May 25, 2015 • Musings
I’m counting today as the official start of summer, along with anyone else celebrating Memorial Day with a yoga class and a barbecue. (Plus, I can’t get the SNL opening song out of my head… Even one week later.)
One of my favorite past times (summer or otherwise) is reading, and this summer, my stack is full of books I cannot wait to explore. So here’s my list… What’s on yours?
I Keep Mulling Over This Idea…
The Soul of Money by Lynn Twist
I finished this one a few months ago (as evidenced by the dog-eared pages, the highlighted passages and the exclamations in the margins), and I’m already ready to re-read it. I keep playing with this idea of the intersection of time, money, art, and value, and Lynn Twist’s work continues to resonate.
Beyond Price by Michael Hutter (Ed.) and David Throsby (Ed.)
I can’t get this idea out of my head… I keep exploring the connection between money, time, value, and art. This collection of essays explores those ideas in the context of art history, exploding fine arts valuations, and the role of nonprofits in the industry.
The Most Good You Can Do by Peter Singer
Nicholas Kristof wrote about this author and this work (“The Trader Who Donates Half His Pay“) in the Times this spring, and I am so excited to learn more. I suspect there is plenty to learn from this in the context of ethical spending… And even more to learn in the context of fundraising for arts organizations, individual artists, or even artistically-focused L3Cs and B Corps.
Slow Money by Chelsea Green
And here is one final one to round out the ethics of spending money. The Slow Money movement is fascinating, especially the pledge. I’m doing pretty well for 2015, but I suspect I could use more reminders from Chelsea…
For Curricular Research…
The Road to Character by David Brooks
The excerpt in the Times made me want to read it. The interviews with David Brooks on NPR reminded me to read it. And when my husband sent it to me with the subject line “Interesting Read?” I finally bought it. Here’s to a shared summer reading with Michael (one with slightly fewer killings — presumably — than the Game of Thrones series).
Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
So it turns out, I’m old. Not super old, but old enough to have had vastly different life experiences from Lena Dunham. And yet, she is an authentic, articulate, and hilarious voice for many of my students. I’m thinking of using this as part of CCAD’s Women’s Leadership Institute curriculum for the year, and I fully expect to find Dunham’s reflections as applicable to Gen Xers as they are to Millennials (and to whoever comes after Millennials).
Culture Crash by Scott Timberg
Timely to my life, relevant to my work, and with a subtitle like “The Killing of the Creative Class,” who wouldn’t add it to a summer reading list? Here’s hoping it doesn’t turn out to be a horror story…
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
It’s a classic, but a great one to revisit, especially in the context of curriculum for the CCAD Women’s Leadership Institute. (And I tend to try to form new habits in summer — with the hopes they’ll stick for the fall. Surely this read couldn’t hurt, right?)
Fiction to Enjoy…
Maps & Legends by Michael Chabon
A favored student gave this to me upon her graduation. (Thanks, Oriana! Find her on Behance, Instagram, and LinkedIn. ) I cannot wait to see what brilliance she’ll teach me through this book.
Satin Island by Tom McCarthy
I totally love Tom McCarthy. His stories (Remainder is the last one I read) are fascinating to me, and represent some of the most creative ideas in contemporary fiction. And really, doesn’t Satin Island as a title say it all?
The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani
Technically I finished this one about a week ago, but as far as I’m concerned it still counts. It’s a super light read about Enza, and Italian-American immigrant who dabbled in the arts, ran a successful business, and found friends, true love, and family. I didn’t love this one as much as I loved Lucia, Lucia (also by Adriana Trigiani), but I completely adored Enza.
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