#GetLit: A Libromance Round-up
Still on the same frequency after publishing this post because I just came across this gem — Don’t Be a Dick: Colum McCann’s Advice to Young Writers, which had this essential quote:
Trying to write without reading is like venturing out to sea all by yourself in a small boat: lonely and dangerous. Wouldn’t you rather see the horizon filled, end to end, with other sails? Wouldn’t you rather wave to neighboring vessels; admire their craftsmanship; cut in and out of the wakes that suit you, knowing that you’ll leave a wake of your own,and that there’s enough wind and sea for you all?
— Téa Obreht
So read with me! Currently: America is in the Heart (Amazon | Indiebound) by Carlos Bulosan, and an ongoing read/lesson/roadmap in creativity, Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way (Amazon | Indiebound). Got book recommendations? Drop me a line!
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In other news, I just finished watching the Netflix series Thirteen Reasons Why. It’s powerful stuff, yo. First published as a young adult book by Jay Asher, the series revolves around 13 tapes that a teenager made and disseminated after her suicide. While the show tackled issues like rape, bullying and toxic high school culture, the biggest thing for me is that it opened up the discussion around mental health in the mainstream.
The series isn’t perfect, and can at times misrepresent many facets of suicide, but it’s worth watching. There are tons of local and national resources out there too, like Lifeline and The Trevor Project. I also came across this thing called bullet journaling specifically for keeping up with your mental and emotional health.
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Had the most scrumptious toast and a lavender latte from Home Cafe. Go visit them in San Francisco!
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And if you haven’t read my recent fiction book reviews, here they are:
- Zadie Smith’s Swing Time
- Madeleine Thien’s Do Not Say We Have Nothing
- Karan Mahajan’s The Association of Small Bombs
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What can I become quite good at that’s really difficult for a computer to do one day soon? How can I become so resilient, so human and such a linchpin that shifts in technology won’t be able to catch up?
#GetLit book review books Carlos Bulosan Colum McCann Karan Mahajan latte art literature Madeleine Thien Scratch Seth Godin Writing Zadie Smith
Pia Cortez View All →
Pia Cortez is a writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She runs a book blog called Libromance where she reviews books and publishes literary features with a queer Filipino immigrant lens. She is a contributor at Hella Pinay, an online magazine for Filipino-American women and at New Life Quarterly, a literary magazine based in Oakland, California. She is currently working on her first novel.
I have been seeing a lot of love for 13 reasons why. I must take a look
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Yes, it’s the kind of series you would watch all episodes in one sitting!
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I love your play on words for #GetLit. =)
Have you read anything by Malinda Lo? Curious if you have thoughts on the Huntress. I enjoyed it because of the magic and it appealed so much to my 15 year old self discovering and exploring a queer filipino identity (AKA crushing on my straight best friend -_-)
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Aw thanks 🙂
I haven’t read any of Malinda Lo’s books, but would love to check out Huntress. Let me know if you have other recommendations!
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