Reading novels like a kid in the 80s who has been promised a personal pan pizza for their efforts
My recent ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads plus all the books I finished lately and Kindle deals for you
Before we jump into this week’s newsletter about books and reading, I wanted to point you towards a couple of folks who are writing about this moment for our American friends in ways that I think may be helpful for you beyond the facts and news:
is writing a series on Mother-Earth-Driven Politics, complete with practices for embodiment; came through with a good reminder on hope in wobbly times; and historian reflected on the events of the past weekend with wisdom about fighting authoritarianism. If you’d like to share other voices or perspectives you’ve found helpful, please feel welcome to share a link in the Comments section. Our hearts are with you all during this difficult week. And as always, our hearts, attention, and prayers also remain with all those who suffer in these days but do not receive the headlines. - S.Hi friends,
Welcome to the once-a-quarter-or-so regular edition of Field Notes wherein we talk about reading! To loop in our newer subscribers, I typically share what I’ve been reading myself (along with an actually honest review), select a favourite or two from that stack, and even comb through Amazon Kindle deals to find a few reads worth your time. If you’re curious, here are my favourite reads of 2023 and this was the latest Book Corner from back in March.
I’ve had my nose in a book quite a lot lately. It may have something to do with needing the escape from The Horrors of Current Events or avoiding the grand summer tradition of managing the screen time of children/teens, who knows, but I do know I’ve been reading novels like a kid in the 80s who has been promised a personal pan pizza for their efforts.1 Get ready for a long list…
"Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it's a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it's a way of making contact with someone else's imagination after a day that's all too real." – Nora Ephron
My Favourite Recent Reads
Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My fellow bookworm friend Jessica Turner recommended this one to me ages ago but it took this long for my turn in the library queue to arrive. (So many holds! Usually a good sign.) She warned me that it was a bit weird in premise - a newlywed slowly transforms into a great white shark - but the payoff was incredible. She wasn’t wrong. I absolutely loved this book. Even though the premise is fantastical, the questions at the heart of it are universal and deeply human: love, grief, humour, resignation to fate, evolution over time. It is truly unforgettable and un-replicable. I can’t stop thinking about it.
The Understory: An Invitation to Rootedness and Resilience from the Forest Floor by Lore Ferguson Wilbert ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - What a beautiful, healing, unexpected, and wise book. Lore writes through the realities of religious and political trauma of these days as a poet and a naturalist. If you like Wendell Berry or Robin Kimmerer’s work, you’ll love this as much as I did/do. It’s the type of spiritual writing I’m very hungry for these days but Lore writes with a humility, curiosity, reflectiveness, and beauty that sets her work apart.2