Happy Friday! It is feeling more and more like summer here and I’m loving it. Hope you’re getting some sun and chill vibes where you are.
Quote of the week:
“Any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.” —Homer, The Iliad
What I’m reading:
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. I am LOVING this book. Sometimes books get a lot of hype and I’m meh on them, but this one is deserving of all the hype (in my opinion).
What I’m listening to:
I listened to My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me by Jason B. Rosenthal in a couple days. It’s such a sweet memoir about his marriage to Amy Krause Rosenthal, who died of ovarian cancer. Now I’m listening to Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage by Heather Havrilesky, which is a very different view of marriage haha.
What I’m watching:
Same as last week: The Last of Us on Max, Dying for Sex on Hulu, Vikings on Netflix. It takes me SO LONG to go through a series.
Writing news:
I’m starting to plan some launch things for Woman on the Verge while also doing edits on my 2026 novel (title to come!). Do I sometimes get the books confused? Yes, yes I do.
Interesting things I learned this week:
- A group of hyenas is called a cackle
- Harvard Law School paid $27 for what officials thought was a copy of Magna Carta. Turns out it was an original
- Your brain burns about 400-500 calories per day
- Pope Leo’s childhood home will be sold to the highest bidder in an online auction. A house flipper bought it before Leo became pope and is expected to make a windfall
- Since taking office, Trump has increased his net worth by about three billion dollars, roughly one billion every month. Not sure how anyone thought he was in this for anything but himself
- According to a 2024 government report, brand-name prescription drugs in the US are over 300% higher on average than in other wealthy nations. For example, a crucial cancer drug that costs $191,000 per year in the US costs just $44,000 in Japan
- The annual income required to purchase a typical California house has nearly doubled over the past fie years. It’s INSANE where I live
- Related: Americans need to earn about 70% more today than six years ago to comfortably afford a median-priced home, per Realtor.com
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“pinan 1.” It’s not that weird of a google search if you’re a karate person, which I guess I am now? My daughter is very into it. She has her first tournament this weekend and has to do the pinan 1 form.
What I’m grateful for:
- A really nice Mother’s Day. I feel so lucky to have my daughter. It’s a love like no other
- Pool time. We had a heat wave roll through and it was glorious
- My editor. I usually hate getting edits back on books, but her notes are always perfect
- Feeling like myself on runs lately. I’m keeping it mellow with 4-5 miles a few days a week, but it’s feeling so nice
- Continued puppy cuteness. I am in love with our newest addition. Our pet family is the best
Snapshots:
From top to bottom: First pool use in months; a fun Mother’s Day hike; a Mother’s Day coupon book from my daughter that proves she really gets me.
