A spontaneous newsletter because Friday was National Shelfie Day and I wanted to send some love to all who celebrate!
I made you a tour of my Literary Girlfriends™ bookshelf. In our house, we are so messy in how we organize our books because both Kyle and I read like savages BUT just recently I listened to an interview that Adam Ross did with
for The Sewanee Review podcast, and Adam asked about Garth's personal literary canon. I loved that question so much that I ran out and identified my very own Personal Literary Canon.When I say “ran out”, I mean that quite literally. I ran around the house and collected all the books of my MOST favorite authors. I did so quickly as if the house was on fire because I wanted the shelf to be honest and authentic. These are authors whose work I have read, adored, been challenged by, nursed by.
These are writers who’ve inspired many author deep-dives for me, who’ve shown me kindness or pushed me to do my own work in a way that feels authentic to who I am, without second guessing myself.
Here's my list:
Nicole Krauss
Donna Tartt
Joan Didion
Zadie Smith
Rachel Cusk
Katie Kitamura
Ruta Sepetys
Melissa Bank
Meg Mason
Edna St. Vincent Millay
As I look over my list now, I know that it may appear quite unbalanced to some. Of course, this is not everything and everyone I read. This is just the shortest of short lists, I don’t even claim that this is the BEST WORK OUT THERE. Instead, I think of sharing my Personal Literary Canon as another way of cultivating self-trust. This is my own little journey into identifying what I truly love and appreciate and not feeling apologetic or defensive about it.
Who do YOU love? Who can’t YOU get enough of? 📚🤓🥰
Issue 48: Creating your own Personal Literary Canon