The original version of this newsletter was sent out on Wednesday, May 27.
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Hello, fellow bookworms!
This week, our incredible Assistant Editor Tiana Molony brings us a collection of collections — essay collections, that is. It takes a skilled writer to draw a reader into one’s musings about various subjects, and these authors definitely have what it takes. Read on for Tiana’s recommendations!
Also, if you’re already looking forward to all the wonderful things a Santa Barbara summer has to offer, get in the Fiesta spirit a little early by entering the first-ever Old Spanish Days Fiesta Poetry Contest! Put your Santa Barbara pride into a poem and submit it by May 31 for the chance to win prizes and read your poem as part of the Old Spanish Days celebration. Find more information here.
Happy reading!
—Tessa, allbooked@independent.com
From the moment I read the first page of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking a few years ago, I experienced a sort of literary awakening. I tore through all of Didion’s nonfiction and, in the process, developed a deep appreciation for memoirs and essay collections alike, which now make up most of my library.
The thing is, at least within the past few years, I’ve been especially drawn to stories that actually happened. Don’t get me wrong, I still read fiction, but I have a special type of appreciation for a writer who takes otherwise mundane experiences and transforms them into engaging stories on par with the make-believe.
Because of this, I’ve developed quite a roster of reads, adding to my collection in the way my dog Maple collects sticks — in abundance and with intention. Below is a list of a few of my favorite essay collections. From the sharp prose of Didion to the raw intimacy of Eve Babitz and the poetic reflections of Patti Smith, each of these collections left me with an insatiable need to write.
Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion
Picking my favorite Joan Didion essay collection is like being tasked with picking one’s favorite child — impossible, yes, but deep down you know the answer. Let Me Tell You What I Mean is certainly up there for me. The 12 essays in the collection span from 1968 to 2000 and the collection itself happens to be her last published book before her death in 2021. Didion covers a variety of topics, including reflections on not getting into Stanford, Hemingway’s prose, attending a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, Martha Stewart, and the writing process.
In one essay described as a “scathing” profile of Nancy Reagan, “Pretty Nancy,” Didion not so subtly comments on the absurdity of a television crew attempting to have Regan “act natural” as they construct the perfect shot of her plucking rhododendrons in her garden. “She was listening attentively,” Didion writes of Nancy. “Nancy Reagan is a very attentive listener.”
One of my favorites from this collection is “Why I Write,” in which Didion so perfectly captures the inner turmoil of discovering one’s role as a writer.
“All I knew then was what I wasn’t, and it took me some years to discover what I was. Which was a writer. By which I mean not a ‘good’ writer or a ‘bad’ writer but simply a writer, a person whose most absorbed and passionate hours are spent arranging words on pieces of paper.”
To this day, if I am stuck on a sentence, I open to this essay and begin reading. Afterward, I am usually able to continue the often daunting task of writing.
Calypso by David Sedaris
Before picking up David Sedaris’s Calypso, I had been a fan of his New Yorker essays, and I was positively delighted to discover his essay collections. I started with Calypso, which features 21 semi-autobiographical essays spanning themes of middle age, family, and loss.
In his essay “Stepping Out,” his humorous writing style shines through as he talks about getting a Fitbit and becoming a slave to step counting. He writes:
“At the end of my first sixty-thousand-step day, I staggered home with my flashlight knowing that I’d advance to sixty-five thousand, and that there will be no end to it until my feet snap off at the ankles.”
In one of my favorite essays, “Untamed,” Sedaris reflects on his relationship with a fox named Carol that one day sauntered into the backyard of his home in Sussex, England. At one point, Sedaris is on a walk and delighted to see that Carol has followed him. He writes:
“The road was ours, and we marched right down the center of it, all the way to the front of the house and then through the garden gate to the kitchen door. Just me and my wild friend Carol.”
No matter the topic, Sedaris has a way of inviting the reader into his world so vividly you feel as if his memories are your memories — whether it be sitting around a living room with his family, walking for miles in the English countryside, or grieving the loss of a loved one. Calypso left me with that rare, specific ache of finishing a book you weren’t ready to leave.
M Train by Patti Smith
“It’s not easy writing about nothing,” so goes the opening line of Patti Smith’s M Train. While more memoir than essay collection, this book deserved a spot on the list as it’s a great example of finding beauty in the mundane. In M Train, Smith takes us through multiple timelines, from reflecting on the loss of her husband, Fred “Sonic” Smith, to visiting the graves of literary legends to buying a beach shack.
Throughout, we get a look into her dreams, where we meet a recurring character, the “cowpoke.” Often she writes of Café Ino, a café she visits almost religiously, always sitting in the same corner chair, which if occupied she’d wait nearby — or in the bathroom — until the idler left. This café stands as a sort of anchor, a place Smith can always return to. Many of the stories are illustrated with Smith’s photographs and Polaroids, adding a rare visual element to her storytelling. On paper, M Train may be mistaken for boring — I assure you, it is anything but.
Black Swans by Eve Babitz
If you read my previous All Booked review, then you’ll know of my newfound Eve Babitz obsession. Immediately after finishing Slow Days, Fast Company and writing my review, I started reading Black Swans and then Eve’s Hollywood. But here I am talking about Black Swans, a 1993 collection of stories by Babitz that spans 1980s and early 1990s Los Angeles. In contrast to Slow Days, Fast Company, Babitz, now in her forties, is much wiser and more sober (literally) in this collection, where she reflects on topics such as learning the Argentinian tango, the AIDS epidemic, and her relationships.
In the first essay in the collection, Babitz likens jealousy to a rabid dog. She writes, “God, jealousy sure is a mad dog from hell with rabies.” I’ve been waiting my whole life for someone to come along and describe jealousy so perfectly — of course that person is Eve.
—Tiana Molony
FROM OUR PAGES
We’ve had some great author visits and interviews recently, so don’t miss out. Here is some of our book-related coverage from the last two weeks! Read all this and more at Independent.com.
“Library Night Live Raises More than $160,000 for Literacy Programs” by Leslie Dinaberg
“Spotlighting UCSB Reads” by Alice Dehghanzadeh
“Talking Love Triangles with T.C. Boyle” by Leslie Dinaberg
“Author Edward Giron Brings Gwen the Racehorse to Life at Chaucer’s Books” by Madeline Slogoff
UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS
Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online events calendar.
Godmothers Gather: Caro Claire Burke, Yesteryear
Friday, May 29, 6 p.m. | Godmothers
Solvang Library Friends of the Library Book Sale
Saturday, May 30, 10 a.m. to Wednesday, June 6, 3 p.m. | Solvang Library
Storytime at the Sea Center
Saturday, May 30, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Natural History Sea Center
Godmothers Storytime: Little G’s: Unicorns in Uniforms
Saturday, May 30, 11 a.m. | Godmothers
Homegrown Author at Sunshine Makers Market
Saturday, May 30, 11 a.m. | Paseo Nuevo
Mystery Writer Panel
Sunday, May 31, 2 p.m. | Ojai Art Center
S.B. Eastside Library Bilingual Songs & Stories for Kids
Tuesday, June 2, 11 a.m. | Eastside Library
Godmothers Gather: Kelly Mooney & Katy Mooney, UP!: The Playbook for Every Woman on the Rise
Tuesday, June 2, 6 p.m. | Godmothers
Buellton Library Lit on the Lawn
Wednesday, June 3, 1 p.m. | Buellton Library
S.B. Central Library Social Justice Book Club
Wednesday, June 3, 5:30 p.m. | S.B. Central Library
Chaucer’s Books: Book Talk & Signing: Gregory Orfalea, Wonder + Shame
Wednesday, June 3, 6 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
Adult Summer Reading Kickoff
Thursday, June 4, 5 p.m. | Fox Wine Co.
Between the Lines: Adult Literacy Book Club
Friday, June 5, noon | S.B. Central Library
SBMAL Open House
Saturday, June 6, 9:30 a.m. | S.B. Mission Archive-Library (SBMAL)
Storytime at the Sea Center
Saturday, June 6, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Natural History Sea Center
Godmothers Storytime: Little G’s: Pete Oswald, Kindergarten Gets Ready
Saturday, June 6, 11 a.m. | Godmothers
Read-a-Palooza Kick-Off Event!
Saturday, June 6, 11 a.m. | Goleta Community Center
Summer Reading Kickoff
Saturday, June 6, 11 a.m. | S.B. Central Library Plaza
Godmothers Gather: Alex Elle, The Company We Keep: Friendship, Connection, and Redefining What It Means to Grow Together
Saturday, June 6, 6 p.m. | Godmothers
Book Talk and Signing: Claudia Hoag McGarry, I Wish I had a French Café and Almond Croissants
Saturday, June 6, 3 p.m. | Tecolote Book Shop
Storytime at the Sea Center
Sunday, June 7, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Natural History Sea Center
Godmothers Gather: Darby Saxbe & Emily Jacobs, Dad Brain
Sunday, June 7, 6 p.m. | Godmothers
Godmothers Storytime: Axolotl-Ella: A Sort-of Cinderella Story
Monday, June 8, 11 a.m. | Godmothers
S.B. SPOTLIGHT
We at the Independent get many books sent to us by area authors, sometimes too many! It’s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that are either written by a Santa Barbara author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. Perhaps you will find your new favorite read!
The following are the most recent titles that have been sent to us.
The Clarity of Chaos by Hannah Turner
Sultry Is the Night by Barbara Avon
If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email allbooked@independent.com with the subject line “S.B. Spotlight.”
Book Reviews Courtesy of CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS*
Thanks to the generous contributions of David Starkey, Brian Tanguay and their team of reviewers at California Review of Books, we are able to provide a steady stream of book reviews via our content partnership. Recent reviews at Independent.com include:
Play This Book Loud: Noisy Essays by Joe Bonomo; review by David Starkey
Ghosts Behind Glass: Encountering Extinction in Museums by Dolly Jørgensen; review by David Starkey
*At the present time, all of the Independent’s book reviews are provided in collaboration with California Review of Books (calirb.com).
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