Ohio, by Laurie Stone
A short, odd, but good piece of fiction that jumps around a bit, but in a way that works. It’s about a daughter and her mother, but mostly the daughter - Mary, or sometimes Mary Beth as you’ll learn. She lives in Ohio and works at a circus. Her mother is a good friend, but both seem lonely and slightly strange. By the end, each paragraph seems to be it’s own short story. Thumbs-up!
How I Stopped Feeling Embarrassed and Ashamed of Being Single, By Elyse Andrews
Loved this. I can somewhat relate; I’ve been in a couple of serious relationships, but I’ve also definitely spent years in-between being single. It can be hard. Having a partner in life can be great - or terrible, depending. I appreciate her honesty, courage, and learning to self-love (something I think we all - including me - should try to do more of).
Why You Should Study Philosophy, by Ryan Holiday
This is a slightly-old one I read years ago. Ryan Holiday is one of the foremost writers on Philosophy today, specifically around Stoicism. Having worked under Robert Greene (author of The 48 Laws of Power, among many others), and as Director of Marketing at American Apparel, he has unique insights into Philosophy through studying the greatest minds (think Marcus Aurelius). Great read on why you should study Philosophy - or learn to think better.
The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson
Considered one of the great short stories. Written in 1948, it’s a story of tradition, albeit a harsh one. She apparently came up with the story while grocery shopping, after which she went home and wrote the entire thing in a single morning while her daughter played in a play-pen. If you don’t subscribe to The New Yorker, I’m sure you can find a PDF somewhere online - it’s worth the read - or listen.
Is There Such A Thing As Good Taste?, by Paul Graham
This one requires some thinking, but it’s worth it in the end. Paul Graham, for those of you who don’t know, is sort of a legend in the startup community. He founded the startup incubator Y Combinator and made big contributions to the programming language, Lisp. His essays are read by many (including yours truly), which you can find in his site above. You’ll likely see more of them here in the future (and just remembered I included one of his in last week’s post! We’ll break from him next time…)
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please consider sharing it on social media or via email with a friend. :)
Best,
Riv
I need to read "The Lottery" and "Why you should study philosophy". I don't think I've ever studied philosophy, after and Associates degree, BS degree and Master's degree! I posted these to FB! Thank you for sharing!
I studied “The Lottery” in high school English lit class. It stays with you, for sure!