Sketch Book Reviews: The Book of (More) Delights

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May 16, 2024

Panel 1: A drawing of THE BOOK OF MORE DELIGHTS cover. Text reads: Admittedly, I've been in a bit of a reading funk lately. It's happened before and usually a great novel of hybrid book will get me out of it. Not this time. This time, it was THE BOOK OF MORE DELIGHTS by Ross Gay. It's a beautiful companion to the first BOOK OF DELIGHTS that doesn't fall short as so many sequels do.

Panel 2: a drawing of a hand holding an open book. Text reads: The book itself is its own delight. Ross Gay does detail so well. There's a mindfulness and beautiful simplicity to the book that I found acted as a balm for days that were too stressful and what feels like nearly constant bad news from across the globe.

Panel 3: A drawing of a vase with tuplips and a cup of tera. Text reads: It's the way Gay pays attention to the quiet moments in our everyday that I keep coming back to. he takes his time on each delight while simultaneously knowing how and when to end each section.

Panel 4: A pie chart with pieces indicating love, acceptance, sense of self, creativity, care, and loss. Text reads: The book covers so many topics and themes without feeling like it's trying to do too much or trying to answer all of the big questions.

Panel 5: A purple circle with white text, reading "Today's delight: a flush of blooming forget-me-nots creating a blue blanket on the edge of my garden."

Panel 6: A drawing of blue forget-me-not flowers. Text reads: Not only will I probably always hold some of the images with me, but THE BOOK OF MORE DELIGHTS also made me pay attention to my own daily delights a bit more closely, but Gay's ability to slow down and soak it in helped me to relish it all a bit better, a bit longer.

Kateri Kramer

Kateri Kramer is a writer, illustrator, and book designer from Colorado. She has an MFA in creative writing from the Mile High MFA at Regis University. Her writing has been published in Axon Creative Explorations, Barren Magazine, and 5×5, among others. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, fly fishing, rock climbing, ceramics, and art. Her art and writing can be found at www.katerikramer.com or on Instagram at @OscarWildeKat.