Recommended Reading - Population: 485 by Michael Perry

I started reading this book right after hearing Michael Perry speak at our local public library. (Click here for those notes I took.)

It's a treat to hear a good author speak. They talk as they write - with the ability to spin a good story out of the ordinary. Population: 485 serves as a memoir for small town life in Northern Wisconsin. It also reminds the reader about being more present in our everyday experiences. For me, both hearing the author speak and reading his writing has helped me take life more slowly and deliberately.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

"The things that bring you joy tell you a lot about who you are.” (p. 126)

"Life is a preservation project. Our instinct for preservation plays out in everything from the depth of our breaths to an affection for bricks. Even as we flail and cling, trying to bottle time, to save it, we love only through its expenditure. Memory is a means of possession, but eventually, the greatest grace is found in letting go." (p. 178)

"It is occurring to me that to truly live in a place, you must give your life to that place. It is a dynamic commitment, but it is also a manifestation of stillness." (p. 210)