Oh, hello there.
Should we talk about why I haven’t been around for months, or just pretend like I didn’t spend the last nine or so weeks not writing?
Well, in the time since you last heard from me I moved apartments and helped transition my store to a new inventory system. I’ve been thinking about writing a lot, but honestly I was interacting a lot less with new-to-me books and a lot more with cardboard and computer screens.
It’s not just that. I had developed a habit of writing these on Monday evenings. Now, I try to go to a yoga class every Monday. I still haven’t figured out a time to re-form this habit. But the first step is writing this, right now. Once I send it, I’ll expect you to expect another one next week, and the week after that, and so on. So here I am, on a Friday afternoon attempting to write while also hanging out with my friend’s adorable twins. (I mean, be grateful that I’m even able to write anything when there are such cute and fascinating babies vying for attention.)
I’ll admit that I didn’t finish writing this on a Friday afternoon—those babies were just too cute to ignore. Now it’s Monday, and a new moon, which is a wonderful time to set intentions. I intend to present you with a new newsletter every Tuesday. I also intend to write multiple some weeks, to have in my back pocket when I need a week off. I intend to read all the books I write about, some day. (I think of this newsletter as my archive of intent.)
Today I present you with a list of books whose titles caught my eye while I was doing a publisher range—that’s a report we pull prior to placing an order, it looks at all the books from a certain publisher that have sold since I last placed the order. Most of these books I haven’t even seen in the store, but now I plan on seeking them out.
An Attempt at Exhausting a Place In Paris by Georges Perec, translated by Marc Lowenthal
Perec spent three days sitting in the same place, recording everything that happened. I love when everyday events are made fascinating. I think all you need to do, to achieve this, is pay attention. I am trying to slow down and notice more. I am thinking this book may help.
Soft Science by Franny Choi
Have we talked about how I am an aspirational poetry reader? Not that I read aspirational poetry, but that I aspire to read poetry at all. I own a lot of poetry, but the last collection I read all the way through was—I don’t want to admit it, but I do know exactly thanks to my spreadsheet—2015. This is great, I’m going to shame myself into reading another poetry collection. Maybe next week I’ll tell you about all the collections I’ve bought since 2015. (That would take too long, so I’ll just tell you about some. Anyway.) This poetry collection:
explores queer, Asian American femininity. A series of Turing Test-inspired poems grounds its exploration of questions not just of identity, but of consciousness—how to be tender and feeling and still survive a violent world filled with artificial intelligence and automation.
So, yeah. That sounds incredible.
Pesto: The Modern Mother Sauce by Leslie Lennox
Was it the pesto part or the mother part? I love pesto—it was the first sauce I could make without a recipe (ok, it’s still the only sauce). But I am also drawn to the topic of motherhood so, I know it sounds weird, but that could have been it too.
Apparently this book will introduce readers to a new way of thinking about pesto—it’s possibly the way I already think about pesto (as a sauce that can be created using any type of green and nut combo, not just basil and pine nuts), but it’s likely a more nuanced and descriptive way of thinking about pesto plus recipes and so I’m very interested.
Notes On Design: How Creative Practice Works by Kees Dorst
Design is something I’m very interested in, but also something I have very little confidence in—rather, I have little confidence in my ability to understand it, or know good design when I see it. So, obviously, I need to read books about it. My list of to-read design books could be its own post. This one is essays on the nature and role of design “within the broader contexts of business and society.” I’m mostly interested in design from a business standpoint—learning enough to be able to produce attractive newsletters, signage, fliers, etc. and to create eye-catching displays—so this premise intrigues me.
Currently Reading
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack
Remember in my last issue, I wrote about half the books by my bedside? Well, that bedside has since moved so part two of the post will likely never come. But I can tell you that my current, actual bedside reading book is this thorough examination of each card in the tarot deck. Rachel Pollack is kind of the person when it comes to learning about tarot. If you want to understand the meaning of certain symbols, learn some history of tarot (it started as a regular ol’ card game), and, yes, learn about their use in divination and you’ve got time for a deep dive, well, this is the book you’re looking for.
Other Ways to Find Me On the Internets
Once a month (or so) I host a podcast called Drunk Booksellers where my best friend and I interview a fellow bookseller while drinking. I sometimes tweet about books and politics. I sometimes post pictures of books I’m reading, or cats I’m hanging out with on Instagram.
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