Reading for writers

Four new books, four creative classics, and why I'm suddenly in three book clubs.

Hey there, Bec here

We’re heading off on our family holiday in a few weeks and my littlest nieces have decided that the must-have accessory for the summer season is a book. They’ve set up a book club and I’ve got stuck into my assigned reading with gusto. I’ve completed A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle and am halfway through The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum.¹²

In all my decades of bookwormery, I’ve never been a member of a book group. Reading has always been part of my job as a bookseller, publisher, host of author events, and now as a writer. It’s a daily habit; I honestly can’t remember a day when I haven’t read. I read a lot. I read widely and very quickly - it is one of the greatest joys of my life and the best way for me to relax and restore myself.

Within the space of a few weeks, I’ve gone from book-group-shy to finding myself in three. Along with my nieces’ summer book club, I’ve joined in with Naomi Alderman’s ‘couch to 5k’ for reading.

» Read more from Naomi: let's do a 'couch to 5k' for reading

I’m on Track 3 which is proving to be an excellent way to schedule reading the significant heft of Carl Jung’s The Red Book. And to help me understand the meaning of Jung’s tome I signed up to The Red Book Reading Group hosted by Satya Doyle Byock.

Diary date: Don’t forget we have a 7-day writing sprint starting on Monday 27 July - you’ll need to be a paid member to join. Find out more.

Reading recommendations for writers

Hearing people talk passionately about what they’re reading has reminded me how much I love recommending books. So, if you’re wondering what to read this summer, here are eight books that are worth your time and attention.

4 excellent books published this year

• Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life by Mason Currey. Brilliantly researched, beautifully written and often hilarious Currey tells stories of privilege, mind-numbing jobs, money-making schemes and law breaking from artists as they struggle to survive and create.

• A Creative Compass: Finding Your Way to a Creative Life by Emma Gannon. Sharing wisdom from a lifetime of creativity and lessons learnt from burnout, Gannon’s book is a comfort to read and a call to action - go, have fun, create! - your life will be better for it.

• Don’t Call it Art - 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again by Austin Kleon. A small book packed full of illustrations, blackout poetry, artist quotes, and personal insights gained from parenting natural artists - children are the best role models when it comes to creativity.

• Between the Lines: Life Lessons from the Writing Workshop by Julia Bell. From professor of new writing, Bell’s deeply thoughtful exploration of the value of writing is an important read in a time of scattered attention and devaluation of the arts and creativity. Bonus: it will make you a better writer!

  

4 classics from the 20th Century

• Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande. This was the very first book I bought on writing practice. I often think Brande said it all back in 1934, in her rather prim schoolmistressy tone - you better obey when she says you can, and must, write!

• Writing Without Teachers by Peter Elbow. Published in 1973 Elbow popularised freewriting which has helped millions find their way back to the page and, more importantly, to love writing.³

• Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck chronicles his 1960 adventure across America with his dog Charley. Written in exquisite prose, this is a travelogue about life, work, race, politics, with thoughts on the writing process, featuring his beloved Parisian-born, bilingual blue poodle. One of my favourite books ever.

• Gravity and Grace by Simone Weil. Published posthumously in the 1940s this book was assembled from short fragments of writing. It is philosophy for our time, yes, there is a lot on religion, but her reflections on the value of attention are needed now more than ever.

If you’d like to find out what I’m reading, I post my book stacks on Instagram and Notes. Recommending books is a great way to celebrate and support authors, and word-of-mouth remains one of the most effective ways to reach readers and keep book publishing alive.

I’d love to hear what books you’re packing for your holidays - tell me in the comments what you’d recommend.

Packing like a writer

When it comes to planning my holiday, I organise my reading ahead of my beachwear. I might not write like Steinbeck, but I certainly pack like him:

“I thought I might do some writing along the way, perhaps essays, surely notes, certainly letters. I took paper, carbon, typewriter, pencils, notebooks, and not only those but dictionaries, a compact encyclopedia, and a dozen other reference books, heavy ones. I suppose our capacity for self-delusion is boundless. I knew very well that I rarely make notes, and if I do I either lose them or can’t read them. I also knew from thirty years of my profession that I cannot write hot on an event. It has to ferment. I must do what a friend calls ‘mule it over’ for a time before it goes down. And in spite of this self-knowledge I equipped Rocinante with enough writing material to take care of ten volumes. Also I laid in a hundred and fifty pounds of those books one hasn’t got around to reading - and of course those are the books one isn’t ever going to get around to reading.”

- John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley

Thank you for reading - if you like this post, comment, click the heart, and share with a writer or reader in your life.

Keep going, Bec

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Votes are in - save the date

You decided that the next community writing experiment will be following Oliver Burkeman’s tip to start afresh. More coming soon, but let’s do it in the week of 17 August.

This Might Work: what happens when you start afresh?

1. I am still reeling from the discovery that the fictional slippers are silver in the book and not ruby.

2. If you’re struggling to read at the moment, a children’s book is a great place to start. Writer, children’s novelist, and reading champion Katherine Rundell has a short book called: Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise which is truly excellent and the best argument for revisiting your childhood bookshelf.

3. I’m aware I’ve banged on about Peter Elbow a lot this year - but this book is great! You can read more about Writing Without Teachers here and listen to our podcast episode.