About
Why ifnotyouthenwho?
Reading requires effort, discipline, courage. While sitting safely in your favorite chair you are nevertheless vulnerable to the stories spun by authors, the persuasion of their prose, even the flights of your own imagination.
Fortunately, in your daily reading, you’re not alone.
I read it …
…and you may want to. But how could my reading anything actually help you? (Mostly, it won’t; you could read it yourself, though.) How might my reading and commentary make you think anew or notice a fresh approach?
Here at ifnotyouthenwho, I’ll share classic titles, modern titles, contemporary, written anywhere in the world. Occasionally these will seem esoteric, but one reader’s comfort is another reader’s unknown.
Now and again I will write short book reviews, and even more rarely I’ll share bits of novels I’m working on.
Making an Imprint
After noticing how much reading helped 3rd-grade students at a nearby elementary and my own daily work and living, the next obvious step was to extend the joys and challenges, the darkness and beauty of reading to a larger audience.
Maybe you will rediscover, or go deeper into, your own love of reading as one way to engage with the world, with people, with yourself.
A Bookshop in Real Life
One dream I have is to build and run a neighborhood bookshop. Just as a local gym promotes a healthy community, a bookshop is a place to read, laugh, discuss, and deepen relationships, with authors, friends, and fellow readers.
Your support of this newsletter is a direct investment in making that fantastic setting a reality.
From a flâneur in his (rather shabby) private library, I invite you in.
Sincerely,
Erik van Mechelen
Community Guidelines
Please respect the following community guidelines to maintain an enjoyable environment:
- Keep conversation respectful, without personal attacks
- Don’t blow up other members’ feeds. If someone isn’t responding to you, let it be
- No pornography
- Keep out behavior that could be seen as trolling/spamming
- Relax, be yourself, and enjoy