Reading. Watching. Listening.

January 17

Hi All,

This week, I spent a lot of time reading Elif Shafek’s 2024 novel, There are Rivers in the Sky and I loved it. The story spans centuries and continents exploring memory, storytelling and climate. I learned so much while reading and found myself googling to learn more both during and after reading which, in my opinion, means it was a great book.

I also spent a lot of time this week thinking about the fires in LA and wondering how in the world to help. With the inauguration also looming, the world feels overwhelming.

So I was thrilled when a section of There Are Rivers in the Sky spoke directly to this overwhelm.

Shafek writes of the story of Nemrud and Ibrahim:

“He was cruel. But it’s also important to ask how everyone else behaved when calamity struck. Many just watched. Some even rushed to fetch wood to add to the blaze. The lizard for instance. Only a few good souls tried to save Ibrahim- like the frog. It filled its mouth with water and spat it into the flames, and kept doing this, until it was exhausted. The lizard laughed and said, “You are tiny, the fire is massive, what do you think you will achieve with your itty-bitty water?” But the frog said, “If I were to do nothing, would I be any different from you?”

So, while reading doesn’t solve all the world’s problems, I do think I can picture myself as the frog and that will help a little bit.

xo,

Stacey

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Reading:

• Once There Were Wolves (print)

• There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (audio)

Listening:

• Mo News

• The Ezra Klein Show (Biden Promised to Turn the Page on Trump: What Went Wrong?)

• Smartless (Kiernan Culkin)

• Novel Pairings Classics Club Podcast (with Holly Fairall)

Watching:

• Evil*

*You all- this show is not good but I can’t seem to find anything else to stick. Watching recommendations welcome!

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