Things I Loved in January and Looking Ahead
Monthly Digest | January 2024
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Dear Inklings,
How was your first month of 2024? In the rush to accomplish and do, I hope you will allow yourself the freedom to simply be. While the focus on goal-setting and aiming high feels to me like a rude jolt out of the holiday lull, I like to take my cue from nature, which doesn’t quite come alive again until the spring. Maybe you need such a reminder to be gentle with yourself too.
Table of Contents
Reviews
Trying something new this month, in which I review everything I read in one sentence, inspired by
. Here we go.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Shirley Jackson). Through a wildly unreliable narrator telling a story of murder and unconditional love between two sisters (yes, those do coincide in one book), Jackson envelopes the reader in a subtly unsettling atmosphere with her usual themes of isolation and otherness.
You Could Make This Place Beautiful (
). An achingly raw memoir about Maggie’s discovery of her ex-husband’s infidelity and subsequent divorce, told through a series of vignettes and heart-wrenching essays exploring motherhood, writing as a real career, true partnership, and holding multiple emotions all at once.Where the Light Fell (Philip Yancey). I read this memoir right after Maggie Smith’s, and was struck by the drastic contrast between a nurturing mother and an abusive one; Philip Yancey’s memoir is difficult to read because it is brutal and honest to the point of causing discomfort (reader be warned: there are a few anecdotes of animal cruelty and death), but it is ultimately a story of faith and his experience growing up with his widowed fundamentalist Christian mother — the effects of her parenting choices on him and his older brother, both taking vastly different paths in life as a result of extreme fundamentalism.
Reading People (Anne Bogel). By now, it’s probably obvious I’m a big fan of Anne Bogel and her podcast, What Should I Read Next, but while this was a semi-fun overview of different personality tests and types written for lay people, I struggled to get through it in spite of its short length.
Horse (Geraldine Brooks). I can’t stand books that preach at me and treat me as though I can’t understand the message without the author explicitly stating it every few pages, so I did not enjoy this one, although I did read it all the way through because the story about this famous historical racehorse intrigued me and when not preaching at me, the writing was excellent.
After getting off Goodreads last year, I was on the lookout for another book tracker I could use. Thanks to
’s recommendation in this post, I tried out Italic Type. It’s simple, minimalist, and pretty. I’ve been using it this month and like it so far. No more feeling pressured by other people’s stats! An additional plus is they’re an affiliate with Bookshop, which supports independent bookstores. I can get behind that.I’m also tracking my reads in Anne Bogel’s book journal, which I enjoy using as an offline option. It comes with extensive book lists in multiple genres, just in case, you know, I run out of books to read.
Along with social media, I also got rid of almost all streaming services a few months ago. I actually miss it less than I thought I would. If you’ve been reading my monthly digests, you’ll know I’m having less and less to say in this section because of decreasing interest in watching anything.
That said, I’m watching an episode here and there of the animated series of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi). I am obsessed with the live-action version, The Untamed, so when a friend recommended the donghua to me, I couldn’t resist getting back into this amazing story.
I’ve mentioned Joanna Penn’s podcast before, but seriously, her stuff is pure gold. She has such a wealth of information and resources for authors. She also convinced me to try out A.I., which, if you know me, is a huge deal. The AI-Assisted Artisan with Joanna Penn, How Generative AI Will Affect Book Discoverability, and Subscriptions and the Creator Economy were especially helpful to me.1
America’s Friend Famine is Worst Among Male Professionals (
). A thought-provoking read on friendships, particularly male friendships, and the loneliness that ensues from the lack of them. Thanks for bringing this one to my attention!Taiwanese Book List. Regularly updated by a second-generation Taiwanese-American, I’m making it a goal to read more books by Taiwanese authors this year; for those who aren’t aware, the most recent presidential election took place this month, which is always a time of tension due to the threat of China, but it’s always a good time to familiarise yourself with Taiwanese history, in my opinion.
The Shape of Emptiness (Brevity). An essay on loss, which felt particularly relevant during the past month of grieving. I might have shared this before, but I reread it last week and it still hit hard.
An Honest Treatise on the Writer’s Life (
). A lovely and raw reflection on what it means to write, the significance of words and sending them out into the world to come closer to understanding.These 8 Boutique Hotels Host Beautiful Libraries (Hotels Above Par). Traveling and books? Someone please take me for my next holiday.
Keep or Toss? My Personal Criteria for Culling a Library (
). I’m not yet at the point where I need to be culling my library, but I always enjoy reading about how others decide which books to keep.The Protagonist is Never in Control (Guernica Mag). This piece by Emily Fox Kaplan gave me goosebumps, how a childhood shapes her writing, stirring poignant reflections of the power writing gives her, contrasted with actual life experiences. (potential content triggers: child abuse)
You Don’t Need to Document Everything (
). It’s incredible how much real estate social media took up in my brain even when I wasn’t even using the app (constant thinking of content ideas, anyone?); ditching it freed me to be present in the moment so much more.The Notebook Rule: How to Get Off the Digital Dope and Reclaim Your Humanity (
). I’m extremely screen-averse, so although I don’t feel like I have a bad relationship with my phone or laptop (unless you count viewing them with deepest disgust most of the time), I’m always looking for ways to cull my digital usage, and this article puts forth a unique habit I want to try implementing in the coming days.