A Daily Dose of Art: Theo of Golden
My friend Cal who owns Church Street Coffee & Books gave me a copy of Theo of Golden several months ago and told me it was one of his top selling books.
I read it, well—most of it—yesterday (Monday), and I can see how it’s a great seller. It’s like a cozy Hallmark movie with a bit of depth here and there, a splash of Wendell Berry, and a sprinkle of Jesus. I appreciate the themes of belonging, art, place, coffee, and books that are woven throughout.
The book is kind of like a Thomas Kinkade painting of a street in small-town Georgia with a coffee shop, bookstore, old trees, and a fountain but also includes a couple of tiny glimpses of those darker paintings that were found in secret hiding places in his studio after he died, after years of struggling with alcoholism. (If you have not heard about this whole situation, you need to learn about this whole situation. There’s a Thomas Kinkade documentary out there that will blow your mind.)
Anyway. The book’s author, Allen Levi, self-published the book two years ago, but mentioned on his Instagram account earlier this month that he has a book deal with a traditional publisher. Fingers crossed they do some substantive editing.
It’s worth a read if you like cozy fiction. And it’s always nice when a book takes off, when a self-published book takes off. Cheers to writing books that people want to read. I’d rather this book take off than one about the benefits of tyranny or oligarchies or something like that. If you read it, feel free to skim here and there.
We’ll keep our eyes out for the new version and whether or not it’s edited in ways that benefit the reader, and the book.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts on this book/topic or a glimpse into one of your recent doses of art in the comments below.