Spring has sprung, though it seems that COVID-19 is here to stay. While you’re federally ordered to stay on your couch and socially distance, here’s six book recommendations from MYKD’s Conner Cunningham to keep your mind and hands busy.
1.) The Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald
One of the most important things to do during this time is to get outside and go for a walk. Sebald offers a semi-fictitious account that is part proto-travel blog and part historical journal of his journey across England. From fried fish to silk worms, death and dynasties, Sebald offers readers a chance to contemplate the varied train of thoughts that any good long walk offers.
2.) The Brother’s Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Family, doubt, faith, love and conflict. While you’re inside, why not contemplate existence? This is not light reading, but you’ve got the time. A trio of brothers and their fathers are caught in a love triangle that leads to murder and mystery.
3.) Object Oriented Ontology by Graham Harman
Harman proposes an interesting look at philosophy that de-emphasizes human beings as the most important players in existence. An important read and introduction to OOO for architects and designers alike that reevaluates the importance of non-human systems and functions in the world around us.
4.) Learning From Las Vegas by Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi
Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi offer an important argument for truly examining the reality that surrounds us and learning from it. It is always the right time to study aesthetic politics.
5.) The Landscapes of Georges Descombes by Marc Treib
Conner had the pleasure of seeing Georges Descombes speak during his freshman year in college and has been entranced ever since. Following the principle of “doing almost nothing” on the sites Descombes designed, the work offers an argument for doing less in exchange for so much more.
6.) Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman
A coming of age story about identity, love and time, this book just feels like summer and sometimes you need that.