Dear Reader,
I’ve been thinking a great deal about what art is, why art matters, and why, in times like these, it may matter more than ever. I recently finished a beautiful little book, What Art Does. The first time I read it, I whipped right through. And with each additional reading (I’m now on my fourth), I’ve found something new to consider—and to cherish.
In their closing note, the authors write:
A wish for this book would be that it causes us to reassess the value of these two things: playing and feeling—and to realize that what we need is already inside us, and that art—playing and feeling—is a way of discovering it.
That line has stayed with me. Whether through music, sculpture, literature, or film, experiencing art in any medium is one of the ways we live fully. Art invites us to feel deeply and to imagine boldly. It steadies us.
And art doesn’t just help us see ourselves; it helps us understand one another. In the past few months, I’ve been writing about radical compassion and empathy—ideas sparked by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl’s new memoir and reinforced by so many of the books I’ve recently read.
Perhaps this is why “making art seems to be a universal human activity,” as Brian Eno and Bette A. have said. It is both a reaching outward and a reaching inward—inhaling and exhaling.
As we move into these darker, quieter nights, here is a selection of books that do exactly that: help us see, imagine, understand, and ultimately, feel more fully alive. They’re perfect for gifting—or for savoring yourself.
What Art Does: An Unfinished Theory by Brian Eno and Bette A.: This book is an invitation to explore the vital question of what art means—how it is made by all of us, how it creates community, opens our worlds, and transforms us. A fabulous antidote to these complicated times.
For the Fiction Reader
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans: I haven’t met anybody who doesn’t love this book!
“Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person.”
For a Book to Put You in Another Time and Place
The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life by Helen Whybrow: A profoundly moving meditation on the wisdom found in raising a family, tending sheep, and living close to the land. What I loved most is that it made me slow down and see the world in a new, gentler way. The writing is exquisite.
For TWO Delicious Cookbooks To Help Celebrate the Season (because you can’t pick between your two kids!)
Dorie’s Anytime Cakes by Dorie Greenspan: Evocative writing, expert guidance, and gorgeous illustrations—more than 100 simple, special cakes you’ll want to make immediately.
The Art of Jacques Pépin: Favorite Recipes and Paintings from My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pépin: A stunning, curated collection of Pépin’s favorite recipes and his own signature artwork. Be sure to see the beautiful signed and slip-cased special edition!
A Book to Make You Laugh
And To Think We Started As a Book Club by Tom Toro, of The New Yorker: HILARIOUS, sharp, and deeply observant cartoons that capture the absurdities of modern life.
A Book That I Keep Coming Back To
The Wonder of Small Things: Poems of Peace and Renewal by James Crew: Accessible, uplifting poetry that celebrates the small wonders of everyday life. You could (and should) buy one for yourself—and one for everyone on your list.
Can You Hear It?
by Paula Gordon Lepp
There are days when,
although I try to open myself
to wonder, wonder just
won’t be found. Or perhaps
it is more accurate to say
on those days I am simply
blind to what the world
has to offer
until I look down, and there,
beside the sidewalk,
are blades of grass completely
enrobed in ice, shimmering
in the glow of the setting sun,
and as they sway and move
into each other, if I listen,
really listen,
even they are singing
faint little bell-notes of joy.
May this season bring you moments of beauty. Moments of peace. Moments of art.
Happy reading,
Roxanne J. Coady
Founder
RJ Julia Booksellers and Just the Right Book!
Click here to learn more about Roxanne’s Reads by Just the Right Book!
For over a decade, readers have loved our personalized subscription service, choosing books for themselves or gifting them to loved ones. Now, by popular demand, founder Roxanne Coady is curating her own subscription—handpicking the unforgettable reads that rearrange her brain and linger long after the last page. The subscription is a mix of new hardcovers that she’s loving and paperback editions of some of her all-time favorite books.