Things I Loved in June and Looking Ahead
Monthly Digest | June 2024
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Dear Inklings,
Oh my goodness, celebrate with me because for the first time since March, I AM FINALLY NOT SICK. I could cry from relief. It took multiple rounds of antibiotics and much puzzling from doctors, but at long last, the illness has passed. Lingering fatigue aside, at least I’m not hacking my lungs out anymore. I’m going to go bang my fist on a tree now and hope it lasts.
Summer is in full swing. It’s been a time of recalibrating and resting. With a significant change coming in the fall, I’m needing to evaluate my limited energy reserves.
In this post, I’m sharing a wonderful resource for free public domain ebooks, a new favourite podcast, and some book recommendations. With paid members, I share what I’ve been up to since being free from sickness and my house, and some exciting news for the fall!
Table of Contents
In Case You Missed It…
For Everyone
For Paid Inklings
Fiction
Seven Things I Liked
(* indicates a reread/rewatch)
📚 Standard Ebooks. What an amazing resource. This site is made of volunteers who format and produce books in the public domain for e-readers. For fellow classic lovers, there are so many ebooks here you can download for free in a variety of formats.
🛒 Ask Me About My Book T-Shirt (Etsy). This seems a better alternative to waving my author business card in front of strangers’ faces, but whether or not it actually helps initiate conversations remains to be seen. Other bookish shirts I have and like: Sorry I’m Booked and I have no shelf control. And my current favourite sweatshirt: I Put My Book Down to Be Here.
🎧 A social life, with friends (
). In case it wasn’t obvious, I’m obsessed with all things friendship, so this podcast series about navigating friendships and how to deepen them was an enriching listen. I especially enjoyed the episode “On reframing people pleasing,” and incidentally will be touching on this topic in an upcoming essay next week. As an introvert, “On retreating and re-emerging” also resonated with me. Thank you, , for recommending this podcast to me.📖 Because (Mo Willems, 2019)*. This charming children’s book is one I rediscovered on our bookshelves. It tells the story of one little girl’s journey from watching a concert to becoming a music composer, all through a series of chance and discovery. It’s a magical tale of what happens when different threads all come together and change a life.
📖 The Covenant of Water (Abraham Verghese, 2023). I read this in about five days while I was bedridden and feverish, so that should give an indication of how engrossing of a story it is. Rich, immersive, and beautifully written, I was swept up in the lives of these characters—their joys and struggles—and I learned some of India’s history while I was at it. Reading this book sparked a discussion thread, and I will be thinking about it for a long time to come. Thank you, Connie W. and
for this recommendation, and thank you, Matthew, for gifting me my own copy!- , 2016). Another multi-generational story of a multiracial family as they immigrate between Taiwan and Northern California—the choices made by its members, and their consequences. This book make my heart hurt. It made me angry, sad, disgusted, and homesick all at once. This is a book that put into words feelings I didn’t know I had, and in reading it, I found pieces of myself scattered everywhere in between its pages. But oh, it is a bleak and deeply disturbing book that still has me thinking about it weeks later.
📖 Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come (
, 2019). So funny and relatable. Jess Pan chronicled her year of stepping out of her introvert comfort zone and doing the things that terrified her, including public speaking, doing stand-up comedy, improv, and networking. Her writing is sweet, personable, and made me laugh out loud at so many points. I enjoyed this light-hearted read.
Articles I enjoyed reading this week
Beautiful essays by
about chronic illness, Inside Out 2, and seeing all people as image-bearers of God, and wrote a heart-wrenching piece of prose about grief. writes hilariously about how she ruined several men’s days, and encourages us to be more present with our loved ones.In culture and society,
examines why deep thinking is dying, and discusses the pros and cons of AI replacing human companions. considers the moral justification for his wealth. (with ) shares how she started reading classics with her teen boys and gives some great tips. Did I mention I’m obsessed with friendship? is writing a book about friend groups and she shares some examples of people she’s interviewed for it.On Substack and writing,
shares about writing a book that almost killed her. examines the narrative structure of Christopher Nolan’s Memento. gives encouragement and advice on getting unstuck when writing a book.In fiction,
wrote the creepiest short story about IVF gone wrong.