This past few weeks have been a lot of things. I’ve been getting back into routine, trying out recipes, enjoying brilliant weather, running, and a doing a little bit of reading.
There hasn’t been an overarching idea that’s been top of mind this past week, so I decided to sift through my archive - it’s my list of ideas, thoughts, and half-baked essays that are looking for a home.
I came across an essay I was drafting about how my current bookshelf is an amalgamation of all the bookish cravings I’ve had over the past 4 years. There was the summer of unhinged women 2022 (so much fun, highly recommend, sprinkled my bookshelf with some much needed pink). The time I wanted to learn negotiation. The winter of philosophy 2021. January 2024 when I only read sci-fi. Yuval Noah Harari. Poetry.
A couple of months ago, my latest craving was artistic insight. This is a recurring craving of mine, and surfaces when I want to explore: how a writer views their craft, learn what or who their influences are, or read their rich, inner monologue. My favorite way to do this? Essay collections.
With less of an incentive to perform, I think essays allow for honesty. My favorites are the ones that read like journals, or experiments in thought and craft.
So here are 4 of my favorite books in case you ever have a similar literary craving. Not all of these are essay collections; one of them is an interview with a filmmaker and one is better described as pieces of prose.
Too much and not the mood by Durga Chew-Bose
The best ideas outrun me. That’s why I write.
This is such a delightful collection of essays. Durga Chew-Bose is a writer and filmmaker based in Italy. This particular collection is compiled from essays that have previously been published in magazines and newspapers.
Side Note: Her first film, Bonjour Tristesse, came out in 2020. It’s a film adaptation of the book by Françoise Sagan. I’m dying to watch it, but before I do that, I need to read the book (I am very much a must-read-the-book-before-I-watch-the-adaptation kind of person). I will consume anything this woman creates.
My favorite is her opening essay, ‘Heart Museum‘ (although ‘Part of a Greater Pattern‘ is a close second). I won’t give too much away, but I do want to give you a glimpse into what it’s about, hopefully creating intrigue while preserving the novelty of reading a text for the first time.
Writing. Sisterhood. A woman’s inner life. Wrap-around porches. Parents. Grandparents. Nook people. Food. Sunshine.
The places of Marguerite Duras
I get the feeling that my films begin the day after they’ve been seen, the same as with a book one reads.
I found this one in a bookstore and noticed the introduction was by Durga Chew-Bose. I love reading introductions, especially ones by writers I admire and this one was amazing. The book is the transcription of Marguerite’s interview with Michelle Porte, and it’s everything you want from a filmmaker and writer. The questions asked were perfect and the answers they elicited, even better.
My favorite insights:
How Marguerite thinks of writing and stories. Why she began writing. Women and houses. What she calls the place of passion as opposed to the place of the spectator. Places and how they harbor memory. The metaphor of the sieve.
Bluets by Maggie Nelson
In which case blue is something of an ecstatic accident produced by void & fire.
Bluets barely starts as a book about Maggie Nelson’s love of the color blue before revealing itself as what it really is - a book about missing someone. It’s a difficult text to describe, but all you need to know is that it reads like fragments of thought that are almost erratic but extremely relatable. You’ll just have to experience it for yourself.
Upstream by Mary Oliver
So here I am, walking on down the sandy path, with my wild body, with the inherited devotions of curiosity and respect.
It took me a long time to choose a quote for this book - I kept getting lost in the essays. My copy of this book is messy, underlined in ink, tabbed, annotated and frayed at the edges. It is well-loved. Mary Oliver reminds me to play, watch birds, take responsibility and touch grass. Most essays in here have been read and re-read many times.
All of them are gems, but here are my favorites:
Staying Alive
Of Power and Time
Sister Turtle
Building the House
reading:
I finished reading The Medium is the Massage by Marshall McLuhan. The title of this book confused me so much. I was convinced it was supposed to be his highly quoted phrase ‘The Medium is the Message‘ (which comes from his book - Understanding Media). According to Wikipedia, I was right; the title was a mistake, but McLuhan liked the typo and kept it as is.
learning: More stablecoins
making:
I finally hosted a little dinner for the girls I’ve met in the city so far! I had so much fun creating a menu, playlists, and prepping. We ended up chatting the night away, sharing stories, exchanging restaurant recommendations, and enjoying all the food. It was such a wholesome time!