Last Friday in May. My family is still quarantining, though the world around us seems to be reopening (for economic reasons; the statistics, at least in our area, do not show any actual slowing of the virus). Strange times, folks.
Quote of the week:
“Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.” –Carl Sagan, scientist, astronomer, author (quoted in James Clear’s newsletter)
What I’m reading:
A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother by Rachel Cusk
What I’m listening to:
The Cactus: A Novel by Sarah Haywood
“Unlocking Us” podcast (this episode and this episode)
What I’m watching:
I Know This Much Is True (HBO)
Mrs. Fletcher (HBO)
I Will Make You Mine (Amazon Prime) (Note: This is Lynn Chen’s directorial debut. I met Lynn years ago and have been following her career ever since. Congrats, Lynn!)
Writing news:
- I’ve had so many essay ideas and so little time. I’ve been back to working full-time for about a month and I’m exhausted
- Reminder: All the Acorns on the Forest Floor is coming on September 15! You can pre-order at all the usual places. Check out the early Goodreads reviews!
- Stay tuned: I promise book news is coming soon. The cover for my first nonfiction book (out in Spring 2021) is coming any day now; and my fifth novel (out in Summer 2021) just got a title (!!!)
What I’m talking about:
- The sad and infuriating death of George Floyd
- What I can do to promote racial justice (this Medium article has great ideas)
- The apparent end of quarantine–I have mixed feelings (maybe this is my next essay)
What I’m grateful for:
Baking. I don’t know what’s happened to me, but I was on a baking spree this week. I have become the people I hate. The other day I made GRANOLA and stored it in a giant mason jar. Today I wanted to make banana-oat breakfast bars, but the recipe called for apple sauce (which I don’t have)…so I MADE APPLE SAUCE. WHO AM I? WHAT IS HAPPENING?
