Cách đây tám năm, tôi đọc một quyển tản văn. Trong đó tác giả viết về ký ức tuổi thơ. Tôi nhớ nhất là những bài văn ngắn diễn đạt món ăn đồng quê. Cách viết của tác giả nhẹ nhàng nhưng khiến cho người đọc cảm nhận được những món ngon đi từ ký ức.

Thời gian gần đây, tôi muốn tìm để đọc lại quyển sách nhưng tôi lại không nhớ nổi tựa đề và càng không nhớ tên tác giả. Cho dù tôi đã viết vài hàng review ngắn cho blog của mình, tôi vẫn không tìm ra được manh mối gì cả. Tôi cũng chẳng nhớ hình dáng bìa sách ra làm sao.

Tuần trước tôi quyết định tìm cho ra quyển sách này. Tôi đã đến thư viện và tìm từng quyển sách một trong kệ sách tiếng Việt. Cuối cùng tôi đã tìm lại được. Quyển sách có tựa đề Quên Được Cứ Quên của tác giả Nguyễn Duy Quyền.

Đọc lại từng bài văn như được trở về với quá khứ. Như tác giả đã viết, “Nếu có chuyến đi nào ngược về trí nhớ, thì cho tôi xin một vé đi tìm lại tuổi thơ”. Với tôi, quyển sách này là một tờ vé để tìm lại tuổi thơ.

Tuy đã sống ở nước ngoài hơn 35 năm, thế mà hình bóng quê nhà của 10 năm đầu trong cuộc đời của tôi vẫn không hề phai. Cho dù giờ đây quê nhà đã không còn như 40 năm trước nữa, nó vẫn khắc sâu vào ký ức của tôi. Việt Nam có cái gì đó rất huyền diệu mà chỉ có những ai đã được sinh ra và lớn lên ở mảnh đất ấy mới hiểu được.

Sau khi đọc xong quyển sách lần thứ nhì, tôi muốn mượn sáu bài trong 80 bài để làm một trang mẫu cho dự án Vietnamese Typography của tôi. Sáu bài này có những hình ảnh món ăn đồng quê mà đã làm tôi xúc động.

Để có được chữ Việt đẹp và dễ đọc, tôi đã dùng bộ chữ Pennyroyal DJR của David Jonathan Ross và Caramel của Robert Leuschke. Mời các bạn cùng đọc để còn một chút gì để nhớ về quê nhà.

I picked Emily Witt’s Health and Safety off the shelf because I recognized the author’s name. Emily Witt is a staff writer at The New Yorker. I couldn’t recall if I had read any of Witt’s articles, but I would read any book written by any staff writer at The New Yorker.

Witt writes about her own life revolving around drugs, alcohols, parties, politics, and sex. Witt’s writing is witty and funny. I got a kick out of her quip on Jared Kushner: “Much later, when I worked as a reporter for The New York Observer , her husband, Jared Kushner, was the publisher. He was a real estate scion whose dimples looked like they had been carved into his cheeks with a silver spoon.”

Witt writes openly about her sex life: “Because the venue was illegal, sex acts, drug insufflation, and cigarettes did not need to be confined to bathroom stalls or outdoor areas, which was liberating, and I gave Andrew a blowjob in a room that had been left dark for sex.” Her romantic relationship was tumultuous.

Witt covers politics for The New Yorker during the pandemic. Her book ends up near the end of 2020 when Joe Biden won his presidential election. I wonder if she will write her next book covering the recent years up to 2028.

Health and Safety is deeply personal and emotional. I appreciate how much of her personal life she is willing to share. I enjoyed reading it immensely.

In this 33 ⅓ series, Shawn Taylor drops his personal perspective on A Tribe Called Quest’s People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. Taylor’s reflection starts off strong. His mother always invited a new man to their home to abuse them. He recounts the moment he had the album on his hands. Unfortunately, his writing lacks the analysis of the album from a music critic or journalist. He shares more of his personal journal. I didn’t enjoy it as much as other series.

In this 33 ⅓ series, John Perry dissect Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland. Perry has some informative details about the album and Hendrix. He went through the album track by track. It’s a decent read.

This book has two parts. The first part consist of 50 Notes on Book Design by Formal Settings. The second part showcases the books. The typeset of the first part is large; therefore; the text is easy to read. Unfortunately the big space and long indent are a bit disrupting. It would have been better if the noted book were accompanied by the illustrations so readers can refer to the design. It’s a missed opportunity.

This is another informative book in the 33 ⅓ in which Matthew Gasteier breaks down the illness of Nas’s Illmatic. Of course, I had to listened to this album countless of times and read about it a few times, but this one is still a fantastic read. It’s a good escape from the current political scene in the US and the world. That orange clown is dragging us to a war. Motherfucker!

This 500-page book features over 300 projects designed by Paula Scher. Adrian Shaughnessy wrote an informative essay about Ms. Scher and her social, political as well as commercial works. His interview gives us more insights into her life and work. I am a fan of Ms. Scher; therefore, I enjoyed reading about her life and flipping through 910 illustrations.

Ocean Vương’s début novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, is 256 pages. His follow-up novel, The Emperor of Gladness, is almost 400 pages. Whereas Briefly Gorgeous is brief and poetic, Gladness is attentive and emotional. His writing is still poetic and his characters come to life. As an immigrant from Việt Nam, I can relate to the protagonist Hải.

His description of HomeMarket reminds me of Homestyle Country Cooking in Park City Center in the 90s. I started out as a cashier, but wanted to learn how to cook homestyle country dishes. When I switched to the kitchen, my job was to put pre-made food on the plates and hit the bell to tell the servers to serve their customers. The food was not homemade at all.

I must confess. Trying to read a 400-page book these days is not easy. It takes patience and concentration. I tried to slow down my pace a bit so I could understand the stories. With Gladness, it was worthwhile to slow down so I could stay with stories a bit longer. Since I had read pretty much anything Vương had published, I find this book to be his best work up to date. It is a beautiful, soul-searching, and sweeping read.

Writing an entire book on an album is no easy feat, and yet Emily Mackay pulls it off with Björk’s Homogenic. Mackay delves into the technical details of making the album and Björk’s thought process and her vision. The materials were also drawn from Mackay’s interviews with Björk and the musicians who lent a hand in making this album. As a music appreciator, particularly Björk music, I enjoyed reading this book immensely. I’ll definitely look for more of the 33 ⅓ for more music writing.

Elevator in Sài Gòn is an investigative novel written in Vietnamese by Đoan Ánh Thuận and translated into English by Nguyễn An Lý. For most books, I prefer reading the original language over the translation, especially in Vietnamese. Since I don’t have access to the original book and a friend had vouched for Ms. Nguyễn’s translating skills, I gave Elevator in Sài Gòn a read. Because this book is a deceive fiction, I don’t want to give away the plot.

Indeed, Ms. Nguyễn is an excellent translator. Here’s an example: “The saying goes, a seventeen year old can break a buffalo’s horn, but in his experience a nineteen year old can’t bear much, neither physically nor mentally, especially when already suffering from a fatal obsession.” Yes, trai mười bảy bẻ gãy sừng trâu indeed.

Apparently, Ms. Thuận is a well-known Vietnamese novelist and yet she was unknown to me until now. I got a kick out of the sex scene, especially this line: “He even, once, asked to see my vulva, and he looked at it with such fascination, parting hairs strand by strand, the way a curious child goes exploring.” I am wanting to read the Vietnamese version.