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I think this one stuck with me so much because it was so short and I had just read a succession of long-ass books (Plus Johnson is an Iowa Writers workshop alum).
Johnson tells a panoramic story with a wide enough lens to capture both the valleys and mountains of the North Western corner of the US, as well as the better portion of the book’s protagonist’s life.
Simultaneously, this books captures the tiny moments effortlessly and there’s plenty to be pulled out of the details.
all that comes together to paint what i can only imagine to be an accurate depiction of the life of a man in the 20th century. Could any other time in history be so big and yet so small at the same time?
Jan 24, 2024
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Mar 18, 2025
Great book that really examines the American dream and the sad tragedy of early 20th century life and customs
Nov 14, 2024
I read this novella all in one sitting on the train to Bath, and I haven't been able to stop thing about it. Set in the 1920s, the main character is shellshocked WWI veteran who ventures into the British countryside to restore a mural in an old church. But it feels like more than an anti war novel, its about the end of summer, the passage of time and modernity, finding your place in a changing world. A Month in the Country is a celebration of brokenness — not the suffering of brokenness but, rather, the vulnerability that brokenness brings.
“We can ask and ask but we can’t have again what once seemed ours for ever — the way things looked, that church alone in the fields, a bed on a belfry floor, a remembered voice, the touch of a hand, a loved face. They’ve gone and you can only wait for the pain to pass.
All this happened so long ago. And I never returned, never wrote, never met anyone who might have given me news of Oxgodby. So, in memory, it stays as I left it, a sealed room furnished by the past, airless, still, ink long dry on a put-down pen.”
Mar 18, 2025
Top Recs from @clayton
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Stop buying cotton socks other than for running. wool socks are warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer
Jan 31, 2024
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Have a friend who you can hit up to throw/hit/kick ball with at a moment’s notice.
Obviously this can be mapped to non-ball sports as well as non-sport activities as needed, but there’s something special about a ball friend.
If you have one currently in your life, text them and let them know you appreciate them.
Feb 28, 2024
They have this at the Whole Foods hot bar and I can’t get enough of it
Onion, fennel bulb, red bell, garlic sautéed till caramelized. Chicken broth, salt, lemon juice, pepper flake, fennel seed. After simmering for 15, toss in chopped kale and cooked tortellini until kale is wilted. Add parm and black pepper as desired ❤️
Jul 10, 2024