‘I read for growth, firmly believing that what you are today and what you will be in five years depends on two things: the people you meet and the books you read.’ — Twyla Tharp
I am a big non-fiction reader. I mostly read for discovery, curiosity, connection, and growth. I read to learn. For me, the best books and stories are those that reveal something I haven’t yet reflected upon. I love reading books that talk about creativity, art, creative processes, how the world works or how to look at it, and those about human behaviour, psychology, philosophy, life.
I don’t tend to read to entertain myself - for that, I rather go to the theatre and see a live performance or watch a really good show such as Derry Girls -, so I am not a massive fiction reader. My favourite fiction books are those that tell stories in the format of fables (Animal Farm), dystopian sci-fi (Brave New World, The Machine Stops), or murder mysteries (all Agatha Christie’s Poirot stories - I recommend Peril at the End House). I love the latter ones because they present puzzles to solve.
A genre I most love - fiction or not fiction - is graphic novels. But will talk about that another time...
A book is like a (growing) tree. (It does come from a tree, really). There’s the stem of the content, the main structure, and the chapters. The branches are the particular details each of the chapters leads you to discover. The deeper you go into them the more they open you up to learning new things. There are multiple leaves that can give birth to new ideas and discoveries, and to future books (read or written).
There’s what we cannot see: the roots of the book, but such an important element to ground and grow the story. These are the books and the work that the author absorbed (sometimes throughout a whole lifetime) to produce this piece of magic.
I read fat. This is how Twyla Tharp coins this idea of going deeper into reading related texts and pieces surrounding the book you are reading. I visualise it as looking at and exploring the multiple leaves a tree has. If I liked a specific book, I read about the author’s story, and the other books they have written or read.
I am always extremely curious about the next book I’ll read, and about what book the current book I am reading will take me to.
Happy reading! 📚✨
Ana
📚 What I’m reading in November 2022:
Keep it moving by Twyla Tharp. I found this book precisely applying her ‘reading fat’ concept. It’s a similar format to The Creative Habit but more focused on the need to keep moving our bodies.
Drawing as Therapy by The School of Life. I heard about The School of Life in a podcast and that made me curious to find out more about it. I discovered they have a book on drawing with a very similar approach to playing we embrace at The Sketch Club.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. This book was recommended by a colleague from work and I am delighted by it. I am learning so much about seeing. My drawing skills are massively improving.
Matthew Bourne and His Adventures in Dance by Alastair Macaulay and Matthew Bourne. This is a birthday present. Since I moved to London, every year I go to the Sadler’s Wells Theatre with my best friends to see the Christmas Season performance from this great choreographer. This book is an autobiography and a conversation around his creative process.
Man with a Blue Scarf by Martin Gayford. I got this book when I visited the current Lucian Freud exhibition at the National Gallery in London. The experience of sitting for the artist is narrated by Gayford in the first person. A conversation on art and process with the painter.
What are you currently reading? It would be great to hear about it! Please, leave a comment and share your thoughts :)
I have the Betty Edwards book on my reading list. Being pretty new to drawing, I’ve noticed quite a few people recommending it. I’m currently reading Stranger Than We Can Imagine by John Higgs. It’s about the explosive, fragmenting ideas and movements of the 20th century across science, art and culture. It’s a great read! Quite a page-turner. I’m also reading the autobiography of Frankie Manning who is a key figure in the history of Lindy Hop - swing dancing is a passion for me and I love learning about the history. On my iPad Kindle I have An Illustrated Journey about different artists’ travel sketchbooks. Nice to dip into. I’m making the most of my free trial of Kindle Unlimited. Happy Friday!
Great collection of reads: I prefer non-fiction these days. I've read The Creative Habit but no other Tharp books, now I'm wondering if I should read more.