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Day 6 – First Friday Five

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Food, Friday Five on October 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I am so excited to share some of my favorite latest foodie reads/listens with you today. I found something inspiring in each one of them, and I hope you do, too!

  • A Table in Venice: Recipes From My Home by Skye McAlpine – This love story of Venice and its vibrant smorgasbord of flavors was a joy to read. There are a lot of recipes in here that I have absolutely zero interest in making myself (looking at you, duck and fish recipes), but I did enjoy learning about them, and the pictures are so beautiful. It makes me want to bake, and I heartily approve of the habit of decadent pastries for breakfast. Also, I’m 100% on board with any cookbook that has multiple recipes for risotto. This is one I want to add to my own collection.
  • A Literary Tea Party: Blends and Treats for Alice, Bilbo, Dorothy, Jo, and Book Lovers Everywhere by Alison Walsh – I need this book, too, if for no other reason than it has given me some great ideas for my Alice-in-Wonderland 50th birthday party in a couple of years. As the title suggests, it has decadent recipes for all types of tea parties, only with a literary twist. I was especially fascinated with the section on making your own tea blends – perhaps I’ll give that a whirl at some point. 
  • Giada’s Italy: My Recipes for La Dolce Vita by Giada de Laurentiis – I like the way the recipes are divided up between amazing things that don’t take a lot of time to make and more complicated recipes that are definitely worth the effort but maybe something to save for when you have a whole afternoon and easy evening. This book works really well with my own eating rhythms and rituals, so I think it’s another one I’m going to need to buy. I’m most excited about trying the apricot mostarda as a delicious addition to my next antipasti plate.
  • Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten – I looooove Ina Garten. I love her signature kind of pickiness (“If you can’t make your own ___, store-bought is fine”), but I also appreciate how much she has mellowed over the years, and that really shows in this cookbook. It still contains well-tested recipes with high-quality instructions (e.g., notes that “The batter will look curdled” are much appreciated for second-guessers such as myself), but with a more relaxed feel. She still includes some of her more finicky tastes but also gives alternatives. The recipes in this volume are easy; in fact, some are just assembly and require no cooking at all. I love the different boards (i.e., breakfast board, dessert board, etc.) she includes. The recipes I’m looking forward to trying the most are the potato fennel soup, chipotle cheddar crackers, and easy eggs in purgatory.
  • Wiser Than Me – Julia Louis-Dreyfus interviews Ruth Reichl. I did not even get past Julia’s introduction before I was tearing up. I knew it would be special. I grew up in a family that built memories around food, but it was Ruth Reichl who actually inspired me to write down my own. I don’t remember which of her memoirs I read first (see below), but it was my first experience of food writing. Combining food and story in such a tangible way forever changed the way I see both. I may never meet her (and if I ever do, be prepared for me to never shut up about it), but I am so grateful for the impact she has had on my life, and I highly encourage you to start with this interview and then proceed to read everything she’s ever written.

I don’t remember if it was in Comfort Me With Apples or Tender at the Bone where Ruth Reichl shared Danny Kaye’s lemon pasta, but I have been playing around with my own version of it ever since. Here is how I make it (currently).

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • Juice and zest of one lemon
  • As much minced garlic as you want (normal people would suggest something like “2 cloves” but that just doesn’t seem like enough to me)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 pound pasta (I like orecchiette or shells, but a flat pasta like fettuccine is traditionally what is recommended for cream sauces)
  • ½-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Who am I kidding – I grate a bowl of Parmesan to stir into the pasta dish and snack on the chunks that didn’t quite get grated while cooking. I don’t measure it. Buy a block of good Parmesan and just use it all. Save the rind to make soup stock.)
  • Fresh herbs such as parsley or basil for serving

Instructions:

  1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Salt generously.
  2. In a large skillet (I use a 10- or 12-inch), warm oil, butter, lemon juice, and zest on medium heat until butter is melted. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to the low side of medium and add cream and pepper. Stir occasionally throughout the cooking process.
  4. While the cream sauce thickens (keep stirring occasionally), add pasta to boiling water. Allow to cook until al dente (8-10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta).
  5. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the cream sauce. Add cheese and stir to coat.
  6. Sprinkle with fresh herbs to serve.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that, on days when I want this but am not doing dairy, I just leave out the butter, cream, and cheese. If you do it this way, you don’t need to substitute other ingredients but wait to saute the garlic with the oil and lemon until after you add the pasta to the pot of water, as that part of the process won’t take as long without the cream. It’s not quite as decadent as the creamy version, but it’s still delicious. You can’t mess it up.

I hope you have a good weekend and get time to enjoy some of your favorite recipes!

I’m writing about the food that reminds me of home – both past and present – this month.

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Day 2 – Foodie TBR

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Food, Resolutions on October 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »

You didn’t actually think I’d skip the TBR because it’s a series month, did you? Of course, you didn’t. A good chunk of the list still fits the theme of the series, though. This month’s TBR is definitely food-heavy. 

I typically lean toward the “eating and reading don’t mix” side of things. I prioritize the safety of my books (and, more importantly, books I’ve borrowed from friends or the library) over any hunger pangs I may feel while in the midst of a really good story. If I’m holding the book in my hands, I will go for hours without any sustenance beyond coffee, water, or tea. 

An unhelpful relative once remarked that reading was a good diet plan for me (PSA: Let’s not say things like this to a child. Actually – let’s not say these things, regardless of the age of the other person. Let’s mind our own business and also stop perpetuating diet culture.). 

My fairly recent (i.e., within the last few years) embrace of audiobooks allows me to be a little more flexible in this area. I don’t have to worry about getting crumbs or other food-and-drink residue on the pages if I’m listening. Most of my reading is still pretty old-school (i.e., physical book in hand), though. 

So any time I have a long reading session planned, the menu looks a lot like snacks I can pick up and eat with one hand that don’t leave a lot of residue behind. This may be why one of my favorite suppers is just snacks. I associate it with those glorious nights of reading.

Here are some of the things I’ll be reading during such nights this month.

Book Clubs

Three of these can count for this month’s Girlxoxo key word reading challenge (keywords – darkness, take, and of), so I’m pretty set for success there!

Seasonal Reads

The cooler weather isn’t the only reason I love October. It has the contrasting feel of cozy and spooky as it gets darker earlier outside while warm clothes and blankets start making an appearance again. Gonna cuddle up with a cup of tea and these books this month.

  • Holly Horror by Michelle Jabès Corpora – The first bedspread I remember from my childhood that was uniquely mine was Holly Hobbie. So…a haunted Holly Hobbie story? OMG YES. I’m super hyped about this new series.
  • The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes – A cozy magical realism story that Jenny Lawson describes as “…like Practical Magic and Encanto had a baby.” Sold!
  • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna – I actually read this one this past weekend, and it definitely lived up to the hype. I read it in one sitting. Thanks to everyone who recommended it to me!
  • The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods – Recommended by someone with infallible taste (i.e., very similar to mine) in books. It’s got mystery, books, mystical elements…I’m already hooked.

Foodie Books

And, of course, I’d never feel as if I’d explored a topic thoroughly if I didn’t also read extensively on the subject. This month, we are continuing with the Friday Fives, but they will specifically be food-oriented. I’ve been reading cookbooks, food memoirs, and foodie fiction even more than usual in the past few months. I’ll also be including a few articles and other types of media (I’ve just started The Bear on Hulu) in the mix. This is my current list of books I want to read next on this broad subject, but I’m sure I will add cookbooks or substitute others that grab my attention as the month progresses.

Where do you land on the snacks-or-no-snacks spectrum while reading? Feel free to share your favorite book-friendly refreshments in the comments.

I’m writing about the intersection of food and home this month. Click to see the full list!

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To Sarah on Her Birthday

Posted in Books, Bookshops, Denton, Home, Joy, Lucky, Music, Nostalgia, Roots, Spiderweb on September 30, 2023| 2 Comments »

Besides my sister, there is only one friend I grew up with about whom I can say we are even closer today than we were back then.

That friend is Sarah.

We went to school together in Childress, and we hung out at school (and outside of it, too, when I was allowed). Even then, she was perpetually cool and always up for an adventure. We had very different experiences growing up, but Sarah has always been someone who can be trusted with my hopes and dreams (even when those dreams are a romance novel I wrote in 6th grade).

(Photo credit – ? Did Stephen take this picture?)

Years went by, and we saw each other around Denton occasionally, but then she invited me to a book club at her house. A chance to reconnect – and over books?! Of course, I’m in! I’m so glad she thought to include me, because the book club is wonderful, but even more than that, because she reached out, today I get to count her among my closest friends.

One of my favorite things about Sarah is her encyclopedic knowledge of so many fascinating people and things. I loooove learning new things, and I always learn something new around her. Without Sarah, I would not know…

…what deep listening is.

…that Booked Up (RIP) ever existed or half as much about Larry McMurtry (also RIP) as I know now.

…about Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s podcast Wiser Than Me. I’ve only listened to her interviews with Jane Fonda, Isabel Allende, and Ruth Reichl (three people, by the way, who would be in my top ten most coveted interviewees if I were to host such a podcast), and I’m hooked.

…and so much more. Sarah has a way of recommending things to me that she knows I’ll love. She’s an incredible listener and has an amazing memory. I can listen to her for hours.

(Photo credit – Kara Dry)

She is the first person I performed with at a Spiderweb event. In fact, she’s the first person I performed with (outside of church, if you count that) since grad school. I love collaborating with her; I think we work together pretty well.

Sarah is generous with her knowledge, her time, her home, and her coffee.

And her pets.

She’s one of the only people who has a standing invitation to my parents’ farm “whether I come with her or not,” according to Dad.

Sarah, I love you, and I’m so proud of you and all you have accomplished. You inspire me and feed me and love me so well, and I’m lucky we’re friends.

Also – shameless plug – everyone go to Molten Plains Fest in December. This is the second year Sarah and Ernesto have organized it, and it’s going to be AMAZING.

I love you, friend, and I hope your birthday (and every day) is fantastic.

(Photo credit – Ellie Alonzo)

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Friday Five – September Home Edition

Posted in Books, Friday Five, Home, Mental Health, Music, Nostalgia, Work on September 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Today is National Coffee Day, so I am celebrating appropriately (i.e., I am WIRED). Coffee is the scent that greets me any time I walk into my home, so it just makes good sense that today is also the day that I share other things I’ve found that help me ponder what home means to me. Enjoy!

  • I adore the whole vibe of Apartment Therapy’s guide to staying in (although I do ruffle at the idea of staying in or taking care of yourself as being “lazy.” I mean, I get that the guide is basically a long commercial for LazyBoy recliners, so they’re using the term in that context, but still). My favorite title within it is the one about the Instagram captions for your “homebody era.” I feel like homebody is more of a solid personality trait for me than an era, but it made me happy nonetheless.
  • I want to read all the books about mothers and daughters on this list. This year, I’ve been reflecting in my private journal on the family I grew up in and how that shaped me as a person. My relationship with my mother has been particularly on my mind lately. She has been having some accelerated memory loss in the last few years, and that’s been hard. The last time I was home, however, I played some hymns on our old piano, and she sat next to me the whole time, singing the alto parts she still remembers from all her years in choir. I enjoyed it so much. 
  • How badly do I want Stanley Tucci’s GreenPan line? So, so badly. Look how beautiful (and the cookware isn’t bad either).
  • One of the ways that I’m working on being at home with myself this year is learning to accept my neurospiciness as a whole, both the great and challenging parts. I’ve taken on the role of co-president of UNT’s Neurodiversity Professional Network, and we just finished reading The Neurodiverse Workplace by Victoria Honeybourne. It was so refreshing and informative. If I were the highlighter sort (I am typically not), I would have a lot of highlights in this book. The best thing I got out of it was a lot of tips on how to reframe conversations about better ways to do things in the context of customer service and universal design/practice. Also, the format of the book is visually pleasing and thus easy to read – lots of bulleted lists and checklists and a summary of the main points at the end of each chapter. I recommend it for any managers of people in general but ND folks especially.
  • I am trying to branch out with my media choices, so I started listening to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s podcast Wiser Than Me, recommended to me by my friend Sarah. It usually takes me about 14 years to make it through a whole episode of most podcasts (audio conversation/monologue…especially when they skip around, talk over each other, or there is music or other random sounds…which happens a lot in most podcasts…challenging for me to focus), but this one seems easier to follow. The first episode is an interview with Jane Fonda, whom I love. I am inspired by the idea of consistently waking up each day and thinking about what we’re doing to make a positive mark on the world, which she talks about a bit. As podcasts go, I like this one, as I enjoy gleaning wisdom from those who are older and wiser. I think I’ll listen to more!

I hope you get a discount (or freebie) on your favorite coffee today. Have a good weekend!

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Friday Five – Friday, Finally

Posted in Books, Food, Friday Five, Fun, Music, Writing on September 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Half the office was out sick earlier this week. It was madness. I’m so tired, and despite all the work I’ve done every single second when I’m there, I still feel behind. Also, I have ingested about a vat and a half of Emergen-C. So…come at me, germs (actually, please do not come at me. Just continue staying far away, germs. That goes for you, too, allergens. Do not want.). 

But I got to go to Molten Plains on Wednesday and I get to go to cookbook club tonight in my pajamas. So the week is pretty decent overall.

  • Speaking of Molten Plains, the second Molten Plains Fest is going to be at Rubber Gloves on December 8-9. You can see a list of artists and sign up for updates here. It’s going to be amazing!
  • My friend Shadan (host of cookbook club) is writing/has mostly written a cookbook, and her publisher wants her to have a more solid social media following. Highly recommend – I’ve learned so much about food from her. Follow @shadankp on the Instagram and TikTok.
  • As is my custom every autumn, I am reflecting on my resolutions to see how far I’ve come and how much I have left to do (and also whether I still want to do them or if I’ve come up with an even better plan ). One thing that is helping me with my weekly creative goal-setting (and goal-meeting) is DIY MFA. The information on this site is solid, and it helps me organize and prioritize in a way that makes sense to my brain rather than just dumping everything into one big to-do list that never fully gets done.
  • The Booker Prize shortlist is out! I haven’t read any of these yet, but I am most excited about Sarah Bernstein’s Study for Obedience. 
  • Finally, I’m calling it. It’s officially Cozy Reading Season (™). If you love mysteries with lovable characters, ACF Bookens would be right up your alley. 

I hope you’ve had a good week, but even if it’s been a mess, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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Friday Five – Book Love

Posted in Books, Friday Five, Joy, Seasons on September 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »

It’s been a little cooler here this week, and I am freaking out about it (in a good way). I even broke out the tall boots. Is it still too warm for tall boots? Of course. Do I care? Not even a little bit. It’s already autumn in my head. No take-backs.

Here are a few things I enjoyed this week. Hope you enjoy them as well!

  • I just got a new mattress this week, and I love it. Best sleep I’ve had in years. I have been hesitant to try a memory foam option because the topper I had long ago felt stifling, but the technology has clearly come a long way. 
  • Last night was Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Fall Book Preview, and it was so much fun. I enjoyed hearing about the books she’s excited about this season.
  • In fact, this whole week has been full of bookish events. I had two book club meetings on Tuesday (one at work, one in the evening), and I always enjoy those. Emily Henry’s Happy Place was the topic of discussion with my work folks, and it was fun to take a little break from our serious jobs to dish about this rom-com and all the miscommunication between the characters. “Just talk to each other!” was definitely exclaimed at least four times. I love meeting new people who are as passionate about reading a wide variety of books as I am.
  • Another book I finished was the audio of Mycroft Holmes, written by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse. It’s the first in this particular series, and I enjoyed their spin on this classic character. I’m in the middle of listening to the second one, Mycroft and Sherlock, and I think I like it even better (which makes sense, as Sherlock Holmes is one of my favorite literary characters). They also bring out some key points in history and weave them into the stories really well, and the overall tone is not identical but includes a few nice nods to the original. 
  • Companion Piece by Ali Smith goes with her seasons series, and it’s the perfect…end? Each of the other books had a seasonal theme, but this one centered on an expanded view of the concept of season with characters encountering both the impact and continuing aftermath of Covid. She also played with time in this one by reverting to the days of the Black Plague with one section of the story, drawing parallels between the two sections. The language was beautiful and there was a wealth of absurdity throughout, which are two of the things I adore about Smith’s writing in general. 

I hope you have a good day and a good weekend!

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Friday Five – Yay September

Posted in Books, Food, Friday Five, Reading Challenges on September 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I was traveling last week to do some field recordings with Sarah and visit the folks over the weekend. I’m happy it’s September. A lot of things that I’m excited about are happening this month, and I am hopeful that I’m going to emerge from my seasonal funk soon so that I can enjoy them with the gusto that they deserve.

Here are five things that I found/read this week(ish) that you might enjoy:

  • Oliver James is teaching himself how to read as an adult and documenting it. Go give him some love and encouragement!
  • Get last Wednesday’s moon a cape! It definitely lived up to its supermoon status. I hope you had a good view to go outside and gaze at it lovingly that night. In related news, get you a friend who will text you “Go outside and look at the moon!” Thanks to all my friends who did that. 🖤
  • Hard same to this ode to summer peaches from Joy the Baker. I, too, find myself falling into the pattern of neglecting them until it’s almost too late, assuming they’ll be there forever. Then it’s August and time to make good with what is left. Fortunately, there are a lot of good ways to use peaches.
  • The Write Escape by Charish Reid – This was a book I picked up a while ago to use up an Audible credit and just never got around to reading it. It was a swoony (because who doesn’t want to vacation to Ireland and meet someone?) meet-cute story with some good dialogue and a couple of very satisfying telling-off scenes. The audio was…not great. The inflection and pacing were OK, but the Irish accent veered a little bit off quite a few times. I mean, my Irish accent is no better, but I’m not a professional reader. Anyway, it was distracting.
  • My Life With Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul – I love books about books, and this was one of the better ones I’ve read. It is part memoir but told through the stories she kept track of in her book of books (her Bob, if you will). As someone who also has kept a Bob for several years, I was inspired to go back through and discover some of the patterns that my reading takes on in certain seasons. Highly recommend to anyone who loves books and enjoys reflecting on what they read.

Have a great weekend!

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September 2023 TBR

Posted in 31 Days, Books, Food, Reading Challenges, Resolutions, Seasons, What I'm Into on September 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Excuse me, Texas weather. It is September. Did you forget? That means you’re meant to get out of the triple digits. I would settle for the 90s. Just…too many hots. Stop it already.

Other than the constant threat of heatstroke, life is pretty decent lately. September is full of fun things with friends and a lot of good books. As is my habit in the fall, I’ve adjusted my goals to spend the next few months finishing up and transitioning to the next steps (i.e., next year’s goals). So even though the actual wind hasn’t changed yet (cue more side-eye to Texas climate), at least the proverbial wind is starting to blow in a new direction.

Here’s what I’m planning to read/start this month.

Book Clubs

MMD Minimalist List

I’m close(ish) to finishing the minimalist selections on the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide, so I’m making another strong push this month to get them finished. I’ve started a couple of these already, so it shouldn’t be too hard.

TBR/Collection/Etc.

A couple of due-at-the-library-soons and some audio selections this month. Really trying to use up those Audible credits – the end is so near (relatively speaking)!

31 Days Prep

Since I’m writing about food that reminds me of home next month, I am also doing a lot of reading about food lately. These are some of the books I’m perusing this month to prepare.

I hope your reading this month is this delicious, too!

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Friday Five – August Home Edition

Posted in 31 Days, Beauty, Books, Food, Friday Five, Home, Joy, Resolutions, Work on August 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I love that the last Friday in August is here. I know that there’s no magical off switch for all the busyness and the horrible heat and the general ARGH of my most stressful month of the year when the date changes to September, but it feels like there is. Y’all – I take my relief and my peace any way I can get it, even if it’s just through the story I’m making up in my head.

Here are some of the ways I’ve been reflecting on my theme of home this month.

  • I love the meandering path of this piece on minimalism. Minimalism is a nice concept but also can be judgy and steeped in privilege and is often a thinly veiled excuse for even more shopping (and thus the inevitable accrual of more things, which one might argue is the exact opposite of the true spirit of minimalism). As someone who appreciates minimalism as an idea (and omg I love Marie Kondo) but leans more toward cozy and whimsical in decorating a home/office/patio that actually feels like a home to me, I have had every single one of the feelings the writer describes.
  • Speaking of accruing things, Bed, Bath, and Beyond is all online now that they have closed/are closing all their stores, and I am riveted. I look at this website at least once a day. I have yet to buy anything because these days I get stressed about the prospect of actually spending money on anything, even if I need it (a positive swing in my spendy attitude but also I could stand to dial back the trepidation a little – I’m sure in time it will balance). But I’m making plans. So. Many. Plans. I need a new mattress, and I want to upgrade some of my chairs in the apartment over the course of the next couple of years. And this table is so cute and functional. I love it when things are both.
  • “What if we understood our lists as menus instead?” But seriously. WHAT IF WE UNDERSTOOD OUR LISTS AS MENUS INSTEAD!?! I resonated with this piece so much that my eyes welled up with tears. My life, my home, my writing, my reading (etc.) are all governed by a series of lists. Reading this essay took a weight off my shoulders that I didn’t know I was carrying. If you have a love-hate relationship with the to-do lists (or the TBR list) in your life, consider the perspective of Oliver Burkeman (The Imperfectionist – also love that blog title and I’m a little mad that I didn’t think of it first). I also love the tagline on the main page “…building a meaningful life in an age of bewilderment.” You know what, let’s just sign up for the newsletter. I feel like I need more bold imperfection in my inbox.
  • I love these reflections on home compiled by Amy Studarus as featured on Shondaland, especially the ones that talk about helping others make their home dreams a reality. I like the way we are all connected by our own concepts of home and what that means, even when we mean very different things. One of my favorite things about having a theme word for each year is gathering the wisdom of others who have given it more thought than I have and thus have had time to put that thought into action. I like seeing how their reflections are playing out.
  • Even though my current kitchen is the least favorite kitchen I’ve ever had, it’s still an important part of my home and one I spend a lot of my waking hours in. In my 31 days series coming up in October, I am going to talk about the foods and recipes that remind me of home, whether that means the farm where I grew up or one of the places I’ve lived since then. I strongly connect food to the places and people I love, and I am looking forward to hashing that out a bit in writing. In the meantime, I am reading cookbooks and kitchen memoirs and foodie fiction, gleaning inspiration on how I want to present my thoughts on the meals that hold special meaning for me. Joy the Baker is one of my favorite people who write about food, and her post about this summer’s peach crisp is a good example of why. She starts off with a short personal reflection (i.e., she actually blogs on her food blog, which is inexplicably a source of contention for many people, which I will address in my anchor post on October 1). Then she explains what makes this recipe stand out among others of its kind and goes through the role that each ingredient plays. This is my favorite part of her posts, because as long as I’ve been cooking and baking, I still usually learn something. She’s not just handing us a recipe – she’s teaching us why it works, which ultimately helps us, her readers, become more confident and more adventurous in our own kitchens at home. I love that.

Friends, I hope you are having a good day, and I wish you a relaxing weekend!

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Friday Five – Good Mornings, Good Advice, Good Books. Good Times.

Posted in Alive, Andilit, Books, Friday Five, Work, Writing on August 18, 2023| 2 Comments »

I think I might be starting to find my rhythm in the new job. This week was always going to feel a little lighter, as the halls are officially open for the semester, so there are so many more people across campus to help put out fires with fall residents as they come up. But it also feels lighter in terms of I may…actually know what I’m…doing…now? For the most part? I say with some minor hesitation and a continual knocking on the nearest wooden object?

Here are some things I read this week that I thought you might enjoy. 

  • The low dopamine morning debunked. After a quick googling on what constitutes a “low dopamine” morning, I didn’t even really care about the details of the science that debunked it; I’m just glad it did. Because it sounds dreadful. Like…just the very worst way to greet a new day. I have 0/10 interest in giving up whatever small pleasure I can scrounge out of waking up, even if it did have some marginal benefit. I also enjoyed the reminder that habits are meant to be flexible, not rigid. This article was very soothing overall.
  • The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa – I had to read this one fast because someone else put it on hold at the library, but I’m so glad I had time to do so. Anyone who’s ever loved a cat should read this. Very sweet story about family and friendship from the perspective of a persnickety and adorable cat named Nana. 
  • Andi’s piece on how to write a book in a month (and also maybe…don’t) is just what I needed to read right now. I mean, I don’t write full books in that short a time even in easy months, but August is often a time when my creative writing gets put on hold because the full-time job is so busy (and has been especially so this year). Although that all makes logical sense and I know I’ll be back to it with a fervor in September, I always manage to feel bad about it on some level. Grateful to Andi for these words.
  • I don’t follow basketball at all, but I’m so glad some of my friends do. This is such a wonderful moment, and I’m glad I didn’t miss the end of Dwyane Wade’s Basketball Hall of Fame speech. 
  • Anxious People by Fredrik Backman – Our book club discussed this one on Tuesday. This is the second time I read this book, and I loved it even more than I did the first time I read it. It’s quite charming and witty. I think what I like most about Fredrik Backman’s books is that I usually like every single character in them (or almost every character). He is very good at showing their vulnerabilities and humanity. And I’m always a little sad that they’ve ended when I finish reading them.

Friends, I hope you’ve had a good week and have a great weekend!

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