Commonplace #4
Some things that caught my interest - November 2024
Exploring Life and Literature
Dear Friends,
Fall is my favorite season and November is my favorite month. I love Thanksgiving far more than any other holiday. So many other holidays seem to have been co-opted by consumerism and a focus on the material rather than the original spirit of the day. Thanksgiving remains stalwart, clinging to a purer purpose than gifts and candy.
Here are some things that caught my interest in November 2024:
- shares some things she learned in 22 years of marriage. Her article, Look For the Good, is a great reminder of some simple things to do to keep your marriage and yourself happy and healthy.
- is a photographer, backpacker, and aspiring Stoic. His publication, , details his adventures. I enjoyed his recent article, How Do You Like Them Apples?, as it reminded me of my family’s experiences picking apples in the fall in Julian, CA.
If you enjoyed my article on the history of coffee you may also enjoy
’s review of From Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown.- and frequently appear here in my list of recommendations, and for good reason. This month, they write about the importance of vocabulary and why reading great literature is critical to developing our knowledge of words in their essay, For the Love of Language.
- is one of my favorite writers. He is a brilliant chef who explores what it means to live, cook, and eat in close connection to the land. I was very excited to see his interview with , Will Cooper’s job is anything but ordinary.
- read a biography of the majority of the U.S. Presidents, a project I am also working on. You can read about his experience in his article, My Journey Through the Presidents.
- is a fellow Navy veteran and a deep thinker. His writing always challenges me to think critically on the topic of his essay. Check out his recent article on A Lesson on the Meaning of Life.
- authored an excellent post entitled How Parents Can Fight Back Against the Digital Deluge of Life.
- is an Australian lawmaker who recently authored an article on After Babel describing Why Australia is Setting a Minimum Age of 16 for Creating a Social Media Account.
- is a lover of words, especially when they form poems. She recently had an essay published in the New Verse Review titled: A Review of Memory’s Abacus by Anna Lewis.
Books I read in November:
The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff. This book has been on my shelf for awhile and I decided to read it for some upcoming discussions in the new year. It was exceptional and provides significant insight into the state of our nation, particularly our educational system. I look forward to reading Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation, soon.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
recommended this book to me during our discussion of magical realism. I never heard of it before that. Then while I was reading it, mentioned it during one of her podcast episodes. This is the first book in a series of four. I believe there were supposed to be more but unfortunately the author passed away. It was excellent and I definitely recommend it to people who enjoy a good book about books set in a mystery.- . I met Jody through a writer’s group and we quickly connected over some common interests. I was excited to support her by purchasing her collection of poetry. Jody shares her faith and love of the natural world in this work. A couple of my favorite poems include Accompaniment and Books Like A Boat which I share below.
Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World by
Rona and I bonded because we both love our pups who happen to look quite similar. Her Casey and my Lola both deeply impacted our lives. This book shares Rona’s story of how her relationship with Casey changed her relationship with the world.The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. KSR is a notoriously difficult author to read. His books tend towards the hard science end of science-fiction. I read this particular book as part of a read-along and discussion hosted by
. This book falls squarely in the climate-fiction sub-genre and is about a future earth greatly impacted by climate change. The book is a difficult read because the chapters do not run in any cohesive manner and the story is told through many different viewpoints. This book is informative and striking in its predictions of the future, however, I am not sure it is a book that a person can enjoy as much as simply try to take in.The Fixer by Bernard Malamud. Malamud won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for this superb tale of anti-Semitism in early 20th century Russia. Yakov Bok is a Jewish handyman accused of a murder he didn’t commit and this is the story of his brutal treatment at the hands of authorities. This had been on my shelf for some time but in light of recent world events I thought it timely to read.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. This is the first book in Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet. Ferrante has been all the rage the last few years and it seems everyone is reading her work right now. I decided to see what all the hype was about. I enjoyed the story of two young friends growing up in Naples. Between the engaging characters and detailed descriptions of mid-century Italy I am invested.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Profoundly beautiful. I have heard about this book my whole life and just got around to reading it. I loved everything about it. Highly recommended.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong seemed to be the “it” book this past year, so I wanted to read it for myself. To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy it. I didn’t care for the writing style; it was very stream-of-consciousness, which irritates me when I am reading. So it wasn’t for me.
Podcasts:
host the Strong Sense of Place podcast which I love and highly recommend you check out if you like travel and reading.Books Like A Boat by Jody L. Collins
Long ago through pages, my childhood travels
widened the world, weighted vessels carrying me
with words away from the noisy silence of loss
and longing to shores of a new land inhabited
by people cloaked in care and grace.
Pages unfolded, character's lives ferried like
boxed fruit, a cargo of rich phrases
offering a banquet for my soul and instead
of boundaries, welcomed me to the limitless
land of life as it could be.
Would be.
Maybe should be.
I've been voyaging there ever since.Long-Term Reading Projects
In addition to my regular reading and the books I discuss here on Beyond the Bookshelf, I periodically make progress toward a few long-term reading projects. These are the Presidential Biographies project, the Pulitzer Prize project, and the Nobel Laureate project. I have included links to each of those on the Deep Reads Book Club page if you want to see my progress and/or follow along.
Beyond the Bookshelf is a reader-supported publication. If you are looking for ways to support Beyond the Bookshelf, please visit my support page and see the ways you can help continue the mission of exploring the connection between life and literature.
Until next time,
Thanks for the mention and the excellent list of recommendations. You are one of the most engaged writers that I have come across here on Substack and I am in awe of your reading list! Also, I love your Human Intelligence stamp!
Generous to so many .... The Fixer and Malamud, unforgettable. Ferrante--you won't be able to stop with the first of the four. I would add Colm Tóibín to your list.