READING TIPS
Stories You Shouldn’t Miss — Volume V
July edition of my favorite reads
After a late and small selection of my favorite reads in June, I’m back with a load of outstanding stories from July. It’s been a month of heat and drought but when the rains returned here in Germany, I had plenty of time to read and was thankful for these great stories.
Let’s not talk around the topic and get to the point. These essays are my favorite reads of July and I hope you take the time to read them if you haven’t done so yet.
He’s been to places I dream of and describes his travels in a way that doesn’t just captivate the reader but lectures him as well through sharing interesting information and bits and pieces of the places he explores.
Most recently, Tim flew to New Zealand to explore the country together with his wife. In this piece, he describes how the land first got removed from trees to make space for farming and how now it all got reversed again.
“According to a recent Guardian article, many sheep farmers are getting out of the business. They are selling their land for — guess what? Replanting forests for carbon credits.” — Tim Ward, Mature Flâneur
There is a woman, who never disappoints with her stories. Already when I see a new article of hers in the draft folder of our publication, I am getting excited.
She doesn’t submit any essays that aren’t great. There are no mellow ones in between. All her work is always polished into detail. From the photographs she adds to her essays over to her descriptive narrative. Perfection. And that is why I keep on picking her articles in these selections.
The latest one is a beautiful travel essay about a kayaking experience high up in Northern Norway. In this article, Erika takes us above the arctic circle.
“The cold wind whipping my cheeks and blowing my hair felt like a bracing reminder of both the solidity of roots and also the impermanence of everything we believe to be true.” — Erika Burkhalter
Next up is one of the very few stories I find out here on Medium talking about a country I fell in love with and lived in for so many years. While you might have noticed how much I love Namibia as I share many experiences from there, I find it extremely interesting to read someone else’s stories on their adventure in the country.
Catherine says she was worried her expectations were too high and she’d be disappointed by reality but the opposite happened. The beauty of the dunes at Sossusvlei took her breath away. But read yourself.
“Then we waited for the magic to happen…and got our socks knocked off by an incredible african sunset.” — Catherine Duchesne
The next article is from a co-editor of the publication of Globetrotters. While we have many things in common, our lives couldn’t be more different.
Jillian Amatt travels the world leaving her art and hard work behind. She’s been nomadic for a few years now and in the article below, she shares the very first steps of this journey.
If you are planning to sell all your stuff and head on your own adventure or if you could never imagine leaving your home behind, this article is a very inspiring and fascinating read for you.
“I was a typical normal citizen of the North American grind and was trying my hardest to fit into society’s standards. I bought a house, filled it with a ton of stuff, had businesses, worked my but off, and I was always trying to show everyone just how BUSY I was.” — Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages
The last article I’d like to highlight isn’t travel related at all. It doesn’t have outstanding photographs or a compelling narrative yet I still loved every word of the essay.
Janice Gill talks about something so important, it can’t be ignored. Our Earth. And what we can do to keep it alive. Small things. Like growing a garden. And if you say you don’t have a garden, I’d say that’s a lazy excuse.
Janice doesn’t just display the produce out of her own beautiful garden but also gives you advice on how you can grow your own. Even on the window sill. Or inside a box.
And remember, those fruits and vegetables will never taste like those from the stores. They taste a million times better.
Closing this piece with her last words:
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” — Maya Angelou
And in case you missed last month’s selection, here is the link:
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