Happy first official week of Fall!
This week I’m bringing you a pop culture reading list, a book review, a newly added TBR, a dispatch from an author chat, and a few reflections on what consistency looks like for me right now.
(The apple orchard picture is brought to you by a Fall pandemic getaway day in 2020.)
• Rory’s Reading List •
As you know, I’ve been watching Gilmore Girls. I’m only in Season 1 but I may have already gone down a rabbit hole – and now I’m bringing you with me. I stumbled across the Rory Gilmore Reading List. Did you know there are over 400 books mentioned in Gilmore Girls? I scanned the list and I’ve read about 45 of the titles. Let me know how many you have read!
• Book Review •
This week I finished Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan published earlier this year. I needed a lighter read after several heavier book club selections (with more to come). I ended up loving this book – not necessarily for the love interest, but more for the protagonist’s reinvention; I just found myself continuing to cheer her on!
From the book:
“I myself am a ball of unfocused longing. When I’m quiet I can hear my heart yearning for impossible things. I want a perfectly pared-down home, and I want to hang on to every scrap of the past. I want a break from my kids without missing a single minute of their lives. I long for a partnership, and I long for freedom. I long to be enmeshed with someone without losing myself. I want all of it.”
• MMD Fall Book Preview •
The Modern Mrs. Darcy Fall Book Preview was last Wednesday. I got tons of recommendations for Fall reading, but when Anne Bogel said “Taylor Swift” in relation to this book, I knew I had to hit rewind (are we still using the word “rewind?”). Once More from the Top by Emily Layden is “a psychological thriller about the cost of fame and the power of friendship.”
• Author Chat •
As with almost all author events, I appreciate books even more after hearing about the author’s intention and writing experience. I attended the MMD author chat this week for Dayswork, written by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel during the pandemic. I loved listening to them read two passages from the book – the back and forth was fantastic. It was fascinating to hear about the “Melville vortex” and their literary partnership. They wrote the book sitting next to each other at their table, saying all the words out loud and only using one laptop! It was also fun to learn about the different ways to read the title, including the question, “Are your days working?” Meaning: Is your life working? I have to admit that I can’t commit to reading Moby Dick yet, but maybe I’m closer than I was.
• Placeholder Habits •
One of my favorite podcasts, Happier in Hollywood, touches on the subject of an upward spiral, which is when you are making progress on your goals and habits. Right now, I’m in a self-declared upward spiral. However, there are days when I don’t feel great or I’m tired. I grew up in the age of “anything worth doing is worth doing well” and I’m working on undo-ing that mentality. I know now that not everything is worth doing well – or that maybe “well” can be redefined. Sometimes, it’s just about showing up. So, I may walk for twenty minutes instead of sixty, lift lighter weights, move slower through my yoga routine, or read two pages instead of twenty before turning on my favorite show. Sometimes I worry that I’m getting weaker or slower (or dare I say, lazy), but I’ve come to realize that by keeping the placeholder habit I’m building my capacity to continue to show up. Sometimes consistency looks like this:
That’s it for this week, I’d love to hear what you’re reading!
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