Her piece on Joan Mitchell is actually very related to this post. Herman argues that the political narrative context around the painter can impede appreciation of her work.
“Her canvases draw us in — I wrote the word ‘intrigue’ several times in my notes — allowing the viewer to bring their own impressions and opinions to the experience.”
Found you via Ann Friedman’s newsletter. Surprise me!
I’d love to hear why these books stayed on your tbr. I have a pile and some have been there for years, but still with the intention, that one day they will be just the thing.
So glad you found the post! This was such a fun experiment, and I was glad to be able to donate about a third of the books. Since writing this I did read Cannery Row, which is so beautiful. I've had it since high school and I think I just needed to be a little older to appreciate it because not a lot happens on the surface.
The rest I kept for various reasons. The film directors book is aspirational because it made me want to gain more experience with film and come back to it someday with more perspective. Usually we only talk about a handful of great directors and he impressed me by drawing from relatively ordinary filmmakers. Ted Gioia just knows so much about music, so I had to keep him. I like that he understands the cultural context around music, but unlike a lot of music critics today he is primarily invested in the music itself. Fractured Republic I realized was less dated than I had thought, I just need to strip it from the release date marketing to see that. McGinley belongs in the poetry collection I'm building, and the illustrations are lovely. Cave and Light had more breadth than I expected rather than just going very narrow and deep into Plato and Aristotle.
My kind of fun afternoon! I love this answer and the thought you put into it. I truly believe that if we choose a book, it’s never a bad one, just the wrong time. They will wait for us. Or we will move on. I hope the others find the right reader for them.
I may have to try this. My previous plan was to just read everything... eventually.
Yes! Let a work speak for itself!
OK, this is kind of funny but I know Arthur Herman’s wife! She’s a delightful and brilliant woman.
No way! Another point in favor of keeping his book
If the spirit moves you https://thefederalist.com/author/bethherman/
Her piece on Joan Mitchell is actually very related to this post. Herman argues that the political narrative context around the painter can impede appreciation of her work.
“Her canvases draw us in — I wrote the word ‘intrigue’ several times in my notes — allowing the viewer to bring their own impressions and opinions to the experience.”
https://thefederalist.com/2022/06/09/baltimore-featured-abstract-artist-joan-mitchell-is-not-just-for-feminists/
Found you via Ann Friedman’s newsletter. Surprise me!
I’d love to hear why these books stayed on your tbr. I have a pile and some have been there for years, but still with the intention, that one day they will be just the thing.
So glad you found the post! This was such a fun experiment, and I was glad to be able to donate about a third of the books. Since writing this I did read Cannery Row, which is so beautiful. I've had it since high school and I think I just needed to be a little older to appreciate it because not a lot happens on the surface.
The rest I kept for various reasons. The film directors book is aspirational because it made me want to gain more experience with film and come back to it someday with more perspective. Usually we only talk about a handful of great directors and he impressed me by drawing from relatively ordinary filmmakers. Ted Gioia just knows so much about music, so I had to keep him. I like that he understands the cultural context around music, but unlike a lot of music critics today he is primarily invested in the music itself. Fractured Republic I realized was less dated than I had thought, I just need to strip it from the release date marketing to see that. McGinley belongs in the poetry collection I'm building, and the illustrations are lovely. Cave and Light had more breadth than I expected rather than just going very narrow and deep into Plato and Aristotle.
I had a very enjoyable Saturday afternoon.
My kind of fun afternoon! I love this answer and the thought you put into it. I truly believe that if we choose a book, it’s never a bad one, just the wrong time. They will wait for us. Or we will move on. I hope the others find the right reader for them.
I haven't read The Fractured Republic but Ive listened to the audiobook at night when I can't sleep, and it's fantastic.
This was fun to read!
I am mystified why anyone listens to Niall Ferguson about anything.
He is very smart
Yes, that quote was in my section also IIRC (and was quite prescient). Codevilla has some good insights.
https://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/classic-codevilla/