Notes from Eva: Having Fun is Easy When You Have a Library Card
A newsletter about writing, art and living more creatively
As the escalator reached the second floor and the library unveiled itself before me, my heart seemed to flutter. This space, which I visited as a kid, still held so much magic for me as an adult.
I visited with a plan: to do some research, check out a few books and get going. But of course I did what my childhood self loved to do: grabbed a ton of books I was interested in. Too many to carry.
The librarian — a woman in her forties with a soothing voice and a chic haircut — helped me find the reference books I needed. "Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked after a couple hours. I wanted to cry and say YES, YES I DID.
Because the library is such a magical place and I'd almost forgotten. I re-found my love for books (beyond what I read every day), my curiosity for research, my need to get away from the city and just hole myself into a desk with a ton of pages around me.
Earlier this week I saw this meme which is SO on point (shout-out to my fellow Saggitarius loves).
via @sanctuarywrld
If you feel the same way that I do about libraries — or if you're like meh, whatever, I still think they are so-so — I recommend you listen to the This American Life episode on the many lives of a library.
Here's to taking more advantage of what's in your city's backyard — especially when it helps feed your creative output.
xoxo,
Your favorite small but feisty writer
Eva
PS If you missed the downloadable wallpapers available so far, click here.
Banner design by Ludi Leiva ✨
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What I'm Reading
Articles:
Portraits of Resilience: Photography Connects Mayan Women with Their Guatemalan History by Carla Pineda via Artbound
How Claudia Kishi Inspired a Generation of Asian American Writers by Susan Cheng via Bustle
14 Millennials Got Honest About How They Afforded Home Ownership by Anne Helen Petersen via Buzzfeed
How I Faced My Dispensary Fear — and Found Serenity by Anna Gragert via Miss Grass
Books:
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori // a thought-provoking, darkly funny look at societal gendered expectations, work and family
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube by Blair Braverman // a fascinating read on trauma, an American's experience in Norway and what happens when we test our limits
Everything I Never Told You by Celest Ng // a dark and complex look at a family in Suburbia and what happens when a death in the family shakes their reality
Quote of the Week
"Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed."
— Sister Corita Kent
