A list of beautiful things #23

Let August be August

Zinaida Serebriakova, 1910, Apples on the Branches. Apple season has begun in Tennessee and I was surprised to see a tree full of big, juicy fruit on a recent walk with my dog through an alley. I thought to myself: Should I go and steal some?

• This Egyptian filmmaker captures poignant little moments around the city. I love this one of two boys blowing bubbles and this one of a little old man sipping a glass of warm milk. (via @tahaabeed)

• As a memoirist I struggle with how much of my inner life I should reveal to the public. But there are some things in life worth keeping to yourself.

• Ugh I hate how much I loved this poem — the message is so basic. But as my maternity leave comes to a close, which makes me feel very sad, it’s a simple reminder to live in the moment.

• An Australian blogger contemplates the meaning of usufruct, a Latin word that means the right to enjoy the benefits of another’s property. In this case, they wonder if it’s OK to take a neighbor’s lemons (or apples, in my case!).

• The title of this work —“Will You Be the Same When We Meet Again?” — makes the image in this illustration all the more profound.

• Of course I need this bag.

• What you lose when you do your shopping online.

• Film recommendation as we head into back-to-school season: Where Is The Friend’s House? (1987) directed by Abbas Kiarostami. Set in rural Iran in the 1980s, this pretty and slow-paced film follows a little boy as he tries to find a classmate who forgot his notebook at school. It’s a humble plot, but there are deeper messages about morality and adulthood. Stream it on the Criterion Collection.

• This A24 book is marketed to children but I really think it’s for adults. It’s a poignant picture book about a summer house in the country, and the beauty of it is all the little details of the rooms and grounds and furniture. It makes me think of all the pleasant places I spent my time as a child — my bedroom, my grandmother’s garden, the balcony of my dad’s flat in Cairo.

• I thank the heavens that these past few months for me have been very happy — perhaps this is why.

Some little things from me

• I’m speaking at a virtual event next week. I’ll be in conversation with Rawand Issa, a Lebanese graphic novelist, and we’ll be talking about our memoirs set in the Middle East. RSVP here.

• The Filipino School of New Jersey is teaching a 6-session virtual class on Filipino American history, and they’re teaching my book. Sign up for the fall classes here.

• All is full of love