Little Books

I’ve been reading a few little books this past week. I love these bite-size reads that I can finish in less than an hour, they helped me break up the 1000+ page three volume paperback edition of 1Q84 that I’m right in the middle of (I’m really into it, but jesus it’s a long book).

F in Exams is a funny little book I picked up on a whim at Target. I thought it was really funny for a while, but this book is much better in small doses. It’s more fun to pick it up and flip to a random page (like I did at Target) than it is so sit and read it from cover to cover (like I did when I got home). There are also some pretty hilarious real world examples of bad test answers available for free online so I kinda feel like this book wasn’t worth the impulse buy.

Everyday Matters by Danny Gregory is a really inspiring little memoir/sketchbook journal. It talks about using the activity of drawing not just for an end product, but as a way of seeing the beauty in everyday objects. For Gregory, the time spent leisurely observing every curve and subtlety of an individual object is more important than the drawing that is created from it. As someone who is always stressed about my drawings, I think this is a really neat way to think about it.

I found Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon to be totally inspiring also. I really liked how he kind of lifted the veil surrounding creative types and showed that even the best, most talented people don’t just pull great ideas out of thin air, there is a source for everything. His tone is consistently encouraging too, which is very motivating.

The Sun Also Rises

Maybe it’s because I miss school a little bit or maybe it’s because I have masochistic taste in literature, but whenever I go to the book store I can’t help but pick something up from the table full of required summer reading material for the local schools. I hated summer reading when I was a kid (especially the summer I had to read Watership Down) but these days when the weather gets hot, I actually get in the mood for classic literature instead of a fluffy beach read.

This time I bought The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway. After reading The Paris Wife earlier this year my interest in Hemmingway has gone from absolutely none to somewhat curious. The only Hemmingway I’ve ever read was The Old Man and the Sea and I HATED it when I was in grade school, but I figure it’s high time I give the guy another chance.