February Reads Part 3

This is the last of my February Reads list, I promise! 

Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process edited by Joe Fassler (adult nonfiction)

I grabbed this book on a whim because it featured a handful of my favorite writers - Billy Collins, Aimee Bender and Charles Simic to name a few. The very first essay, which is by Aimee Bender, blew me away. I immediately bought the book, which is rare for me, and took my time reading and savoring it. Each essay features a quote that changed the life of the writer in some way. It's a double whammy of beauty - writers writing about writers. I was jotting down authors to look up so fast I could barely keep up with my delight. 

My favorite moments? 

In Bender's essay, she writes, "When language is treated beautifully and interestingly, it can feel good for the body: It's nourishing, it's rejuvenating." Also in Bender's essay, she writes, "Language is limited, it's a faulty tool. But how high it lights the dark." 

Sherman Alexie's essay was my favorite. I don't have enough words to convey how much his essay meant to me. Alexie beautifully interprets Adrian C. Louis' quote about being in the "reservation of one's mind" and writes, "The line also calls to mind the way we tend to visit our prisons. And we always go back." Alexie goes on to say that even though we all have a "reservation" in our minds we'll keep revisiting, we can learn how to choose when we visit and therefore, prepare ourselves for it. 

I also enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert's essay and the line, "A catastrophe is nothing but a puzzle with the volume of drama turned up very high." I was surprised by Amy Tan's essay, which punched me in the gut, overjoyed by Jim Crace's essay (favorite line: "we should never underestimate what it is that will turn a young person into someone who wants to love literature"), and spent many hours pondering Yiyun Li's essay (favorite line: "I like to think you write a book to talk to another book.") 

Zen Doodle Unleashed by Tiffany Lovering (adult nonfiction)

My favorite part of this book is the step-by-step instructions for each pattern, which are super easy to follow. I also really liked the 53 go-to patterns at the end of the book. A few seemed like brand-new patterns I hadn't seen earlier in the book, and though I may have just missed them, it was a nice surprise to find even more patterns after I thought I had already seen everything. This is my new favorite Zen Doodle book, and it's going to be tough to beat!

Petra by Marianna Coppo (picture book)

Surprisingly I'm not overjoyed by the illustrations in Petra. But I love Petra despite that, and that's a big deal for me, as I am a person who is all about the illustrations, especially in picture books. Petra the rock is such a special character with an outstanding outlook on life, and the message this rock delivers is too vital to ignore.

Every Color Soup by Jorey Hurley (picture book)

This is Hurley's newest book, and it's also the first one I picked up. Each of her books is a story told one word at time with illustrations that leap from the page. A personal story relating to topic of the book concludes most of her books. In this book each page illustrates an essential step of the soup-making process. After I read this I immediately put holds on the rest of her books. I also looked up her journal (yes, she has an illustrated journal filled with prompts!) and immediately bought it. I can't wait to see what she does next!

Hop by Jorey Hurley (picture book)

I love Hop almost as much as I love Every Color Soup. The illustrations are lively and soft and the life of a rabbit is captured well (there's even suspense!). My favorite illustration is the 'snuggle' illustration. In each of Hurley's books about wildlife, there's an illustration that makes me feel safe and warm. In this book, I can imagine exactly what it's like to be a rabbit, ready to hop away from danger, find a hidey hole to escape to, and snuggle with my rabbit siblings. It's a beautiful book. 

Psst this is what Jorey Hurley's journal looks like, and it's full of prompts!