I just posted a list on Facebook (at someone's request) of some of my most favorite or at least most influential books/writers over the years. Just to recap, here is the list I posted (in no particular order). The challenge was that you couldn't overthink it. These had to be books/writers that came to mind within a few minutes (but unlike on Facebook, here I'll give you a little more insight into why they came to mind):
- the fortress of solitude, by jonathan lethem - i loved this coming of age novel of a brooklyn of not so long ago, yet seems like forever ago when set against the new york of now.
- beloved, by toni morrison - haunting and absolutely unforgettable. my father was reading it when i was in high school and talked about it in a parent/teacher night with my favorite English teacher. i beamed with pride.
- are you there god it’s me margaret, by judy blume - i remember reading this in bed when i was in elementary school. couldn't put it down. oh the mysteries of the body.
- the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay, by michael chabon - a massive book set in new york during world war 2 about boys, magic, and comic books. never thought i could be so transfixed.
- absalom, absalom, by william faulkner - read this begrudgingly during a "what has an old southern male writer have to say to me" stage during a modern southern writers seminar in grad school. i couldn't have been more wrong.
- their eyes were watching god, by zora neale hurston - read this during that same southern writers seminar. impactful, important, enduring... all those words are understatements.
- the new york trilogy, by paul auster - i just love paul auster. pretty much everything he ever writes. but this is the first book of his that i read, which i bought in new york at McNally Jackson Books in soho. lovely place.
- the god of small things, by arundhati roi - my kind of magical realism. so vibrant and astonishing.
- the mandarins, by simone de beauvoir - i had a lovely fling with existentialism for a while. she was my idol, and this was quite a read.
- the great indian novel, by shashi tharoor - nalin said "read this" in the first year of our relationship. i knew so little of india prior to our coming together, and this was a fascinating, moving, and irreverent novel of the modern indian historical and political landscape.
- orientalism, by edward said - reading this in college/grad school was pretty much fundamental to everything.
- the poems of anne sexton - sad and engaging. she really moved me. i think this is when i started calling myself a feminist.
- the plays of athol fugard - discovered fugard during my senior year in high school under the tutelage of my favorite English teacher, Mrs. Hembry. ashamed to say i hadn't given apartheid much thought before that. i was forever changed. his plays, along with Mrs. Hembry, made me want to continue studying literature.
- disgrace, by j.m. coetzee - completely tore my heart apart.
- interpreter of maladies, by jhumpa lahiri - some of the most beautiful stories i've ever read. so nuanced and vivid.
So that's a list of what I've loved (to name just a few). On to what I'm loving now. Instead of focusing on books and literature, which I'm afraid to say I'm having a hard time keeping up on with three little ones running around, I'm going to concentrate on glimpses of inspiration and beauty in other creative expressions — pieces of art, fashion, etc., that are no less arduous to create, but perhaps easier or quicker to take in and appreciate in those moments in-between...
- the amazingly fluid and lovely clothing by eka, from india
- the surrealist paintings of René Magritte, which I recently saw at an exhibit at the art institute of chicago.
- the illustrations of delphine durand, which come to life in my children's books.
- the soundtrack to the secret of kells, a beautifully animated film from 2008 that we recently watched with the kids — ornate, unique, and gorgeous music.
- the blogs of friends/acquaintances, especially these of late:
- https://vanessafilley.squarespace.com/blog/ (beautiful photography, thoughtful writing, and an ever-growing showcase of her art, food, and all things made)
- the dualing blogs of christopher o'brien and cheong kim, which are capturing their year traveling around the world as a family of four.
- i have yet to meet her (and i hope to someday), but i love this food blog by the sister of a friend: http://notwithoutsalt.com
Just a few things on the top of my head, of which I'm sure I'm forgetting many. As with any posting of lists, would love to hear some of your thoughts of loves — both past and present. I like to think of these as akin to my diary posts of adolescence, capturing moments of time to reflect upon only later as to why and how my life has been shaped in the mysterious ways it has up to now. Cheers.