Every year, I’m surprised at how the holidays sneak up on me. I hope you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving. Here’s the roundup.
Quote of the week:
“Those who build walls are their own prisoners. I’m going to go fulfill my proper function in the social organism. I’m going to go unbuild walls.” —Ursula Le Guin, The Dispossessed
What I’m reading:
I finished We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons and LOVED it. It has very similar themes (motherhood, identity, grief and loss) to my book that comes out in June, Woman on the Verge. I’m now reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey, which recently won the Booker Prize. I need to find out how she gathered so much information about space in order to write this. It’s fascinating. Oh, I also finished a beautiful book of poetry this week—You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson.
What I’m listening to:
Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World that Wears Us Down by Corey Keyes. I think many of us are languishing right now. There are no mind-blowing epiphanies for me in this book, but it has been helpful.
What I’m watching:
I’m still enjoying season 2 of Shrinking (why must they release just one episode per week?!) and I just started Season 2 of Bad Sisters—loving it.
Writing news:
I’m still waiting on a cover reveal for Woman on the Verge—releases June 17! In the meantime, I’m working away on my 2026 novel, going through my first round of self edits on the first draft. It’s coming along.
Interesting things I learned this week:
- An Italian village is offering $1 homes to Americans upset by the election result
- Ongoing popular vote counting has shown that Trump earned less than 50% of the popular vote…again
- Kakistocracy refers to a state or country run by the worst, least qualified, or more unscrupulous citizens
- According to a new study from Australia, every hour you walk could add up to 6 hours to your lifespan. By emulating the most active 25% of Americans — who do about 160 minutes of normal-paced walking (or the equivalent in other forms of exercise) every day — the average American over the age of 40 could add 5 years to their life. The least active 25% of Americans could add a hefty 11 years!
- The oldest living land animal on earth is a 192-year-old tortoise named Jonathan
- 90% of the world’s population lives in the Northern Hemisphere
- Humans are using about 1.7 times the resources that nature can sustainably renew each year
- Most U.S. states have smaller populations than Los Angeles County. The only states that do NOT have smaller populations than LA County are Texas, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York
- Warner Brothers is selling 10 functional Batmobiles for $3M each
- Researchers in Japan discovered that dogs were more interested in humans who performed better at certain tasks vs those who struggled. Female dogs proved to be the most judgmental, much preferring the competent humans 😉
What I’m grateful for:
- A mother-daughter haircut—what a treat. My daughter was stoked to go to the regular salon and have some pampering (and her haircut is adorable)
- Celebrating my oldest nephew’s birthday with a fun family dinner. I can’t believe he’s 14!
- My daughter in her “Moana” performance at her school. I haven’t smiled so big in a long time. I’m grateful our school is doing more arts programs and I hope it stays that way
- Helping at the first grade Thanksgiving feast. I never thought I was a kid person until I had my own kid and then got to know her friends. I love little people. I volunteered in her classroom today too and helped the kids with their holiday calendars
- Always running into (literally) someone I know on my morning runs. My community feels so small and comforting
- Time with one of my soul mate friends this weekend. She’s in town from Paraguay and I’m so excited!
Snapshots:
Top to bottom: My aforementioned friend sent me this “Books are magic” hat and I realized that I was wearing the sweatshirt she had bought for me previously—ha, she knows me well; doggie has made a bed out of the giant teddy bear my nephew gave my daughter; pets continue to comfort me on a daily basis.
