Currently Reading

Every week, I visit the library in my local town to reserve or borrow books. It’s free, and when I tie a visit in with a grocery shop, it feels like I’m stocking up on brain food as well. That probably sounds pretentious, right? 

There’s a difference in feeling between buying books and borrowing them. With the first one, I’m slowly adding to a collection, choosing books that add to my life, even my identity. With the second one, I’m just looking for something to read right now, whether for entertainment, inspiration, or study.

Anyway, here are some books I’ve enjoyed lately, and you might, too:

Art Books

Keeping a Creative Sketchbook by Emma Block, Running Press 2024.

I liked Creative Sketchbook so much that after it was due back to the library, I bought my own copy. I loved Emma Block’s book on gouache techniques, and although I already keep a sketchbook, I wanted more ideas and insight on using it. The book goes into lots of activities you can try out to conquer the fear of the blank page, working with colour, and sketching on location. There’s examples from different illustrators, who all use sketchbooks in their own unique way. There’s nothing in this book that’s new or original, but the way it is written and organised is inspiring and friendly. It just makes you want to have a go for yourself. Since most of my ideas come out of my sketchbook, it makes sense to explore with it as much as possible.

Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson, North Light Books 1990.

Keys to Drawing is old book that I have mixed feelings about. When I draw from life, the inner critic is quick to kick in, and I hear my university tutor over my shoulder, telling me how badly I’m drawing. Looking back, it was an odd teaching method, and I’ve no doubt exaggerated the criticism into a caricature. I think he actually said things like, “you’re not concentrating enough, this should take every ounce of your focus and feel difficult, the arm doesn’t go at that angle” and so on. My drawing at university worsened along with my confidence, and I lost the ability to draw gesture, agonising about every line instead. So, when I read a book about proportions, measuring, plumb lines, I’m transported back to drawing class and feel stifled. 

Bert Dodson isn’t like that tutor. The book is written in a calm, easy manner, and I find myself thinking maybe I’ll give this kind of accurate drawing another go. What I like most about this book is the checklist at the end of each chapter. He uses a zen-like approach to drawing that anchors you in the present, and you answer questions such as “did I measure at least twice” and “did I restate this line”. If you tick “yes” to all the questions, you’ve passed, and it’s evidence that you’re learning skills, even if you found the drawing difficult and don’t like the result. He also gives permission to stop if you’re not feeling it.

I’ve had this on long-term loan for a few months(!) and making slow progress. Luckily, no one else has requested the book, but I might buy the ebook version and finally give it back to the library. Even people like me, that draw in a cartoonish and unrealistic style can benefit from this book, as it teaches you to really see, and I find myself using techniques from the book in unexpected ways. For example, after studying values (lights and darks) in photographs, I started designing illustrations that made better use of contrast.

See What You’re Missing: 31 Ways Artists Notice the World – and How You Can Too by Will Gompertz, Penguin 2023

I reserved See What You’re Missing thinking it would be a tutorial on looking at the world differently, but it turns out it’s an art history book. Each chapter looks at a different artist and what they contributed to the art world. I’m about two thirds of the way through, and so far, it’s really interesting. Artists I didn’t appreciate before, like David Hockney and Constable, are explained in an accessible manner (Hockney notices colours where others see grey, and Constable focused on clouds when other artists ignored the sky), and it introduces you to artists you might not have heard of otherwise. It is a little hard-going in some places, and I’m looking at it as art study. It makes me think about all the different ways you can view the world, and use art to process thoughts.

Fiction

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield, Picador 2023

Our Wives was on my ‘to read’ list since seeing its arresting cover in Oxford when it came out. It’s difficult to describe, an almost-but-not-fully science fiction and thriller. Miri’s wife, Leah, goes on a deep-sea mission but is fundamentally altered by whatever took place down there. It’s sad, and creepy, and ambiguous, with a very lonely feeling to it. It reminds you that there are some things we cannot ever know or understand.

Hooked by Asako Yuzuki, Fourth Estate, 2026

I reserved Hooked before it was published, which meant I was early to read it, but that library deadline was looming over me for a queue of others eager for more by the author of Butter. After waiting for what seemed like forever for it to move from the ‘in transit’ section of the library app to ‘ready to collect’, I couldn’t wait to start, as I found Butter fascinating in its portrayal of relationships and twisted psychology.

Hooked didn’t grab me to the same extent as Butter, and felt less sophisticated overall, with plot points that seemed way too outlandish to take seriously. It tells the stories of two women, Eriko, a seemingly perfect office employee, and Shōko, a popular blogger. It’s a story about obsession and isolation in Japanese society, and how outward appearances don’t always match what’s inside. It’s a good read, and I’ll continue to watch Yuzuki’s writing career, but it didn’t live up to expectations this time.

The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami, Granta Books 2025

I hadn’t heard of Kawakami before, although apparently her novel Strange Weather in Tokyo is popular. I grabbed Ten Loves almost at random, and I’m not ashamed to admit the cover had me intrigued. It features a young woman skipping across what appears to be a train station. Having finished it, I have no idea why this image was used, other than it matches the style of her other books.

Ten Loves tells the story of Mr Nishino, from the perspective of ten of his former lovers. Although Mr Nishino is popular with ladies and appears perfect, there is something about him that is unsettling and leaves him unable to love, or be loved beyond a short time. I finished reading it this morning, and I’m still processing it in my mind. It’s hard to say just yet what I think of it, but it’s definitely worth a read.

Thanks for reading. Until next time,

Madeleine