January Links
People are so hard on January. I love its dormancy and its gloominess, even though I love its sunlight surprises more. It is the perfect month to curl up in a blanket and read a good book, the perfect time to invite a friend over who is so dear to you that you don’t feel the need to clean before their visit.
This month’s links are some of my favorites to date, from a month that was blissfully quiet on my social media vacation. I can’t recommend them enough.
Catherine Newman on learning about love from a pair of blue jeans, of all things.
A cult formed in Brooklyn. Yes, that Brooklyn. Its leader? Reverend Mother. This Atavist story is so enthralling it’ll have you reeled in until the very last word.
I’ve been searching for a new TV show to get into after I finished Homeland a while ago. Women at War, originally released in France as Les Combattantes, is a limited series on Netflix about French women in World War I. Romance, action, strong female protagonists, a faraway place and time. It’s like the screenwriter was talking directly to me.
After reading this post on History of Women, I added Les Misérables to my TBR. Did you know that novel is almost 1500 pages?
This month, I decided to majorly decrease my social media use in 2023. I’ll probably share more about that in the coming months. These links are all around that theme:
Alexandra Franzen’s work in this area is a practical guide to running a successful business without social media marketing.
Lisa Hensley wrote in her farewell Instagram caption1 that social media is “like walking into a crowded room with bright lights and everyone is yelling about something different.” And when I read that, I thought Yes. That’s it right there. That’s why I’m so tired. It felt like the first drop of water in an empty stomach.
Jeong Kwan has no ego,2 and I want to be just like her. Her words on creativity and ego are the best I’ve read on this topic, and with them, I’ll close:
Creativity and ego cannot go together. If you free yourself from the comparing and jealous mind, your creativity opens up endlessly. Just as water springs from a fountain, creativity springs from every moment.
You must not be your own obstacle. You must not be owned by the environment you are in. You must own the environment, the phenomenal world around you. You must be able to freely move in and out of your mind.
This is being free. There is no way you can’t open up your creativity. There is no ego to speak of. That is my belief.
― Jeong Kwan
Every book I read this month:
The Night Watchman
Red Famine
Circe
Sea of Tranquility
Brave New World (This was my reading challenge pick! It was assigned reading in 10th grade English and I loved experiencing it again after 11 years.)
All of these were five stars. What a beautiful way to start the year, in the peace and quiet with so many good books.
For next month’s reading challenge!
February’s theme is to read a novel by a biracial author. Here are a few I found:
Caucasia, by Danzy Senna
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, by Heidi W. Durrow
Passing, by Nella Larsen (You may recognize this title from a Netflix movie.)
Mexican White Boy, by Matt de la Peña
See you Friday,
Sarah
Yes, I realize the irony of linking Instagram in a section about leaving social media. But citing is caring!
This was said by a chef who tried her food, which you can learn about in Volume 3 of Chef’s Table.
A friend recommended Circe to me but I've never read it. Thanks for reminding me about Passing. I've wanted to read this one for a while but it dropped off my radar!