READ ALL ABOUT IT
Since 2012, I’ve been writing about books. And the act of reading. And the importance of story and narrative. But, mostly, the underlying theme of all I write is how taking a moment to stop and digest some longform text — instead of scrolling, instead of watching a video, instead of multitasking — can be one of the most grounding things we can do for ourselves. Here’s the one-stop online home for all this writing.
You can read more about me and my work by moseying over here. Want to peruse periodic “essay drops” — excerpts from my work-in-progress essay collection about Homesickness? Here ya go.
Put a Little Book House in Your Soul
It’s that time of year 🍂🍁🍂🍁
Recreating
I’m enjoying a Thai rice and tofu salad by myself. I think Matt would probably like it, but he is traveling so I see this as an opportunity to experiment with recipes from The Happy Pear, a pint-sized vegan restaurant in Greystones, Co Wicklow where I would often stop with my “hill walking” friends. “A lifetime ago,” we like to say. Meanwhile, Spotify’s Natalie Merchant playlist streams through the speaker. From recalling my “discovery” of 10,000 Maniacs in middle school to easing into the softer melodies of her solo career, my mind’s eye looks through a make-believe pinhole and sees a different me. But still the same…you know what I mean. It’s hard to hold hands with a 10- or 20- (or, yikes, 30-)-years-earlier version of oneself, much less give her a high five. But I’ll always try!
NYPL Got Rid of Late Fees and Check Out What’s Being Returned
Has your library gone fine-free? Mine did starting earlier this year, but I’ve been paying attention to this phenomenon for years — pretty much since I started this account. There’s a bunch of research as to why eliminating late fees is a smart choice, but the research doesn’t take into account the added benefit of seeing all the interesting things that get returned once people feel that’s it “ok” to untether themselves from things they’ve (likely inadvertently) had for years and years and years.
Little Free Libraries Beneath the Surface
I posted on my stories the other day that during a long walk in a neighborhood near where we used to live in Charlotte, NC, I passed at least 7 Little Free Libraries.
