I’m a reader. I always have been. I’ve devoured many many books over the years, from early days flying through picture books kept in our dining room closet to now finishing thrillers on my phone while absentmindedly stirring soup.
I’ve had a hard time focusing on the written word the last few weeks. This is due in part to a medicine adjustment by my psychiatrist for my bipolar 2 (Something I think it’s important to always be honest about). It’s frustrating. Should I be mentally stable or should I finish Karin Slaughter’s entire Will Trent series in a week? Ah decisions. There’s also the current goings on in the world, which, though I am an avid news reader, I’ve been paying attention to more than normal. Those I don’t mind giving up my general reading for. However, reading material other than the news grounds me, which is why I wrote this post.
When I have trouble reading, which is something that brings me a lot of joy and comfort, I think of books I’ve really liked in the past and try to find things that are similar to them. Here’s a list of books that I love, that I read recently, or that have touched me in the past.
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Wintering by Katherine May
Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother by Barry Sonnenfeld
Erotic Stories Punjabi Widows Bali Jaswal Kaur
Diabolical Summer by Thierre Smoldern, illustrated by Alexandre Clerisse
Solar Bones by Mike McCormack
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Confessions by Kanae Minato
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokimozo
The White Album by Joan Didion
Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean Dominique Bauby
Pleasure Activism by adrienne marie brown
Seven Years of Darkness by Jeong You-Jeong
This text is sandwiched (or should I say book-ended?) by some images I made of my friend Corrie in the building where her art studio is located. We spent a rainy afternoon and just played around with lighting and poses. It was so rejuvenating to freely experiment and just have fun. I’m getting back in touch with what makes me happy.
