Books for Warm Weather
Plus: Summer Writing Nights are back! 🌞
SUMMER WRITING NIGHTS ARE BACK!
Join me for six weeks of co-writing and community starting on the first Wednesday of the summer. Just $20. $15 for paid subscribers: scroll down for the promo code.
If you’ve been part of my Writing Nights series before: yes, this session is shorter than usual! I have some things going on during the later part of the summer, but I’m glad that I can still offer a more condensed Writing Nights for six weeks. Hope to see you there!
READING RECS
FOR WARM WEATHER
🌞
A few books I recommend reading in the grass
or on the sand
or by the pool
BYOB (bring your own blanket)
World Without End by Martha Park
personal essays at the intersection of climate & faith
One of the most thoughtful collections of personal nonfiction I’ve ever read. I love how the author juxtaposes essays on topics like a Noah’s ark replica and extinction (or, as some might say, “extinction”) of the ivory-billed woodpecker.
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
a hilarious yet poignant novel about dating and aging
At this point, if Dolly Alderton decided to write a 900-page history of the vacuum cleaner, I’d read it. She’s one of my favorite voices in fiction today. This novel surprised me with its double approach to the “ghosted” phenomenon: in dating, of course, but also in the way the protagonist watches her father’s dementia unfold. It’s a book that will make you feel as much as it’ll make you laugh.
Mood Machine by Liz Pelly
a history of Spotify and its harmful impacts
I knew this book would have a lot to say about the economics of art-making in the streaming age. What I didn’t expect was to feel inspired to get back in touch with silence after years of drowning out every quiet moment with a vibey playlist. If silence has become more of an enemy than a friend in your life, read this book.
Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara
personal essays on the rise of AI
Technically, I already recommended this one a few months ago, but it’s had a lot of staying power in my life. It’s perhaps the most honest stance I’ve read on the impact AI will have on creative writing. Read an excerpt here.
BELOW TODAY’S PAYWALL
Code for $5 off Summer Writing Nights, beginning June 25 on Zoom.
Happy writing,
Hurley