You’ve put us on the trail of another intriguing book! Thank you! (Also: yes, how does Mason do it??) Speaking of time spirals and indentations and the power of place, I’m reading this from my car after a short walk toward some giant anthropomorph geoglyphs (intaglios) impressed into the ground some 500-2000 years ago in the rocky desert lands near Blythe, CA. Deep time indeed!
Ah Blythe will forever remind me of my grandparents - they would check in with us at that milestone when visiting us in CA from Arizona. Sounds mind bending - and thank you! :)
What a beautifully written review -- got me excited to add North Woods to my to-read list!
I love your reflection on leaving spiritual pieces of ourselves in the places we go. Just to share a little of my own experience, I have some random locations that feel as though they've been spiritually bookmarked. My mind randomly visits these places while idle, for absolutely no reason.
The Target parking lot on Hampton. The street corner outside the gas station I used to work at. No formative memories at these places, no apparent significance. I think of them as places I must have dropped a psychic pin into at some time or another.
Great post, thank you for sharing your inner world and thought-provoking questions with us!
Psychic pin i LOVE that. So interesting that you mention thinking of places with no apparent significance I am going to ponder this because I have it too - almost like intrusive thoughts. Brains work in mysterious ways. Thanks for being here and talking life with me!
Adding North Woods to my list! I love places as characters, so much potential there.
In answer to your question, I feel I have been seeing ghosts of past selves since I was a kid (how dramatic! I know) but it’s always felt to me that changing is like leaving a bit of yourself behind and so you’re always slowly leaving a bit of yourself behind. I remember I used to walk in the woods behind my childhood home and feel all sorts of things but mainly nostalgic. Now as an adult I pass by the house I lived in as a teenager and remember how everything used to be and how I thought it would never change.
I love that though - it shows that even as a kid you had some intuition and self awareness that isn't common! Nostalgia is a powerful feeling - its part magic in how it can instantly transport us to a previous time right. Seems like I am not alone in these feelings 😊
Great North Woods review Natalie! I haven’t been at all tempted by the title or blurb, but your review makes me tempted to read it. Bravo 👏 best books of the year by Time is such an interesting list, interesting in the sense I haven’t even read most of them?!? Horrified Spare is on the list tho. Seriously what the hell. Whoever is on Harry’s PR team is paying Time handsomely for that spot 😉
that genuinely made me LOL - I am also horrified Spare is on there!!! But it was a huge seller so who knows. North Woods was a weird one but I'm glad I read it - thank you Martha!! 💝
I love the questions you ask and you are absolutely not crazy for asking them. You are awesome and such a joy to read.
My sister still lives in the city we grew up in so it is always a tad strange going back. Nothing ever really changes there so it is as if I hop on a plane and get swirled into a time loop when I go visit. It is also the city that my parents died in so that adds to the strangeness. Living in NYC and going back to visit Kansas is something I do enjoy because I love wide open spaces with giant 150 year old trees. It does feel strange visiting old haunts from my youth. I think about all of the memories and feelings back then. Who I used to dream about being, what I wanted to accomplish, and then when I look at it through my adult eyes with my adult experiences... Whew! It is emotional and beautiful.
Thank you! so much - the encouragement, it means everything.
Going back to your hometown afterr some time away is the equivalent of finding & reading old journals - how were we once that person??? What a hard, hard loss to add in the mix as well. Perhaps its healing in a way to be in old spaces - I could go on, I get so tripped out thinking about these things. 🖤
You’ve put us on the trail of another intriguing book! Thank you! (Also: yes, how does Mason do it??) Speaking of time spirals and indentations and the power of place, I’m reading this from my car after a short walk toward some giant anthropomorph geoglyphs (intaglios) impressed into the ground some 500-2000 years ago in the rocky desert lands near Blythe, CA. Deep time indeed!
Ah Blythe will forever remind me of my grandparents - they would check in with us at that milestone when visiting us in CA from Arizona. Sounds mind bending - and thank you! :)
Oh the book cover on The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store 😍😍😍😍
What a beautifully written review -- got me excited to add North Woods to my to-read list!
I love your reflection on leaving spiritual pieces of ourselves in the places we go. Just to share a little of my own experience, I have some random locations that feel as though they've been spiritually bookmarked. My mind randomly visits these places while idle, for absolutely no reason.
The Target parking lot on Hampton. The street corner outside the gas station I used to work at. No formative memories at these places, no apparent significance. I think of them as places I must have dropped a psychic pin into at some time or another.
Great post, thank you for sharing your inner world and thought-provoking questions with us!
Psychic pin i LOVE that. So interesting that you mention thinking of places with no apparent significance I am going to ponder this because I have it too - almost like intrusive thoughts. Brains work in mysterious ways. Thanks for being here and talking life with me!
Adding North Woods to my list! I love places as characters, so much potential there.
In answer to your question, I feel I have been seeing ghosts of past selves since I was a kid (how dramatic! I know) but it’s always felt to me that changing is like leaving a bit of yourself behind and so you’re always slowly leaving a bit of yourself behind. I remember I used to walk in the woods behind my childhood home and feel all sorts of things but mainly nostalgic. Now as an adult I pass by the house I lived in as a teenager and remember how everything used to be and how I thought it would never change.
Also, brilliant post as always!!
I love that though - it shows that even as a kid you had some intuition and self awareness that isn't common! Nostalgia is a powerful feeling - its part magic in how it can instantly transport us to a previous time right. Seems like I am not alone in these feelings 😊
Great North Woods review Natalie! I haven’t been at all tempted by the title or blurb, but your review makes me tempted to read it. Bravo 👏 best books of the year by Time is such an interesting list, interesting in the sense I haven’t even read most of them?!? Horrified Spare is on the list tho. Seriously what the hell. Whoever is on Harry’s PR team is paying Time handsomely for that spot 😉
that genuinely made me LOL - I am also horrified Spare is on there!!! But it was a huge seller so who knows. North Woods was a weird one but I'm glad I read it - thank you Martha!! 💝
I love the questions you ask and you are absolutely not crazy for asking them. You are awesome and such a joy to read.
My sister still lives in the city we grew up in so it is always a tad strange going back. Nothing ever really changes there so it is as if I hop on a plane and get swirled into a time loop when I go visit. It is also the city that my parents died in so that adds to the strangeness. Living in NYC and going back to visit Kansas is something I do enjoy because I love wide open spaces with giant 150 year old trees. It does feel strange visiting old haunts from my youth. I think about all of the memories and feelings back then. Who I used to dream about being, what I wanted to accomplish, and then when I look at it through my adult eyes with my adult experiences... Whew! It is emotional and beautiful.
Thank you! so much - the encouragement, it means everything.
Going back to your hometown afterr some time away is the equivalent of finding & reading old journals - how were we once that person??? What a hard, hard loss to add in the mix as well. Perhaps its healing in a way to be in old spaces - I could go on, I get so tripped out thinking about these things. 🖤