July Recommendations by Jenn D
Firstly, I got even older this month (that’s how birthdays work, right?) and I can really recommend that. Getting older is not the tragedy we are taught. Getting older means we get more opportunities to grow and learn and be and do stuff. Love this for me, love this for everyone.
Anyway the thing I like to do on my birthday is talk about something we can do for others, so I’m going to spruik one of my favorite organizations, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Literacy is so important, language and country are so important, and as it was just NAIDOC week, it’s right at the front of my brain to talk about this. I just set up a monthly direct deposit and don’t really think about it, but I get a little email every month saying “hey you did a thing”, and hey, it’s basically free serotonin!
My other birthday request: please wear a mask. Get the jab, if you can. We’re in lockdown now, and back to doing home learning, and every time I see people out in the world, maskless, interacting, and putting lives at risk I want to do a Roy Kent and tear up a bench.
Okay! To the fun things!
I’ve been listening obsessively to the new Squirrel Flower album Planet (i), and can highly recommend it. There’s a post-apocalyptic vibe but it’s also about people? I don’t know, I’ve been running while listening to it, and it’s just great.
In other news, I joined the Maggie Stiefvater Substack this month and I also became a Patron for Laini Taylor’s Patreon. I love it when writers whose work I love talk about writing. It’s both humbling and inspiring. I think it’s nice we get this opportunity to be let into the interior, working worlds of the people who create great and interesting art!
I haven’t mentioned it before, but speaking of art, I’ve long been a fan of Yangyang Pan. She has collections of original artwork for sale, but she also offers prints on her Etsy store. I am covetous of her abstract landscape series especially—they make me feel the way I want to make my readers feel.
I would like to give a shout-out to Amazing Laura (who designed our glasses button and our cute conversation art!). She’s an official Friend of the Pod. So we love her. She does graphic design and also has the most photogenic family in the history of time and space.
Bookwise, I’m rereading Song of the Current so I can start read Whisper of the Tide, both by Sarah Tolscer. Then I’m going to reread Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On and Wayward Son in preparation for Any Way the Wind Blows. I know Jen V has been dealing with these rereads with lots of sobbing so I’m prepared. By which I mean I have electrolyte drinks and stacks of tissues at the ready. Bring it on.
I also picked up a copy of The Writer’s Block by Roseanne Bane which looks promising!
And speaking of writing books - I love flipping through my collection of Writers’ Thesaurus books. I think I bought one or two a month until I had the whole collection. They are so useful! You can find more information about the authors at One Stop for Writers. (Which is a fantastic resource and they do offer a free trial!) I got my copies of the books from Booktopia.
Final recommendation - I got new sheepskin boots, and they’re great (and they have arch support, because as I mentioned, I am old now, and need these things)! We looked for a long time to find a local-ish company from which to buy our “not Ugg uggs” and our family favorite is Emu Australia. I’m currently breaking in a brand new pair of Gravelly boots and they are So Fancy. And warm. And waterproof!
Enjoy the rest of the month, everyone! If you need me, I’ll be huddled under my electric blanket, reading, and not interacting with any of the germs outside of my house and garden. Stay safe!