I stood in line at a restaurant in Seattle recently with two books under my arms: Rebecca Solnit’s The Beginning Comes After the End and Terry Tempest Williams’ The Glorians. I had just purchased them at Elliot Bay Books and was going to read for a few minutes before a next meeting. Another restaurant patron asked what I was reading. I showed him and said, “I’m looking for hope.” This spurred a brief, sweet conversation where we shared our overwhelm at the state of the world, introduced ourselves to one another, and shared a table for a few minutes.
Chalk another one up for books.
I check the headlines every day, I spend a little more time on the weekends catching up on news, and I view this as part of my civic duty. But I need some protein in my diet, and that’s where books come in.
We are living in the golden age of access to teachers, experts, and luminaries. If we want to feel seen, inspired, bolstered, or not alone, it’s sometimes just our short attention spans that keep us from those things. And, as I always say where books are concerned, the one that speaks to me might do nothing for you, so we have to find our own recipe.
I met a woman recently who reads more than I do. She told me about a practice of hers that I love. After she’s read 10 or 12 books, she sends handwritten cards to 5 or 6 people in her life who have asked for ongoing book recommendations from her. She tells them which one(s) she recommends specifically for them and why, and they get a card in the mail.
Consider this my card in the mail to you—here’s what’s been inspiring me lately.
- The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary (Terry Tempest Williams). Renowned environmentalist and nature writer, illuminating creatures of the desert, matters of the heart, and reasons to pay attention.
- The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change (Rebecca Solnit). Wow. Another one to buy by the case. Solnit shows us the incredible changes in equality and ecological protections that have happened over the last century and why there’s reason to think they will continue.
- Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times (Gregory Boyle). You’ve heard me go on and on about this one! We are all unshakably good. No exceptions.
- Pay Attention, for Goodness Sake: The Buddhist Path of Kindness (Sylvia Boorstein). The paramitas and how they are lived out, from this funny Jewish Buddhist teacher. Inspired the “40 Days of Generosity” that some of you have been participating in.
- How to be a Living Thing: Mediations on Intuitive Oysters, Hopeful Doves, and Being Human in the World (Mari Andrew). One giant shift of consciousness I’m observing is that many of us care about non-human creatures more than we used to. Mari’s meditations on what animals teach us is so moving, and even better that my aunt and I read this in a little book club with one another. She is the consummate creature-lover, and I learn from her all the time.
- Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood (Satya Doyle Byock). If you’re parenting young adults, this is a must-read. If you want to understand them (I hope all of us do), this will pay big dividends. So much more helpful than all the throwaway comments I hear about Gen Z.
May you be inspired! As always, I’d love to hear about it.