Gathered here are ten hand-picked and carefully curated recommendations that might spark your curiosity this month:
I.
I found this wonderful quote from
‘I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.’
Source: Georgia O’Keefe. Attributed to an interview in The New York Sun, 1922 — exact source unverified.
II.
Q&A:I love dinner parties. Let’s say I’m organizing one, which three writers, dead or alive, would I like to invite? Read my full answer to this reader’s question.
III.
Words of wisdom: former Chief Design Officer at Apple, Jonathan Ive, about what real focus requires from us:
IV.
This week, I’ve written something personal—it’s my take on Why You Should Show Your Work. Not everyone gets to see it first, but you do.
V.
Check this out: I love The Strangers Project. Just a few personal stories and you’ll see why. For fourteen years, strangers have answered the question, ‘What’s it like being you?’—over 85,000 handwritten, true, anonymous stories.
VI.
On my mind this month: Let kids be kids. Let them play, fail, act weird, and explore. Every stage matters. Childhood is the rehearsal—skip it, and they may grow into adults who haven’t learned to be themselves.
VII.
Tiny Ritual: Next time you’re heading somewhere, silence one notification or hide one app you don’t need. Notice the footsteps, the morning air, or the thought that finally has space to arrive. The quiet still speaks — if you let it.
VIII.
Still brilliant: Taming the Mammoth: Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think by Tim Urban. It’s hilarious, sharp, and freeing. Then listen to this interview with the author here for the full hit of perspective.
IX.
Here’s a wild little fun fact for you: The longest hiccuping spree lasted 68 years—Charles Osborne started hiccuping in 1922 and kept going until 1990. Pretty bizarre. Smithsonian Magazine dedicated an in-depth look at Osborne’s life and the medical mysteries surrounding his condition.
X.
In the spotlight this month:
Jewish person in the Middle Ages, 2014, pencil on paper, 30 x 40 cm, from the series of drawings by Erasmus of Amsterdam. By Neel Korteweg
