#49 The plate of all plates
On the big shiny syndrome, plus lots of recs to keep you informed and intrigued.
Hello friends and readers,
If I were to tell you that I forgot what day is today would you even believe me?
Lately, everything feels like Groundhog Day.
And as much as I enjoy spinning all the plates, I’m afraid some of them will have to drop.
One of the plates is this newsletter that recently I am struggling to keep alive because, admittedly, I choose to be what some people would call ‘sensible’ and prioritise paid work. But when the work becomes too much that you can’t take it anymore, instead of dropping some plates, I still have this expectation to be able to spin all of them, at all times, as quickly and as perfectly as possible.
I probably have a bit of “shiny object syndrome” too. I’m like a baby crawling on the floor, chasing after shiny objects. Once I get there and see what the object is, I immediately lose interest and start chasing the next thing.
Am I too distracted? Am I losing sight of the big picture? Why do I want more when I am already doing OKAY? Or is OKAY not enough?
We all need a bit of reassurance that we are needed, loved, employable (!) and so on. Hence, we want to be perceived as extraordinary and flawless, projecting our insecurities into additional tasks and chores.
The thing with choosing which plates we’re going to drop (completely or temporarily) is that the job in itself will feel like yet another plate to spin.
But this is the plate of all plates.
The plate, which, if you allocate just a small amount of time to it, will end all unnecessary plate spinning and stress, and help you to take back control of your life.
I’m not going to pretend I know the answer straight away because I need to carve out some time to evaluate my own plates.
In the meantime, hope you had a great week and with a reasonable number of plates to spin. Keep on reading because I’ve prepared some – I hope – lovely recommendations that you can enjoy at your own pace.
Thank you, as ever, for being here and for being patient. You have no idea how much it means to me.
Happy reading, happy learning,
Teodora xx
🥁 📚 The latest in the literary world
The shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been announced and, for the first time, it features no English writer and just four books. Two household names among the finalists – Colm Tóibín and Amanda Smyth – could potentially take home £25,000! We’ll find out the winner at the Borders Book Festival on the 17th of June, together with the winners of the prize’s counterpart for young writers, the Young Walter Scott Prize. 🏆
The same goes for the Women’s Prize shortlist! Among the six fabulous books that made it into the final, we have Elif Shafak’s “The Island of Missing Trees” and Maggie Shipstead’s “Great Circles” (both books that I’ve proudly predicted!). Hold on folks to the 15th of June when the winner will be awarded! 👀
Across the pond, Brandon Taylor has become this year’s winner of The Story Prize for his collection of short fiction, “Filthy Animals”. The judges praised Taylor’s attention to “the slightest shift in the emotional weather in his characters,” as well as his “precision,” “compassion,” and “finely tuned” sentences. “Filthy Animals” is Taylor’s second book, following the highly successful “Real Life” which was one of the finalists for the 2020 Booker Prize. 👏
Friends and readers, indulge me one more! The UK’s most prestigious award for debut novelists, the Desmond Elliott Prize, has announced its longlist, featuring ten titles. ✍️ The prize is named after the literary agent and publisher, Desmond Elliott, in memory of his passion for discovering and nurturing emerging authors. First awarded in 2008, the Prize has a track record of spotting outstandingly talented novelists at the beginning of their careers, with former winners including Claire Fuller for “Our Endless Numbered Days” and Preti Taneja for “We That Are Young.” 👏
New cool book alert! I don’t know about you, but I am hyper-excited that a book about the Black British theatre community in Victorian London has been commissioned. It might be niche, but what an astounding research project that must have been. The wonderful writer in question is Lianne Dillsworth and her debut novel, “Theatre of Marvels,” is out now on the shelves. Really great stuff. 🏛️
Another book I’m looking forward to reading (or let’s be realistic, just adding to my endless TBR pile) is George Monbiot’s “Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet.” The reviews on this book are insane. Almost too good to be true ?! Hmm… I can only hope this is not some sort of a spin-off from Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Eating Animals.” 🍗 🌱
And there is no week without a drama – even in the world of literature! Jennifer M. Buck’s book on “trap feminism” has been pulled off the shelves, two months after publication. Buck, a white woman, has been harshly criticised online for Critics also took issue with Yale University, which appears to have given Buck a $10,000 grant to support the book’s research in 2017. Open to debate: can a white woman write about “trap feminist theology”? 🤔
Instagram poetry fans, your goddess Rupi Kaur has listened to your prayers! 📣She’s making her way to the UK and other European cities this autumn to embark on her biggest tour to date, performing *unpublished* poems and works from her latest collection, “home body.” Tickets are on sale now! 🙌
What I’m currently reading / Book of the week:
💡 I’ll most likely write my comments in another issue but, in short, this is a powerful insight into how the legal system is failing women, written by barrister Harriet Johnson.
‼️ This is also a reminder that you can also recommend a book (or more), regardless of the topic or genre, by filling in this Google doc form. I’ve already received a few great responses, but there’s always room for more.
The next recommendation could come from YOU!
🎧 📰 👀 My media diet this week
LISTEN: Violence against women and how to end it | Better Human Podcast| You can listen to this podcast episode both as an alternative to Johnson’s book and complimentary to it because she uncovers her writing process, motivation and how Sarah Everard’s murder kickstarted everything. Plus, it must be the first time I listen to two lawyers speaking in plain – and engaging – language. ⚖️
READ: Men watch porn at work to shame female colleagues. I know because it happened to me | The New Statesman | For a bit of context, this comes after a Tory MP was watching porn in the House of Commons. Johanna Thomas-Corr writes about how this incident reminded her of an abusive and sexist workplace that led her to quit her career. BONUS: You might want to read Laura Bates’ “Fix the System, Not the Women”. It’s a thorough examination of sexual injustice in key institutions including education, media, policing and politics, and a rallying cry for reform. 💡
READ: “I can’t leave all 10,000 to my son”: the bookshop selling one man’s lifetime collection | The Guardian | This is such a heartwarming read about an 83-year-old man who has collected over 10,000 books in his lifetime and decided to open his own shop in Barcelona. Favourite quote: “Lots of people have this idea that secondhand books have no value but I believe a secondhand book should be only a little cheaper than a new one and sometimes much more expensive. […] when you buy a secondhand car, you don’t know if it’s been well looked after and maintained. But you can see with a book that it’s all there, the author’s thoughts, the company that printed it.”
READ: Gen Z does not dream of labour | VOX | “I don’t have goals. I don’t have ambition. I only want to be attractive.” Oh, dear – that’s all I’ve got to say.
READ: A World Run by Mothers | Granta | A 22-year-old mother and her self-discovery journey with all the ups and downs that pregnancy and motherhood bring. 🍼
LISTEN: Missing Mother | BBC Radio 4 | I might be biased because in my day job I happen to work both with Jacqueline Shepherd, the presenter of this audio doc, and with one of her interviewees, Claira Hermet. If you’ve got 30 min to spare, I promise you won’t be disappointed if you choose to listen to this. It’s about what happens to little girls who lose their mums early and the women they later go on to become. 🥺
LISTEN: Floodlines | The Atlantic | This is such a flawless production about Hurricane Katrina – it was actually released a couple of years ago but I just started listening to it now as they’re eight half an hour episodes. 🌊
📌 ICYMI
KFC has launched a limited edition leather “wrapuette” bag. Yes, it’s designed to hold one of its Twister wraps, and you can have it for £198. 🐔
How far would you go to save your phone? A woman had to be rescued by firefighters after falling into a toilet while trying to find her mobile phone after she had accidentally dropped it in there. 🚽 📱🆘
An amputee athlete achieved her goal of running 102 marathons in 102 days, setting an unofficial women’s world record. You go, girl! 🏃
A woman married her pet cat to prevent future landlords from separating them. Perfectly reasonable. I’d do the same for Pepper. 🐈
Japan invented “electric” chopsticks to make food seem saltier. If you come to think of it, the average Japanese adult consumes double the amount of salt recommended by the World Health Organization. 🥢 🍜
Before we say goodbye… 🥺
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