Recently, I had to do a lot of driving. Not the hours-long round-trips to Portland and Olympia that I recently got through with the help of Rin Tin Tin, but three days of going back and forth to West Seattle for Camp Craftaway, and a whole bunch of errands. And you know what made all of that driving so much more pleasant? Ross Gay’s beautiful voice reading The Book of (More) Delights.
An audiobook of essayettes is so perfect for shorter drives, because when each chapter is only a few minutes long, you don’t have to leave off mid-chapter and then try to remember where you were when you get back into the car.
The Book of (More) Delights is a continuation of the project Gay began with The Book of Delights, a year-long journey of writing a short essay about something that delighted him that day. This book collects 80-something of the best mini-essays written during that year.
Unfortunately, this was written in a time spanning from I believe August 2021 to August 2022, so the delight is tinged with pandemic-related issues, and that made it less delightful to listen to. I don’t want to be reminded of worries over vaccine safety, mask mandates lifting and being reinstated, anxiety over handshaking, and all of that.
Thankfully, many of the delights are timeless, such as the various joys of gardening, of walking through your beloved neighborhood, of cute little dogs. And if one essay isn’t delight you, you’re sure to encounter one that will soon enough.
I’m sure these books are enjoyable to read as an ebook or physical book too, the sort of thing that you can pick up and read a chapter of while the kettle boils or you wait for a friend who is running just a few minutes late. But I personally recommend the audio format if you’re the sort of person who enjoys listening to books, because Gay has a great voice and great delivery. You can really tell he’s a poet, because he has a sense of rhythm even when reading prose.
Best of all, these books serve as a reminder to notice those moments of delight in your own day. Whether you choose to write a mini essay, jot it down in your gratitude journal, share it with a loved on, or just quietly stop, observe, and bask in the experience, it’s good to slow down and be aware of those little glimmers that can appear even in the midst of something as bad as the pandemic and the political situation of the past few years.
TWs and CWs: Includes discussions of death, racism, illness, injury, mental illness and suicidal ideation, as well as pandemic times.
Source and Format: I read this as an audiobook borrowed from Seattle Public Libraries.
Book Bingo Prompts
SAL/SPL Adult Summer Reading: SAL Speaker (Past or Present). I kept going back and forth on which book to read for this prompt, because so many amazing authors have spoken at SAL, or will during the current season. Ultimately, my decision was made by what was available at the library when I needed an audiobook for my weekend of driving, and I am very glad for the choice I made.
Book Bingo Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 19 out of 25 prompts complete. 3 bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 16 out of 25 prompts complete. 2 bingos.
SAL/SPL Adult Summer Reading: 19 out of 23 prompts complete, 6 bingos.
SBTB Summer Romance: 6 out of 24 prompts complete, 0 bingos.