This week Johnny Gamber over at Pencil Revolution broke out of his graphite fortress to publish his first edition of The Pen Post ($5) — his new pen zine. It’s a delightful read, perfect to peruse over a leisurely lunch break. Be sure to read the ads and peripheral text. Johnny is insightful, funny and as charming on paper as he is in person (or in podcastery). While picking up The Pen Post, check out some of his other zines too.
We have been ordering books from our local indie book shop and picking them up. At the beginning of the pandemic, the shop owner would actually deliver my purchases as they live nearby but now that things are waffling back and forth between pre- and post-pandemic times, we had the privilege of actually browsing the shelves in the shop. Our book haul includes:
- Rosie the Bug Zapper by Geri Bachman (Illustrated by Isabel Dory)
- Half Dead by Brandon Graham
- The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
- Knit the Sky by Lea Redmond
- The 99% Invisble City by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt
Rosie the Bug Zapper is a children’s picture book illustrated by the teenage daughter of a good friend of mine. I’ve known Isabel since she was in grade school and I’m so happy to see how far she has come. If I didn’t tell you the illustrations were done by someone who hadn’t been to college yet you wouldn’t have guessed. They are adorable and I think Isabel is going to be a great illustrator.
Half Dead is the new book by a good friend of ours. We have been privvy to his writing process and the subsequent editing so its exciting to finally have his book in our hands.
Being an avid listener of Dear Hank & John, The Anthopocene Reviewed and 99% Invisible, I had to purchase the books that have grown out of the podcasts. Over the past few months John green has discussed the process of signing every copy of the first edition of The Anthropocene Reviewed so it’s also a delight to be in possession of one of the thousand of books he signed.
Finally, Knit the Sky is a book from the talented and charming Lea Redmond known best for her World’s Smallest Post Service which created a Kickstarter project that was eventually turned into a Chronicle Books kit. With Knit the Sky, Lea inspires knitting everyday events like the Sky Scarf that is a row a day to mark the weather for a whole year.
What are you reading right now? Do you document what you read in a notebook or by some other means?
The Pen Post looks like a lot of fun. I guess I’ll find out for sure when my copy arrives. And major kudos to Ms. Dory for using her talent so delightfully and for her success!
I’m about to start the Outlander series. Years ago, I kept a list of what I’ve read – largely because my memory for titles and authors is awful. But with this enormous series, I’m thinking I ought to keep some kind of journal for the books I read.
I just finished reading The Anthropocene Reviewed a couple of weeks ago. Despite having an audiobook option, I preferred to do paperback and I read the essays one day at a time, usually before bed. It’s such a wonderful book.