One Week in January: New Paintings for an Old Diary by Carson Ellis

One Week in January: New Paintings for an Old Diary Reviews

• 
  Literary Redhead

  An engaging diary by a 25-year-old female artist living in Portland in 2001, is enlivened by new paintings. It's amazing how well the diarist captured the era's zeitgeist, as well as the heartbeats of her own life with her touching prose and vibrant art. Recommended!
• 
  Sandra de Helen

  77 pages of diary and paintings by Carson Ellis. When she first moved to Portland, she kept a diary for one chronicling her daily life. The details of her life were mostly boring, but it was fascinating to read this true story of one week in the life of a woman who is now well known for her art. I would happily read more of the same.
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  Bianca

  This book made me feel so much. I also love making a record of my life through journals, pictures, art, and the simple and straightforward way Carson Ellis narrates her life held so much depth and really resonated with me. I cried immediately upon finishing— on the eve of getting married, her take on marriage and her ever-changing relationship to her husband was exactly the sentiment I needed to hear. Touching, heartbreaking, seeped in nostalgia and an acute ache for the past… I absolutely loved it.
• 
  Viktor

  Simple but beautiful, evoking all and every emotion whether I had experienced it or not.
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  Valerie

  "from the outside, things look dismal, but her life is brimming with possibility. Sometimes she even knows it"
  
  there is beauty in simplicity and the everyday life and is so realistically portrayed in the diary entries and paintings throughout this little book. I love taking glimpses into people's lives and with this being so la vie boheme, so broke indie art kids, it really hit me in my soft spot. I want to frame so many of the paintings throughout because they capture a time that isn't directly relatable, but the vibe certainly is
• 
  Chloe

  Quick read, more like an adult picture book or graphic novella.
  Diary entries from one week in 2001 Portland, OR. Sweet and short reminisces with lovely illustrations.
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  Panda Incognito

  Author and artist Carson Ellis has won awards for her work in children's books, and this is her adult debut, based on an old diary that she uncovered. At the time of writing, she was twenty-five and had just moved to Portland. This book features a week's worth of diary entries with accompanying illustrations, capturing a moment in the author's life and a lost era where new move-ins had to battle with the phone company to get landlines properly connected. The book is brief but poignant, particularly related to Ellis's artistic aspirations and unrequited feelings for her friend Colin, who has now been her husband for many years.
  
  This book will be nostalgic and meaningful for many people who relate to the author's experiences, and who came of age at a similar time. However, it's quite short, and the entries themselves are just simple and mundane summaries. The blurbs for this book make it sound much wittier and more profound than it is. It's just a collection of ordinary diary entries that aren't particularly compelling in and of themselves, but reflect a unique time period and convey the experiences of a now-successful artist.
  
  I received a temporary digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Violet

  I absolutely loved this beautifully illustrated journal documenting a week in the life of Carson Ellis in 2001. I’m about 10 years younger but had a glimpse into the Portland / artist / indie scene through zines, so it was a bit of a nostalgic read for me in that way. And remember when checking your email meant more than just tapping your phone? Somehow Carson managed to perfectly balance the mundane and profound, and knowing that she ended up happily married to Colin made it such a sweet read. Highly recommend for fans of Carson’s work, the Decemberists, and early aught indie culture. Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for allowing me an advanced copy of this gem.
• 
  Erika Worth

  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for an unbiased review.
  
  This author created new illustrations for an old diary chronicling a week in her life when she moved to Portland, OR at 25 years old.
  
  I thought this was a lovely little read, and the illustrations were gorgeous. I’m a handful of years older than this author and found this to be a really nostalgic book for me, taking me back to a much simpler time. I also live just outside of Portland, and the author/artist did an amazing job of capturing old Portland.
  
  I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4.5 stars.
• 
  Kate Belt

  I’m always on the lookout for local writers and stories. This was a fun & fast read (at only 80 pages) by one of our Portland iconic content makers, with gorgeous paintings. Ellis is author and illustrator of mostly children’s books, including the Wildwood and Mysterious Benedict series. It’s a different kind of book that does exactly what it promises - offers up one week from over 20 years ago of her raw journal, one week in the lives of her and her friends, set in our beloved city of Portland OR. I’m grateful for this view of Portland’s maker culture. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an Advance copy.
• 
  Ashley Dang

  A cozy and delightful little read about a snapshot inside a young artist's diary. Filled with artwork, and a sense of warmth, this was a really nice read. It's so interesting to get to read someone's thoughts and their own diary, and the artwork was the perfect touch to the book.
  
  *Thanks Netgalley and Chronicle Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*
• 
  Keelie Grasley

  I turn 24 in two days and this book made me realize that one day I’ll look back on these years and remember with fondness the poverty and silliness of this time. I am now compelled to journal my mundane and apprehensive 24 year old life to hopefully one day look back on and laugh. I will forever be obsessed with Carson’s illustrations.
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  Audrey

  The diary part of this is kind of mundane, but that's what I love about it. I'm a scrapbooker at heart, so this reminds me of Ali Edwards' "Week in the Life" project. Capturing these day-to-day details gives us a glimpse into who we were at a very specific time, and I think that's such a treasure.
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  Shelby Ann

  I’m skipping the rating since it was such a short read, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. I was hoping the author would dive deeper into the context of the times, especially given the author's age difference. More reflection on what’s to come for the readers would have added a lot of depth.
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  Kristin C

  Oh if I could travel back in time to my 25 year old self and read my every thought for a week! A fun and thought-provoking read brought to life with beautiful illustrations.
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  Tanya Kam Hudson

  A nice slice of life in a very specific time. Makes me mildly nostalgic for those younger days
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  Grg

  Oh to be young, talented, and surrounded by friends. It's funny that she mentions La Boheme, I was thinking about that the whole time.
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  Elle

  An inspiring idea for a journal - write for only a brief period, let it sit, then add illustrations. Good for those that can’t keep it as a consistent practice. (DNF)
• 
  Evelyn Moulton

  yeah
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  Carly Gillum

  This was such a sweet book. The illustrations were gorgeous, as was the story. I wish I was as talented as Ellis is, but this was a joy to look through. Just wish it was longer!
  
  Thanks to Chronicle and NetGalley for the ARC.
• 
  Audrey

  I feel like the intro to this really downplayed how fun it actually was to read—Carson Ellis is kind of like "I recorded an extremely mundane list of things every day", but it was in fact a weirdly fascinating snapshot of a very specific place and time that may never be repeated. The paintings were great to look at also. I listened to a lot of The Decemberists after reading this; I think it's mandatory.