Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too.
1) Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg
There are a handful of boos about writing that I would recommend to any writer or aspiring writer (On Writing, On Writing Well, On Writing (and Writers), Elements of Style, Do the Work, Eats, Shoots & Leaves, etc.) and I am regularly looking for more. Frankly they are hard to find. There is much redundancy, derivation, and just plain hackery out there. There are also plenty of great writers whose thoughts on writing are so pompous and esoteric as to be functionally useless (see: Ernest Hemingway). So when I find a book, albeit an incomplete one, that genuinely offers genuinely helpful insights, inspiration, and instruction I latch on. Several Short Sentences About Writing is just such a book. Klinkenborg isn’t a particularly well-known name as an author but rather a widely respected writer and editor among students of the craft, not unlike William Zinsser. His book is not a manual, but more like a series of reflections. Reading it is a bit like fishing–periods of pleasant boredom with periodic thrills and memories made. The good parts are brilliant nad so helpful. The other parts can be quickly trolled through. For a writer, this book should enter your stable of encouragements and helps.
2) The Knee Scooter
I had foot surgery about 10 days ago to resolve a degenerative issue, and this means I am functionally one-legged for a few weeks. To be fair, saying I “like” the knee scooter is a bit like saying I “like” the dentist. It’s more accurate to say I am grateful for its existence and appreciate its service. I will hardly write an ode to this necessary evil. I will simply offer a perfunctory statement of appreciation. Being sedentary chafes. Being stationary wears. Being useless around the house depresses. So I am grateful for the means to somewhat efficiently navigate our home and still have use of my hands–something crutches do not provide. The knee scooter is like the jack in the trunk of your car–it stinks when you have to use it, but without it you aren’t going anywhere.
3) Foxes in the Snow by Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell’s album Southeastern is in my pantheon of greatest albums. There isn’t a bad song on it, and the writing is superb and sublime. Sadly, the albums he and has band (The 400 Unit) released in the years following that did not come close to being as good. They weren’t bad, but when one has reached such heights it’s difficult to reproduce that. So when Isbell released Foxes in the Snow last year I came to it with tempered expectations. I didn’t realize that this was a solo album and an acoustic one at that. The stripped down sound allows Isbell to feature his guitar prowess and it pushes the lyrics forward. And those lyrics recall the brilliance of Southeastern. When he’s at his best, Isbell is a story teller par excellence who is master at evoking feelings and placing listeners in the song. This album does just that. It is mellow, moving, and poignant.