Volume 20 ☁️
Hello,
I sat on this intro for a long time. I wrote words and promptly erased them. So much happened on the inside and outside this month but I can't seem to put it in words. It is incredibly rare for me to not be on the brim of bursting with words, sentences and stray paragraphs. Seth Godin says that plumbers don't have plumber's block so why is it that writers have writer's blocks? Is it something we make up?
All I can do for now is promise to send you a well crafted essay next month.
So I'll leave you with a long list of books I managed to read between the previous newsletter and this one, a smattering of podcasts and art.
Enjoy! ☁️
BOOKS
Climate: A New Story by Charles Eisenstein - ⭐️ Highly recommend this book. Eisenstein flips conventional climate change narrative on its head by proposing ecological conservation and regenerative practices instead of focusing all our energy on fossil fuels. He links the destruction of ecosystems to what we call climate change. Counting CO2 distracts us from the real problem; destruction of natural systems as we know them.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes - ⭐️ Highly recommend this book. Charlie Gordon is a mentally disabled man who undergoes brain surgery to increase his IQ. From recollecting memories of his past and collaging a personality to learning things he couldn't even comprehend to his ultimate downfall, this book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. Intelligence and competence are cherished above everything else in society today. They are inextricably linked to respectability. This book will break your heart and make you rethink intelligence as you know it.
Coming Out As Dalit by Yashica Dutt - ⭐️Highly recommend this book. I started reading more about caste last year and this has been on my book radar for a while. Dutt is a formidable writer. She weaves commentary on caste with her personal experience in school, college and beyond and coming to terms with her identity as a Dalit woman.
(I am following Belongg's 2021 Diversity Reading Challenge. Check their prompts and recommendations)
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - ⭐️ Dazzling rendition of the Iliad and the relationship between part-god part-human Achilles and the exiled prince Patroclus.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover - This book is about abuse, ambition, love and where those lines get blurred. Lily Bloom grew up in an abusive household and all she ever wanted in life was to not end up in her mother's shoes. This book goes deep into why sometimes people don't leave abusive relationships. Hoover wants you to see the other side and not judge (in this case) women who stay with abusive husbands/partners. The end will give you hope. I loved Hoover's note at the end about why this book was so important to her.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - 💛This is my first Rainbow Rowell novel and I loved it. It's the first time I heard of 'love before first sight'. The characters are quirky, endearing, flawed and deeply human. I enjoyed reading this book thoroughly. It is ideal for a reading slump when you want something comforting and funny. (Here's the summary I stole from Goodreads)
"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you..."
Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.
Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now—reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers—not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.
When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained—and captivated—by their stories.
By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne - This is a light romance. It isn't my favourite in terms of plot or character but I had my fair share of chuckles.
This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens - The circumstances under which Minnie Cooper and Quinn Hamilton meet are bizarre. It can only happen in a movie. I read this before New Year's Eve to go with the theme. This is a light and deeply enjoyable rom-com. (I like books in which characters overcome personal doubts and fears to grow as people. This book has that)
ARTICLES
How to break out of your Spotify feedback loop and actually discover new music.
Chrome is bad and what to do about it - I have hundreds of tabs open, this felt relevant.
Letting go - releasing emotions a healthy way - This is a summary of the book Letting Go by David Hawkins that I haven't read yet, and I cheated my way out by reading a detailed summary.
Users Are.../ People Are - People are no longer merely people. We are users, lacking in complexity, and are pawns in a larger system.
A list of heartwarming books to add to your list.
A list of incredible books by Indian authors.
PODCASTS
💛 Robyn Kanner, the Creative Director of the Biden/Harris Campaign on Clever
A Lifetime of Good Loving on Modern Love - This might make you cry.
+ Screens Between Us with Issa Rae on Modern Love
Cheryl Strayed talks to George Saunders on her new podcast "Sugar Calling' - how these writers are coping with the pandemic and how artists should use this as an opportunity to observe their experiences.
Curiosity over Judgment with Lisa Olivera interviewed by Morgan Harper Nichols - Lisa is a psychologist (I love her Instagram posts about mental health and personal growth) Morgan is a poet and artist, I love her Instagram too.
I sat on this intro for a long time. I wrote words and promptly erased them. So much happened on the inside and outside this month but I can't seem to put it in words. It is incredibly rare for me to not be on the brim of bursting with words, sentences and stray paragraphs. Seth Godin says that plumbers don't have plumber's block so why is it that writers have writer's blocks? Is it something we make up?
All I can do for now is promise to send you a well crafted essay next month.
So I'll leave you with a long list of books I managed to read between the previous newsletter and this one, a smattering of podcasts and art.
Enjoy! ☁️
BOOKS
Climate: A New Story by Charles Eisenstein - ⭐️ Highly recommend this book. Eisenstein flips conventional climate change narrative on its head by proposing ecological conservation and regenerative practices instead of focusing all our energy on fossil fuels. He links the destruction of ecosystems to what we call climate change. Counting CO2 distracts us from the real problem; destruction of natural systems as we know them.
He is an advocate of ‘Interbeing’ a belief that earth is a living being and all animals, birds, plants in addition to water, soil, clouds, and air and linked to each other. Our well being is inextricably linked.
Eisenstein eases you into this theory while giving you practical ways to change the way we live, work and consume to live in harmony with nature.
Coming Out As Dalit by Yashica Dutt - ⭐️Highly recommend this book. I started reading more about caste last year and this has been on my book radar for a while. Dutt is a formidable writer. She weaves commentary on caste with her personal experience in school, college and beyond and coming to terms with her identity as a Dalit woman.
(I am following Belongg's 2021 Diversity Reading Challenge. Check their prompts and recommendations)
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - ⭐️ Dazzling rendition of the Iliad and the relationship between part-god part-human Achilles and the exiled prince Patroclus.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover - This book is about abuse, ambition, love and where those lines get blurred. Lily Bloom grew up in an abusive household and all she ever wanted in life was to not end up in her mother's shoes. This book goes deep into why sometimes people don't leave abusive relationships. Hoover wants you to see the other side and not judge (in this case) women who stay with abusive husbands/partners. The end will give you hope. I loved Hoover's note at the end about why this book was so important to her.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - 💛This is my first Rainbow Rowell novel and I loved it. It's the first time I heard of 'love before first sight'. The characters are quirky, endearing, flawed and deeply human. I enjoyed reading this book thoroughly. It is ideal for a reading slump when you want something comforting and funny. (Here's the summary I stole from Goodreads)
"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you..."
Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.
Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now—reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers—not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.
When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained—and captivated—by their stories.
By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne - This is a light romance. It isn't my favourite in terms of plot or character but I had my fair share of chuckles.
This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens - The circumstances under which Minnie Cooper and Quinn Hamilton meet are bizarre. It can only happen in a movie. I read this before New Year's Eve to go with the theme. This is a light and deeply enjoyable rom-com. (I like books in which characters overcome personal doubts and fears to grow as people. This book has that)
ARTICLES
How to break out of your Spotify feedback loop and actually discover new music.
Chrome is bad and what to do about it - I have hundreds of tabs open, this felt relevant.
Letting go - releasing emotions a healthy way - This is a summary of the book Letting Go by David Hawkins that I haven't read yet, and I cheated my way out by reading a detailed summary.
Users Are.../ People Are - People are no longer merely people. We are users, lacking in complexity, and are pawns in a larger system.
A list of heartwarming books to add to your list.
A list of incredible books by Indian authors.
PODCASTS
💛 Robyn Kanner, the Creative Director of the Biden/Harris Campaign on Clever
A Lifetime of Good Loving on Modern Love - This might make you cry.
+ Screens Between Us with Issa Rae on Modern Love
Cheryl Strayed talks to George Saunders on her new podcast "Sugar Calling' - how these writers are coping with the pandemic and how artists should use this as an opportunity to observe their experiences.
Curiosity over Judgment with Lisa Olivera interviewed by Morgan Harper Nichols - Lisa is a psychologist (I love her Instagram posts about mental health and personal growth) Morgan is a poet and artist, I love her Instagram too.
ART & OTHER COOL THINGS
Do you compute? (IG)
+ Do you compute? (website)
The exciting projects of Ted Hunt.
Meet AI Banksy : GANksy
Embroidered countryside.
UNLOVED - buy unloved subscriptions at a discount. I love this concept.
Morgan Harper Nichols’ stunning art + poetry. ⭐️
Ridiculously realistic paintings.
Bubble wrap portraits.
Beyond stunning northern landscapes.
I hope you enjoyed this month’s newsletter and found something that caught your interest. Keep learning, stay curious. Let me know what you’ve read/ listened to or watched this month that you loved! Pass it on! Have an incredible month ahead!
Warmly,
Sachi
You can support my projects and writing by sharing this with a friend or supporting me with a book. 📖
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