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In a season of overwhelm, when time to read has been scarce, I’ve found great comfort in three wonderful, profound, powerful books that just happen to be quite short.
I ordered The Writing Life after reading about her in a Mason Currey book, I think. I’ve never read anything else by Annie Dillard, but she seemed interesting and I’m working on a novel (can you say you’re ‘working on it’ if you haven’t touched it in half a year?) and wanted to read a great book on writing that might unlock something for me. BOY did this book hit hard. Annie Dillard is so intense, so penetratingly honest in a way that kind of blows your hair back, and I fucking loved every page of it and read from it to anyone who’d listen.
My favorite section was one where she essentially says, you’re not blocked. There’s something wrong with your book, something you see as so vital you can’t imagine losing it, and your body knows even if your head doesn’t, and that’s why it’s not sitting down at the desk to write. Interrogate your book, test every piece of its structure, and find the weakness and fix it. Her tone somehow feels very hostile but very loving at the same time, like your one friend you can actually count on to be completely honest with you even if it might be tough to hear.
I can’t wait to read some of her fiction. Jacqueline Suskin (who is, btw, the aforementioned type of friend) says I have to read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.
I was fortunate to snag an early copy of In The Round, which comes out this November from McSweeney’s. I had no idea what to expect, knew nothing about the book, had no idea I was about to read something unlike any book I’d ever read.
I actually don’t want to tell you too much about it because going in blind was a great experience for me, but I will say that if most books take place on the flat side of a square, this one takes place on a corner. Does that make sense? Like, you’re on the tip of the story, you can see all these different sides of it, and you have no idea if, when or where you’re going to land, and it’s thrillingly mysterious and prismatic while also being a sweet and deeply moving narrative.
It reminded me a bit of Italo Calvino, if I’m remembering that guy correctly. But also totally magical, inventive and new. Every time I picked it up, it lit me right up and I couldn’t put it down. Pre-order!
Make Believe is by Mac Barnett, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, which is apparently a thing. When it was published in May, the book sort of registered in the background for me, I figured I’d get to it one day. Then I heard there was DRAMA. People were apparently enraged that Barnett says, essentially, that most kids books are bad.
I heard about that and ordered the book immediately, because he’s totally right. Some of the picture books that’ve wormed their way into our household have emitted audible gasps of disgust from me. Awful, awful art (the highly digital stuff especially yucks me out), soulless, lazy writing, atrocious, sub-par gobbledygook that I whisk out to our little free library when my kids aren’t looking. In short, I’m a snob who loves drama, and I wanted to know what else Mac Barnett had to say.
Also, I’m working on two picture books right now, and dreaming of more – dreaming, in fact, of a whole career making picture books. But I’m just at the start of it, just learning the ins and outs of this specific art form, and I found such an incredible education in Make Believe. It’s a powerful clarion call asking us as parents, readers and artists to take kids more seriously as readers, to give them truly great, entertaining, beautiful, meaningful art that celebrates their world – not smoothed out sludge that’s meant to indoctrinate them into the world of adults. It gave me so much more context for the work I do, and a real sense of responsibility.
Especially in the age of AI, I think this book is wise and vital. I hope this silly backlash doesn’t keep Mac from continuing to lead the way and speak the truth. It’s hard to believe anyone who was upset by it actually read the book, which I’m certain I’ll be re-reading this book many times in my life, maybe even again this year.
Have a slim volume to recommend? Drop it in the comments!
Thanks for being here,
❤️ Hal
HALMAIL is a free newsletter. But if you want to show support and help me buy art supplies and childcare, you are welcome to.
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
In the Round by Rebecca Handler
Make Believe by Mac Barnett
Looking at Picture Books, Mac Barnett’s newsletter with the wonderful Jon Klassen
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