While there’s a ton of stuff I still need catching up on, here I am with another edition of Little Reads.
Because I was away for most of April I haven’t had a chance to keep up with this, but now that we’re back I feel like the articles are coming at me at full force. Maybe it’s just me or maybe it’s a really good article-reading month.
I’ll keep this brief and share with you some great articles I found this week:
How Small, Scrappy Local Book Presses Have Turned L.A. Into a Publishing Town
My husband and I have been considering really hard our thoughts on moving to LA. Despite some pretty bad cons (smog, traffic, local government), Los Angeles is just this beautiful town with what I’m now seeing is a growing literary scene. I would love to get out there and throw myself right into it. I’d be all over Belletrist and LA Review of Books and say “listen, I’ve got something special and you need me.”
This is all a dream, of course. However, small independent publishers are racking up points with their great reads. Definitely check out this article from LA Mag on how small book publishing houses in LA are finally defining their book culture.
The Great Sadness of Ben Affleck
This is an older article, but it’s pretty new-to-me. You got to bless The New Yorker for writing this hilarious piece on the fall of a semi-great man. TBH, I was heavily drawn into this story by the picture of Ben Affleck sticking his gut out and what looks to be a mess of tattoos that I don’t really recall this guy having. Did he get all of these at once?
I guess this is something Jennifer Garner wasn’t aware of either (or at least from the tone of the story).
THOUGHTS WHILE WALKING THROUGH THE HOME GOODS SECTION AT ANTHROPOLOGIE
This is just a great short article from McSweeney’s on the random thoughts you might have while walking through the home goods section of Anthropologie. If you’re a sucker for their candles and ridiculously beautiful cookware, then you’ll definitely enjoy this article.
I found myself agreeing with a lot of the commentary Sarah Solomon was mentioning. Like do I want a non-microwaveable and non-dishwashable bowl to eat my weekend spaghetti?
A Japanese Photographer Captures the Mysterious Power of Forest Bathing
This article isn’t much of an article, but a view of the amazing photography by Yoshinori Mizutani. It’s a glimpse into how Japanese people find healing and revitalization in the forest. I couldn’t agree more with this concept especially since I took a trip to the Redwoods in California a few years back.
There is just something so restorative about being in the forest for a few hours. You don’t need to camp out there, but sitting on a rock and waiting to hear the birds singing and the forest around you swaying in the breeze can definitely do a lot to your psyche. Maybe I should go and hang out in the forest for a while.
I’m really excited about this last article because it’s written by Jessica Knoll and it talks a little bit about the politics of book publishing. It’s also unapologetic about wanting to be rich which is a feeling that many of us understand, but don’t know how to approach. As a writer, I don’t know if I’ll ever be rich like a Kardashian but I do know there are ways that I can “rig” the system. Like I could write a novel that can easily be adapted into a TV show or a movie. But the question I ask myself when I read this is “do I really want to sell out?”
Definitely check out this article and if you love it, also check out Jessica Knoll’s latest book The Favorite Sister which is due to publish on May 15th.
Little Reads is a weekly blog post dedicated to short stories or essays I find interesting online. They may be older posts or they may have published recently, but you will always find a link to those posts and my opinions here.
Simone and Her Books 