Is there anything better than a good bookstore? The last life-changing book I read was the memoir STAY TRUE by Hua Hsu. It brought back those intense first experiences with young adulthood and death, and inspired me as a writer to really (REALLY) follow the thread of those stories in my life so I can finally explain why they were so profound to me (even if just for my self-gratification).
After not reading at all during the first 2.5 years of the pandemic I’m back into it. What a joy — nothing like having a good book to lose yourself in, one you can’t wait to get back to. (I also converted back to paper books a year ago.)
I’ve been lost in memoirs lately: Stay True by Hua Hsu, Janet Malcom’s ‘Still Pictures’, ‘The Salt Path’ (Raynor Winn), ‘Lost and Found’ by Kathryn Schulz, ‘Tastes Like War’ (Grace Cho). And I just reread ‘Barbarian Days’ (William Finnegan), which could have been the most annoying, bro-iest surfer dude book in the world but is absolutely wonderful, honest, self-reflective and captivating. You don’t have to be a surfer (I’m not) to like it, but loving travel and nature help. Also reread ‘River Town’ by Peter Hessler — what a great writer he is.
The book that got me back into reading: Bewilderment by Richard Powers, and The Overstory after that.
Thank you for thar excellent list! I’ve read and loved some of these - Barbarian Days, the Richard Powers books - and had Stay True and the Salt Path on my “next up” list. Like you, I’m currently reading Sigrid Nunez’s The Vulnerables and hoping it will help me get back into absorbing reading.
Adding The Vulnerables to my list, thanks. I’ve recommended Barbarian Days to so many (female) friends but as yet none have read it. I think it’s a case of ‘oh written by a guy about surfing, no thanks ‘. Glad to know another fan.
Your post also reminded me of what might sister always said. She wished that life and especially motherhood were like the chapters of her favorite books, and that she could pick them, flip the pages, and re-live it all. My digital photo frames are the closest I get to that.
I love the serendipities you found. Like a triptych!
Good question about the books. They’re all a jumbled geological layer in my mind a lot of the time, but reading Richard Wagamese’s “Walking the Ojibwe Path” was pretty profound for me on the level of simply being human.
What a great post, and I'm honored to be included! These days it seems like I only have time to browse for new books in airport bookstores, and I just found out that the tiny Elliot Bay one at Sea-Tac has disappeared permanently! But I have to admit, there's an entire stack of books in a shelf in my office that I have yet to dive into. It's just that they were recommendations from people, instead of serendipitous discoveries, and like you I still long to stumble upon something truly great.
Can't wait for your Womancake Magazine interview to drop on Wednesday! It's free to sign up for the mag, putting the link here: https://www.womancake.com/
I used to hang out in the basement a lot, because that's where they kept all the college brochures. I knew early on that college was my ticket out of Lakewood (and New Jersey). Sometimes I would walk home from school because the library was somewhere near the halfway point, and lose myself in a deep dive into whatever topic was fascinating me at the moment. The Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature kept me busy for hours (and I think all the librarians knew me because I was constantly at their desk requesting more old magazines). It saddens me that today so many view libraries as unimportant or expendable. It was a life-saver for me.
My reading droughts often reflect stress eating up my emotional and intellectual bandwidth. Or maybe just a blue funk. It's hard to hit the re-set. Try Prince Harry's memoir "Spare." The audiobook version is excellent. It'll re-grease your leisure reading. Not too heavy, not too light, and just thought-provoking enough.
Spare, huh. I feel oversaturated with Royal Family content. That said, because Diana was a peer ( we are the same age and I remember wondering what she was thinking when she married Charles at 19) I wish I could take her boys aside and convince them to work out their differences.
Weekly trips to the library from as early as I can remember. Who had money for books?! Although I should say that my parents were always very generous when it came to the annual Scholastic Book order that we got to do in elementary school. Most of the books that were in the house were in my room, piled up in a corner!
I love the metaphor of book as life. Speaking of books, there were no bookshelves in the house(s) I grew up in. I'm happy to say that the the house my daughter has grown up in has many.
>>To me, life is like a book, made up of chapters that together weave their way into a complete and hopefully satisfying story. This far into the narrative, I’m not expecting anything that is inconsistent with the character I have been developing for decades. I’m the sum of my experiences and, though I am open to and planning on having more novel experiences, I expect these will enhance rather than change my life.
I would describe the "book of my life" as having chapters that each begin with a crisis. I have a lot of "discontinuous change" going on. None was predictable.
A book I love and often give as a gift: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. It is just so good.
I love that book!!! It’s one of the last books I read that really gripped me. As for discontinuous change - I acknowledge that shit happens that is out of our control. I like that you can think about each of these as a chapter and that renewal can be possible.
Another book idea: All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir. It won the National Book Award for YA lit, but it's not (just) for YA, it's for adults. Such an amazing book that will completely sweep you away!
Hi Alison! As a former Ballard resident, I'm really enjoying your newsletter -- thanks for sharing your journey. I used to belong to the Ballard Writers Collective so we probably crossed paths at those events. And I'd love to try out Emily Nunn's substack if you still have any trial subscriptions!
Hi Ruth- please send me your email address and I’ll give you a link to Emily’s trial subscription. Nice to connect with a fellow Ballard writer! Peggy continues to do her magic and connected me to the Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative. I’m so grateful to have learned about it.
Is there anything better than a good bookstore? The last life-changing book I read was the memoir STAY TRUE by Hua Hsu. It brought back those intense first experiences with young adulthood and death, and inspired me as a writer to really (REALLY) follow the thread of those stories in my life so I can finally explain why they were so profound to me (even if just for my self-gratification).
I heard him interviewed by Sam Frogoso on Talk Easy. That book is on my list!!
After not reading at all during the first 2.5 years of the pandemic I’m back into it. What a joy — nothing like having a good book to lose yourself in, one you can’t wait to get back to. (I also converted back to paper books a year ago.)
I’ve been lost in memoirs lately: Stay True by Hua Hsu, Janet Malcom’s ‘Still Pictures’, ‘The Salt Path’ (Raynor Winn), ‘Lost and Found’ by Kathryn Schulz, ‘Tastes Like War’ (Grace Cho). And I just reread ‘Barbarian Days’ (William Finnegan), which could have been the most annoying, bro-iest surfer dude book in the world but is absolutely wonderful, honest, self-reflective and captivating. You don’t have to be a surfer (I’m not) to like it, but loving travel and nature help. Also reread ‘River Town’ by Peter Hessler — what a great writer he is.
The book that got me back into reading: Bewilderment by Richard Powers, and The Overstory after that.
Best of luck with your continued recovery.
Thank you for thar excellent list! I’ve read and loved some of these - Barbarian Days, the Richard Powers books - and had Stay True and the Salt Path on my “next up” list. Like you, I’m currently reading Sigrid Nunez’s The Vulnerables and hoping it will help me get back into absorbing reading.
Adding The Vulnerables to my list, thanks. I’ve recommended Barbarian Days to so many (female) friends but as yet none have read it. I think it’s a case of ‘oh written by a guy about surfing, no thanks ‘. Glad to know another fan.
woah! I just popped into that bookstore the other day, pretty interesting stuff
Your post also reminded me of what might sister always said. She wished that life and especially motherhood were like the chapters of her favorite books, and that she could pick them, flip the pages, and re-live it all. My digital photo frames are the closest I get to that.
That’s a nice idea.
I love the serendipities you found. Like a triptych!
Good question about the books. They’re all a jumbled geological layer in my mind a lot of the time, but reading Richard Wagamese’s “Walking the Ojibwe Path” was pretty profound for me on the level of simply being human.
Thanks for introducing me to that title! I should add that finding you here on Substack was serendipity at its finest.
Oh, seriously, I feel the same! It meant a lot to see your name here, and be able to read your writing again.
What a great post, and I'm honored to be included! These days it seems like I only have time to browse for new books in airport bookstores, and I just found out that the tiny Elliot Bay one at Sea-Tac has disappeared permanently! But I have to admit, there's an entire stack of books in a shelf in my office that I have yet to dive into. It's just that they were recommendations from people, instead of serendipitous discoveries, and like you I still long to stumble upon something truly great.
Can't wait for your Womancake Magazine interview to drop on Wednesday! It's free to sign up for the mag, putting the link here: https://www.womancake.com/
I used to hang out in the basement a lot, because that's where they kept all the college brochures. I knew early on that college was my ticket out of Lakewood (and New Jersey). Sometimes I would walk home from school because the library was somewhere near the halfway point, and lose myself in a deep dive into whatever topic was fascinating me at the moment. The Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature kept me busy for hours (and I think all the librarians knew me because I was constantly at their desk requesting more old magazines). It saddens me that today so many view libraries as unimportant or expendable. It was a life-saver for me.
My reading droughts often reflect stress eating up my emotional and intellectual bandwidth. Or maybe just a blue funk. It's hard to hit the re-set. Try Prince Harry's memoir "Spare." The audiobook version is excellent. It'll re-grease your leisure reading. Not too heavy, not too light, and just thought-provoking enough.
Spare, huh. I feel oversaturated with Royal Family content. That said, because Diana was a peer ( we are the same age and I remember wondering what she was thinking when she married Charles at 19) I wish I could take her boys aside and convince them to work out their differences.
Weekly trips to the library from as early as I can remember. Who had money for books?! Although I should say that my parents were always very generous when it came to the annual Scholastic Book order that we got to do in elementary school. Most of the books that were in the house were in my room, piled up in a corner!
I loved our town library. I used to peruse the shelves alphabetically and found many hidden gems that way.
I love the metaphor of book as life. Speaking of books, there were no bookshelves in the house(s) I grew up in. I'm happy to say that the the house my daughter has grown up in has many.
That surprises me! You came from a smart family. Where did you hide the books?
I really love your thoughtful writing. You said,
>>To me, life is like a book, made up of chapters that together weave their way into a complete and hopefully satisfying story. This far into the narrative, I’m not expecting anything that is inconsistent with the character I have been developing for decades. I’m the sum of my experiences and, though I am open to and planning on having more novel experiences, I expect these will enhance rather than change my life.
I would describe the "book of my life" as having chapters that each begin with a crisis. I have a lot of "discontinuous change" going on. None was predictable.
A book I love and often give as a gift: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. It is just so good.
I love that book!!! It’s one of the last books I read that really gripped me. As for discontinuous change - I acknowledge that shit happens that is out of our control. I like that you can think about each of these as a chapter and that renewal can be possible.
Another book idea: All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir. It won the National Book Award for YA lit, but it's not (just) for YA, it's for adults. Such an amazing book that will completely sweep you away!
Thank you!!!!
Hi Alison! As a former Ballard resident, I'm really enjoying your newsletter -- thanks for sharing your journey. I used to belong to the Ballard Writers Collective so we probably crossed paths at those events. And I'd love to try out Emily Nunn's substack if you still have any trial subscriptions!
Hi Ruth- please send me your email address and I’ll give you a link to Emily’s trial subscription. Nice to connect with a fellow Ballard writer! Peggy continues to do her magic and connected me to the Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative. I’m so grateful to have learned about it.
Is there a way to send you my email privately?
try emailing SliceofMidlife@substack.com. That should come to my private inbox. Please let me know if that doesn't work.
Also try alisonkrupnick@substack.com
You’re still you, even if life throws you nasty curve balls.