Recent Articles
One sentence on the rest of the books I read in 2022
Or well, a bit more than a sentence actually. In total, I read 45 books in 2022. The first part of my round up from Summer 2022 is here.
Now, onto the books..
One sentence on every book I've read so far this year
Before we get started, I wanted to share two recent rogue columns. I wrote about how I was wrong about about both time and social media. I hope you enjoy them.
Now, onto the books..
Sally Rooney’s ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You?’ surprised and delighted me. It’s her best book yet. (An excerpt)
Mother’s day, March recs & some writing news
Just quick update today. As I write, the sun is finally shining in Dublin and I want to get out and enjoy it. The weather is forecast to turn this week - from the positively balmy 16 degrees we're currently enjoying back down to 6 degrees. Before I get the sunscreen out, I wanted to share some news and recommendations.
2021: A year in reading
I started the year with Chanel Miller’s ‘Know My Name’. It’s become a tradition that I start the year with a book about surviving sexual violece, often a memoir. It’s as if my body needs a corrective after the sentimentality of Christmas and the feeling that the whole world is ensconced in happy, Hallmark families while I'm out here on my own. In 2020, I began the year with Lucia Osborne-Crowley’s ‘I Choose Elena’ followed closely by Vigdis Hjorth’s ‘Will and Testament’.
Revisiting Obama’s ‘A Promised Land’
"In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."
That's maybe the best line from Barack Obama's infamous 2008 "Yes, We Can" speech.
The one that Will.I.Am set to music, with a host of celebrities in black and white earnestly reading the lines with their eyes locked on the camera. Reading the speech again now, it seems naive at best. At worst, it betrays the kind of delusional optimism that came to define the former President's time in public life.
Wintering
“Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximizing scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but it crucible.”
The best of 2019
I’m sure you’re drowning in ‘best of’ lists, but I wanted to share a few favourites before 2019 ticks over into 2020.
The best books I’ve read so far in 2019
So far this year, I’ve read 33 books.
Best of the year (2018)
I wanted to use this edition of the newsletter to recommend a few of my favourite things from 2018. This time of year, the internet is brimming with ‘best of’ lists.
On ‘The Rules Do Not Apply” and privilege
There’s something about the internet’s quickness to reach for the ‘check your privilege’ card that makes me very uncomfortable.
Finding a reading system that works (or, an Instapaper vs Pocket showdown)
A few months ago, I read Diana’s story about how she reads online and captures the bits that interest her. She talked about a “digital commonplace book” which was a term I’d never heard before, but liked. She said that an ability to find and save interesting tidbits on particular topics was important for having complex, nuanced ideas. I thought that sounded super smart.
Books I’ve Read - summer 2014
It’s been a summer of amazing books, including some that I read twice. I usen’t to allow myself re-read books, thinking that it was inefficient to re-enjoy something while the ‘to read’ stack grows higher. Thankfully, I’ve gotton over that nonsense and enjoyed a couple of these twice. There’s great comfort in visiting in an author’s world for a second time, everything seems familiar but not quite right. I love it. To the books..
Show Your Work
I’m one of those nerdy readers who takes notes as they write. I’ve also been known to take notes in the cinema/while watching TV. I’m one of life’s note-takers.
Austin Kleon’s ‘Show Your Work’ is a short, incisive read encouraging us creators to well, show our work. It’s a potent little book, with great actionable ideas. Here’s a bunch of lessons I learned, as well as some of my own notes.
Recommended Reads (Feb 2014)
This New York winter has been long, dark and mighty cold. As I type, on March 6th, there is still snow on the ground. The inclement weather meant plenty of time for reading and I’ve devoured some fantastic books. Here are a few recommendations:
