A list of beautiful things #20

a story about everything

From photographer Francisco Gonzalez Camacho's series "Elsewhere." (via Humble Arts Foundation)

• Have you ever heard of hoar frost? It’s a grayish-white crystalline deposit of frozen water vapor formed in clear still weather. Here’s what it looks like.

• I would love to accidentally fall into this.

• It is amazing to me how four delicate pieces of cotton thread so perfectly capture the nature of streaming water.

• A very simple illustration of the reality of daily life.

• My friend Claire gave me this candle for my birthday, and the description is as scrumptious as it smells: “Old preserved castles and manor houses with epic tables of polished silverware. Plates full of oatcakes, eggs, smoked things, fishes, potato scones, toast.”

• Recordings from the Åland Islands is my new favorite experimental album of late. According to a Pitchfork review, it “recalls Terrence Malick shots — endless golden-hour sunsets, slow-motion leaves rippling in the breeze, the whole bit.” (via Chris Scott)

• David Erlich’s video essay roundups of the best films of the year always move me — I love the pop music juxtaposed with movie scenes of people dancing, laughing, crying, kissing. To me they capture the joy and heartbreak of being alive. I loved his No. 1 pick for 2022.

• How to flex your soft power: “Destroy the belief that intimacy must be reserved for monogamous relationships” and other wise words from the poet Lora Mathis.

• Can’t recommend this show enough: “This is a story about everything. It’s about life and marriage and how young love can become old resentment. And money. And dissatisfaction. And jealousy, ambition, career. Parenting, nostalgia and lifelong friendship.”

• I don’t like sports, but I absolutely adore documentaries about athletes. This one about Tony Hawk was delightful — and the interviews with the other skaters reveal so much about his grit, determination and his propensity for kindness.

And some little things from me:

• My book is being read by British students for their A Level English Language and Literature Exam.

• I drew a kid’s guide to climate change — and it comes with a comic you can print out at home.

• My Life Kit episode on how to make a meaningful connection to a work of art.

• I turned 37 this month. My birthday wish is for you to please buy my new book, “It Won’t Always Be Like This.” If you’re a fan of this newsletter, you’re likely to be a fan of the book — it’s a meditation on family, relationships and belonging, set in the Middle East.

• I’m giving birth sometime in the next couple of weeks. Here’s some art I made for my son Gustavo’s nursery.