Since reading Exhalation, I’ve repeatedly thought about its stories and characters, which is the hallmark of great speculative fiction. Stories about ideas--whether time travel, parallel universes, or artificial intelligence--can get bogged down with heavy philosophy and unsatisfying scientific explanations, but Chiang’s stories (thankfully) do neither. Each story is truly unique, not only in subject, but in style and scope. They explore the implications of technology precisely, contain characters with whom we empathize because of their flaws, and provide plots that genuinely enrapture and surprise you. Most importantly, they challenge us to think through the philosophy ourselves, instead of force-feeding us the “right” conclusion.
After I got engaged, I bought four books on wedding planning; Meg Keene’s A Practical Wedding Planner is the one I’ve continually turned back to. Keene’s book, an extension of her website apracticalwedding.com, understands that not everyone has thousands of dollars to spend on flowers. Keene dismantles the idea that weddings have to be a certain way because of dictates of from society and family and focuses on, above all, making the process easier for the bride and groom. Keene’s book has been the most helpful in my own wedding planning, mostly because it has helped me manage expectations and re-embrace the fun even amidst the chaos.
If you’re on Instagram, you should definitely be following Mari Andrew. Mari’s art has always been unique because she pairs her drawings with beautiful thoughts on life, the universe, and everything. Whether it’s as simple (I wish) as not hearing back from a date or as complex as dealing with a chronic illness, Mari has insights of her own as well as extraordinary empathy for situations beyond hers. Am I There Yet? is wonderful proof that life’s journey--as exemplified by Mari--is rarely linear, and the strange zig-zags can be the most useful in the long run. Come for the art, stay for the insights.
