Returning to Books
Do you have those books or songs that stick with you for a long time? You keep thinking about them and coming back to them?
Here are a few that are sticking with me recently.
Heart the Lover by Lily King. Not the best book I have read, but I am so glad to have met the character of Yash, and to see the love that surrounds him from the author.
“Rosie” by John Mayer. One of those songs that stays with you and gets better each time. A smooth R&B song, one of his more “mainstream” songs. But, the more you listen, the more you hear.
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden. An unexpected memoir of a sad divorce, but my main takeaway was how proud I was of Belle for writing it, and how good the writing is. She wanted to be a writer, but she was discouraged by a classmate and became a lawyer. I am so glad she wrote this book.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle, which I read in the car as our family was driving across country to return home right as the pandemic hit in March 2020, curving through snow-topped mountains, crossing bridges, and driving through fields of giant wind towers. This book is important, and came at the right time. Yes, Glennon has gone through many iterations, and I’ve followed her through them all. Her heart for justice and love stays the same.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. A memoir from a neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, this is a book I put off reading for a long time. Now that I’m a medical writer at a children’s hospital, it wasn’t so unfamiliar to read. A wonderful and brave book. I’m so glad to have met Paul and Lucy.
Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965-2003 by Jean Valentine, which holds way more than one could know. It would require many readings to take it all in. Calm and simple on the surface, her poems hold worlds.
Read her poem “Door in the Mountain” on the Poetry Foundation site.
Prompt: Is there a book you once loved that you still think about? Maybe open it up again. Journal about how it’s different and the same this time around.
Photo by Abinash Jothimani on Unsplash