3 books i’m loving on now…
I am still working on quilt stories but am taking another month’s blog to take a break from those and write about something that I thought might interest you and that is, books. While I am usually reading more than three books at a time (scattered brain syndrome), the three that have really gotten my attention of late are Wendel Berry’s Think Little, Neal Allen and Anne Lamott’s Good Writing, and Rebecca McClanahan’s Light Falls on Everything.
Why these three? Berry’s book I have read over and over and still get some little new nugget out if it each time. It’s as if he rewrites it while I’m sleeping and reading other books just so that when I do come back to it, it’ll feel just as fresh, new, and inspiring as the first and subsequent times I’ve read it. Think about our times right now…his book, published in 2019, makes me think Berry foresees a future some of us can’t, or don’t want, to predict. And he advises we handle our lot by thinking small and acting accordingly. That’s doable.
Allen and Lamott’s book I’m reading because I’ll read any Lamott book I can get my greedy hands on. I can’t get enough of her humility and humor, her advice and her musings. I love how she weaves her tales with the wisdom of someone who’s been through it. Because she has. Operating Instructions was the first book of hers I read and I was hooked evermore. I feel, when I am reading her, that she gets me. She gets politics, she gets religion, and she gets spirituality. She gets life. And in all fairness to Neal Allen, her husband and co-author on Good Writing, he makes some serious sense when it comes to writing. I’d say more but, sorry, Neal. I have an author crush on Anne, so, she’s the one that gets my attention. Seriously, I would love to be a fly on Anne and Neal’s kitchen wall listening to the banter back and forth about all manner of things. But flies probably don’t have ears. Still, they would probably make me laugh so hard I’d pee a little.
And McClanahan is another author whom I’ll read voraciously. The book mentioned above is about caregiving and while I’m not exactly in that role at this time in my life, I have a friend who is and I bought her a copy and felt I wanted to read what I’m giving her. I have not been the least bit disappointed. It is sometimes heart-wrenching, usually relatable, but always, almost always, tender. It is real life and has helped me to understand my friend’s circumstances better, and the circumstances my mother experienced caring for her mother who had Alzheimer’s. It is giving me a glance into the future when one day, I may be caring for a sibling or my spouse, or someone may be caring for me. McClanahan’s honesty is so refreshing and that reminds me, in many ways, of Lamott’s writing.
But I can’t really stop at just three. I always keep @P_Marin ’s books close by for a meaningful, joyful pick-me-up. The Goal is Joy is one of my favorites but her Pig and Chick children’s books are just as fantastic. While I bought them for my great nieces, I suspect I am the one getting the most out of them. You can also sign up for her newsletter which she sends out every week. Even though she lives across the country, she makes me feel like every Friday morning, I can join her electronically for a quick conversation and a cup ‘o joe.
I would highly recommend all of these books if you have any interest in truth, problem-solving, writing, caregiving and/or joy. I promise, if you keep your ears and eyes open as you read, you won’t be disappointed.
And back to my quilt stories…if you have one you’d like to share, or even just an anecdote, please comment below. I’d love to hear from you! If you need a little nudge in telling your stories, my journal, The Story of Your Quilt may help. It’s available here now.