, yet she balances them with moments of surprising poignancy. An engaging story with a big heart, written by a young adult whose sharply tuned and often witty observations will appeal to adults and teens alike.&#8221;<xml> </xml> (<i>Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review</i>)<br /><br /><xml></xml>&#8220;This heartfelt memoir balances pathos and humor, proving that Rips, still only a senior in high school, is a promising writer who is wise beyond her years.&#8221;<BR> <xml> </xml> (<i>Publishers Weekly</i>)<br /><br /><xml></xml>&#8220;I love this book! Nicolaia Rips, while young, is the real thing. &nbsp;Wodehouse reborn in a young girl. &nbsp;He would have been charmed.&#8221;<BR> <xml> </xml> (Joel Grey, author of Master of Ceremonies)
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # KZINE MAGAZINE
  
  
  
  
  
  # Issue 22
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Edited by Graeme Hurry
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00001.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Kzine](../images/00002.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Kzine Issue 22 © September 2018 by Kimota Publishing
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  cover © Dave Windett, 2018
  
  
  
  
  
  The Restoration © Ryan Fitzpatrick, 2018
  
  
  
  
  
  Twins © Mark Bilsborough, 2018
  
  
  
  
  
  Dead Ringer © Peter DeChellis, 2018
  
  
  
  
  
  Danger Men At Work © Ken McGrath, 2018
  
  
  
  
  
  The Floating Of THe Dead © Louis Palmerino, 2018
  
  
  
  
  
  Manipulation © E.V. Morozov, 2018
  
  
  
  
  
  Never Take The Closing Shift © Ana Gardner, 2018
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Note: An editorial decision has been taken to retain the spelling and
  vocabulary from the author’s country. This may reduce consistency but it is
  felt it helps to maintain authenticity and integrity of the story.
  
  
  
  
  
  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form
  by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
  without prior writte