Read Anything Good Lately?

Let's share some of our favorite books to help each other stay grounded and sane(ish).

Photo by John Mark Smith

Hello Friend,

Books are everything, right? They’ve been keeping me afloat in the Very Difficult Times in which we find ourselves. They remind me there is joy and beauty and tenderness and laughter and mystery and mischief and solutions and playfulness and even peace. They also remind me how astoundingly gorgeous language can be and how sometimes the subject matter falls second to the sheer elegance of the words.

I’m guessing I’m not alone in this. So I thought we might try something different this week. Rather than a guest contributor how about if we share books in the comments that have buoyed us in some manner or reconfigured our cells or sent much needed kisses to our heart. Or books that transported us to somewhere exciting, that provided a breather, or made us laugh. Or that taught us something or helped us see the world in a new way. Or ones that we just enjoyed reading for no particular reason other than we liked them.

I’ll go first: A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam. Holy kamoly, what a stunningly beautiful book. So precise. So gentle. So exacting and fierce and transportive. I learned so much about Sri Lanka—and also about how to pace a novel. I finished it and immediately started it a second time. And, of course, all the books by the authors I’ve spoken with thus far. So much talent it bowls me over.

How about you? What books have been getting you through?

You can also share ideas on who you’d love to hear future interviews with. I do have some fantastic ones lined up, but I’m all ears.