Things Read & A Request!

Some links to good writing and an admission of pickiness

I have mixed feelings about these list of link/round up posts or whatever you want to call them. I don’t know if I’ll continue it. But here we are in September, and I collected some things to share with you as the month went by. Plus, I’d like your help!

Asters and goldenrod

Asia Suler

shared about her dance with Lyme disease and what she did to heal. As someone who has experienced Lyme, I’ve been curious about her story. She also has a free class today (9/28) at 3pm ET on illness as teacher.

D.L. Mayfield

won’t shut up about facism, authoritanism and Christianity and thank goodness. Their content is not for the faint of heart but it’s good work that needs doing.

Sophie Strand

wrote about refusing to participate in the destructive theater of medicine that is rampant today. It’s an ugly performance I know too well. Thank you, Sophie.

I recently happened on the work of

Kat Farrell-Davis

over on

the poetry journals

and it’s helping me love poetry again.

This essay We’re All Lurkers Now on

Embedded

was really eye opening to me, particularly as someone who doesn’t have a social media account. Since leaving social media, I have heard from people less and less. I’ve struggled to understand why and this explains a lot of it.

A beautiful human who I have so much gratitude for—and who is the reason I write Peace of the Whole, really—has started a new project. It’s a gem. Herbalist, naturopath and FAM educator Clara Bailey now writes Simple Home Life and it reminds me of chill, thorough, homey blogs of yore (i.e. the early 2000s). It all aligns nicely with living intentionally and season-centered.

I mentioned it in brief in another essay, but I’d like to fully recommend Climate Resilience. It brings much needed attention to perspective shifts we require to survive and women and marginalized people doing incredible work in these area.

Edit: Adding this essay from

Erin Boyle

over on

Tea Notes

that came into my inbox whilst I was writing this.

Finally, I need help! I need novel recommendations, folks!

Reading heavy texts on the climate crisis or the nervous system right before turning out the light at night is not working out for me. I need stories. Your recommendations for works of fiction are highly sought after.

Part of my quandary is I can’t figure out what I’m looking for. I grew up reading strictly classics¹ and that is just not my jam anymore. I just finished The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue and really enjoyed it, so maybe something along those lines. Other things I’ve enjoyed: the Outlander books, The Signature of All Things by Liz Gilbert, and the work of Louise Erdrich and Ann Patchett (sometimes). Most importantly I want sharp, clever writing, witty dialogue, tight plot that does end too open ended, and rich characters. I like an ending that makes one feel warm and fuzzy in a sad way, like the ending of Roman Holiday.²

Nothing dystopian.³ Absolutely no sci-fi.⁴ I would be picky about fantasy. Bonus points for novels where the more-than-human world is highly featured and/or that are set in Maine. Bonus bonus points for novels set in autumn!

Ok, now that I’ve revealed how picky I am…please tell me what I should read!

1. As a teenager I would have told you my favorite book was either Bleak House by Charles Dickens or To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. From that you can really get a sense of the sort of kid I was + how much I needed to go to therapy.

2. Show me a better ending in all of cinematic history.

3. Day to day life has enough of those vibes.

4. I read and watch too much, too young and I don’t know that I’ll ever recover.