BOOK CLUB
‘READ LIKE AN ARTIST’
Welcome to my first Letters From My Art Book Club! I have been an avid reader since childhood. Books would be my greatest joy next to art and so I want to create a thoughtful space where we explore books that feel like paintings in prose; books that make us slow down, look more closely and truly see the world in a different way.
The books will be about art, or artists, or contain art in their plot. Some will be fiction, some biographies...but all will show how art adds depth and richness to our lives. I read over 60 books in just 2025, so had the thought of starting this bookclub in conjunction with my Art Letters.
Letters From my Art (Here) are a monthly package of treasures sent to your letterbox. They are a delight....but in my excitement to please everyone, Ive made them too heavy for the postage stamp costs, so instead of cancelling the bookclub, I will post it to my blog instead. Please email me any books you have loved, even non art ones. miasart@iinet.net.au
I will post books here when I happen across a perfect one to share. Im fussy, so they will always be well rated.
Theo Of Golden - Allen Levi
Theo Of Golden was the BEST book I read in 2025. Without a doubt. In fact, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Initially self published, it has steadily become a word of mouth sensation, and with recent aquisition by a pubishing house, will finally be available in Australian book shops in February I believe. You can find it on kindle and Audible already. The plot line is simple, an elderly gentleman arrives in the city of Golden. Drawn to a wall of 92 pencil portraits in a local cafe, he decides to buy every single one and return each portrait to the person it depicts.
The novel is heartwarming and deeply moving - it had me in tears, I laughed and cried and found myself thinking about the characters for many months after I finished reading. Levi uses art as a catalyst for connection, revealing stories of grief and joy and love. It reminds us that art, like quiet kindness, can give us so much more depth to our lives, allowing us to see in a different way. There is a spiritual and philosophical thread that gently runs through this book, it’s not flashy or dramatic but feels like a gentle reassuring hug and it’s a book I will return to again and again to search for more meaning as it teaches me to see the world in a deeper way.
Self Reflection question inspired by Theo Of Golden:
What would change
if I treated what I make
not as something to keep,
but as something to return?
My thoughts are that each art piece finds its way to where it belongs. Ive
had so many beautiful artworks patiently wait for their forever home, some
taking up to a year and sometimes more to fly, even when they have been
much admired. I’ve learnt to be patient. That the right collector will
eventually see it. Often when the collector communicates with me, there
will be an incredible and very meaningful story as to why they decided to
buy the artwork. It feels like the artwork was waiting for the right person
to return to. It never ceases to surprise me. One artwork was found by a
grieving widow after it gave her a positive outlook to the future; another
collector could see her now grown daughter in the image of a child playing
in water and it brought such happy memories. Some artworks just make
the collector feel a certain emotion that they want to hold onto. That’s the
art working its magic. I make art not for me, though I do love making art,
but knowing it will leave me and bring joy to others.
