Reading
I’ve been reading Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. My family took an unexpected trip to Canada after the death of my grandmother. It was a good companion for the long journey. I was excited to hear the author come speak in my hometown! I’ve loved reading her for years. There is just something about how she tells what could be a mundane story in the hands of another writer. Her characters leap off the page, and her writing style is so good on a technical level it wraps me up like a warm blanket. I had fun hearing her speak, and got to chat with her briefly when she signed by book. She was so gracious and kind. After speaking with soooo many people, she still talked to me about my writing and wrote me a special note. :)
Watching
Harry Potter has turned out to be the perfect non-scary Halloween movie. Something that J.K. Rowling did so well is create wonder—an element missing from so many fantasy books I’ve read recently. Harry Potter doesn’t shy away from darkness but also has those elements of goodness that we truly love in the stories: love, friendship, and humor. She makes magic seem full of mystery and goodness. If you know of any other fantasy stories that do this well, let me know in the comments!
Listening
Lately I’ve been listening to, yes, 1989 Taylor’s Version. While her work has definitely changed from that first self-titled country album, maturing in some good ways, some bad, there is no denying her ability to stay relevant. She keeps producing music and evolving her sound. (See my Substack related to that here.) The description on Spotify mentions Swift’s ability to “harness the zeitgeist, make it personal and, just as impressively, perform the reverse.”1 As evidenced by the sheer amount of songs out there by various artists, it is hard to write songs that are singable, not to mention that many. (Take it from a failed songwriter!) While her music not as innocent and wholesome as her first couple albums unfortunately, for the most part she stays away from the over-sexualized content that riddles most pop music.2 The albums Folklore and Evermore are my favorite just because they are more of that dreary folk style I love, but I am enjoying Midnights, too. Recently, after I used a stanza from a Taylor Swift song to teach meter, my students asked me if I was a “Swiftie.” I’m afraid I am.
Writing
October has been filled with random writing tasks. Prepping contest submissions, prepping material to send to agents, and formatting Substack posts. I also wrote an essay for my Jane Austen class on Mansfield Park exploring its fairytale structure and the idea of virtue. I had a blast writing it! I only wish I could have gone deeper. Some form of the essay might make an appearance on this Substack, but we will see if I want to expand it.
Join the conversation
What have you been loving this month?
Spotify, Taylor Swift artist profile
I haven’t listened much to her albums Lover or Reputation, so someone correct me if I’m wrong.
You nailed what I continue to love about HP, and miss in so much of modern fantasy. The obsession with grimdark “realism” is depressing as heck. Also would love to read the Mansfield Park essay; I listened to a podcast that talked about some of the fairytale parallels (specifically with Cinderella) and it blew my mind/really made me appreciate in a new way what has always been my least favorite Austen novel
Not exactly magic in the Harry Potter sense, but the "Hilda" graphic novels by Luke Pearson have that same feeling of wonder that you mentioned. Hilda's world is full of strange and mysterious beings and forces, some scary, some friendly . . . and the illustrations are simply beautiful.