books that inspired me to write

The book ends, but you're not ready.

The actual physical act of putting a book down and walking away is a emotional experience than nobody prepares you for. It's something you have to learn to do on your own.

I read a lot. Sometimes, the book gets under my skin and stays there. It takes a few days to shake it off, and pick up a new one.

Books with bad writing or too happy of endings leave me with big regrets. Wasted time - ugh! Thrillers make me residually jumpy and irritable for days. Tragedies leave me weepy. But even worse are the really really good ones that you wish would never end. More than any of them, those have me depressy for days. Rarest of all, the books that move me to write.

The last chapter, last page, last sentence come and go...My body remains still. The feelings reach inwards and down to my toes. I'm lost in my internal senses, so that people and things around me don't exist.

Then I breathe deeply, I close the book, and pull out a notebook or laptop.

Writing the post-book blues away.

I write to process wtf I'm feeling.

I write memories.

I write scenes from half-formed stories that flit across my mind.

I write eagerly, striving to create something that invokes a fractions of the feelings of wonder and curiosity I've filled with.

Throughout my life, many books have inspired me. Have shaped me. But here are a few that have moved me to write...

The Books:

Grimoire Girl: Creating an Inheritance of Magic and Mischief. I felt this book in my bones. Trying to read it slowly to savor the lessons was the hardest part. Morgan Hilarie Burton's writes like she's having tea you, her deep, introspective friend. It is conversational but emotional, vulnerable and intentional. I learned how to love the different parts of myself more wholly. How to more deeply connect with the people and world around me. How to imbue my home with memories and intentions. And ideas to kindle a flame of passion now, in my life. It is no coincidence that just 2 weeks after finishing this book, I woke up and began writing my memories down.

Where the Crawdads Sing. It's true, strange as it may seem. The first time I read it, I put it down, took a breath, and then picked it up again and started from the begining. Delia Owens transports you into a world within our own world - full of mystery and wonder and discovery. I was so inspired by the transformative writing that after the second read through, picked up a pen and began writing my own thoughts and stories down in my journal, after my second read-through. The way she makes the marsh come to life, describes connection to the earth, and brings life to the earth's parables was truly inspiring. It reminded me of how much can be learned by listening, watching, waiting. By going with the forces of nature instead of trying to dominate them. I was truly inspired by the metaphors and relationships.

Heart of the Home: Notes from a Vineyard Kitchen. This is a cookbook, with hand drawn illustrations and commentary in between the recipes, all done by Susan Branch the author. The absolute care in which this book was written is tangible in the pages. The stories and memories passed down as carefully curated as the recipes inside. Her advice warms my heart and my kitchen.

Chasing Redbird. This childhood classic, by Sharon Creech, is one that I've loved for many years. When I picked it up again 15 years later, it was more than just entertaining. It was healing. I knew I related to her when I was young, but adult me could see so much more of the nuances of why I connected with this character and drew me into the story. With very little interactions between characters, and even fewer conversations, this book was all about her thoughts, her feelings, her memories. And I loved it. It made me braver, when writing my own thoughts, feelings and memories.

Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl. Memories are impactful. Even the simple, silly or inconsequential ones. In fact, it's those more than anything that will connect with others.

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. Like cozying down for the cold months and immersing in spring, rested, Katherine May explores how this metaphor heals her soul. It is thoughtful and necessary read. I especially loved the experience of reading it through the winter season and into spring! Each time I picked it up I felt or understood something new and profound.

Forever grateful for the books that have shaped me and my writing.

I have been a reader far longer than I will ever be a writer. I am so grateful for the art that has inspired and shaped me. And for the humans that took the time to create it. Now that I know a small piece of what it takes to draft, edit, and publish, I have a greater understanding of how much it takes.

xo, Brooklyn