Here we are at the end of July. Time flies when you’re having…to juggle work and childcare and playdates and marathon training and summer fun. Here’s the roundup!
Quotes I loved this month:
“The number of hours we have together is actually not so large. Please linger near the door uncomfortably instead of just leaving. Please forget your scarf in my life and come back later for it.” —Mikko Harvey
“The secret of being happy consists of knowing how to enjoy yourself—enjoy being at table, in bed, enjoy standing up, sitting down, enjoy the nearest ray of sunshine, the slightest bit of landscape: in other words, love everything.” —Gustave Fla
“The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of things you don’t see.” —James Baldwin
Books I read:
Favorites:
The Book of Guilt — Started off slow but then picked up. Very unique story that touches on cloning and genetic engineering. Chilling, mysterious vibes.
Small Boat — Short, impactful book based on a true story. In November 2021, an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants from France to the UK capsized in the English Channel, causing the deaths of 27 people on board. Despite receiving numerous calls for help, the French authorities wrongly told the migrants they were in British waters and had to call the British authorities for help. By the time rescue vessels arrived on the scene, nearly three hours later, all but two of the migrants had died, the worst single loss of life ever to occur in the Channel. The book is a fictional first-person account of the French navy officer who took the migrants’ calls—and her attempts to justify the indefensible.
Wifehouse — Similar themes to my book Woman on the Verge, about a woman who walks away from what society expects of her.
Lady Tremaine — Loved this. Wildly original. It’s a retelling of Cinderella from the perspective of the not-so-evil stepmother. Makes the reader rethink “happily ever after.”
London Falling — A deep dive into the death of Zac Brettler, who was seen on security footage leaping from a balcony into the Thames River. Very interesting.
Communion — A bell hooks book never lets me down. She gets it exactly right. This book focuses on the female search for love in midlife, perfect for me.
The Ambition Penalty — This book explores this thesis: Women don’t lack ambition; they just exist in a world that makes it incredibly hard for them to sustain any ambition.
What I’ve been watching:
“Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” — fun, wacky series that I abandoned after 5 episodes and need to resume
“His and Hers” — fun limited series; didn’t see the ending coming
“She Said” — about the NYT journalists who broke the Harvey Weinstein story; very interesting
“Should I marry a murderer?” — crazy documentary
“Obsession” — I love me a horror movie, but not really sure why this was such a box office smash; it was entertaining enough, I guess
“A Toxic Love Story” — another crazy documentary; I’m still reeling
“Furious” — Just started this. Good so far. Love Emmy Rossum
“The Long Walk” — Based on Stephen King’s book. Dark. “Squid Games” vibes
Writing news:
My agent loves my new novel (we went through one round of edits together. She’s so good). Next steps TBD. I’m not writing anything of my own right now but doing some other fun things.
Interesting things I learned this month:
- Readers live 23 months longer than non-readers, according to a Yale study of more than 3,000 adults tracked for 12 years
- Six minutes of reading cuts stress by 68%, more than music or walking, according to a University of Sussex study
- 19% of Americans read 82% of all books published last year; 40% read none at all—noooooooooo
- Kelsey Pfendler became the fastest person of any gender to row solo from California to Hawaii. She started out in Monterey and arrived in Honolulu 43 days later on May 21
- 33% of adults under 35 were living with their parents in 2025
- In spanish, “wife” is “esposa” and “handcuffs” are “esposas.” Yes, I am taking meaning from this
- Valemor is “the quiet pride of knowing you survived something without becoming cruel, loud, or bitter”
- Biophilia is the innate human instinct to connect with nature, plants, animals, and all living things
- Genuilia is the name for a knee fetish (yes, it’s a thing)
- Speaking of fetishes, a woman has plans to marry a chandelier: Amanda Liberty is a British woman who identifies as objectum sexual and gained international attention for being in an open relationship with multiple chandeliers, most notably a 91-year-old German fixture she calls Lumiere. She purchased Lumiere for roughly $400 (£400) on eBay and plans a commitment ceremony
- Diskarte is Tagalog slang for ingenuity, resourcefulness, and hustle; the ability to get things done when others might give up
- Since mid-2024, daycare and preschool prices have climbed at roughly twice the pace of overall inflation
- By the second quarter of 2025, 54% of Fortune 100 employees were required back in the office full-time, up from just 5% two years earlier. The average number of required in-office days also climbed from 2.6 to 3.9 per week over that same stretch
- In 2025, the baby name “Donald” hit its lowest point of popularity in U.S. history
- Solar is now the cheapest source of electricity in history, and the market knows it. In 2025, a new solar project was installed every 59 seconds in the U.S. alone
- According to a new Pew Research poll, three-quarters of U.S. adults think racial and ethnic diversity is a good thing for the country, with 62% saying it also has a positive impact on the country’s culture
- Nestle plans to remove artificial food colorings from all products worldwide by the end of 2026, making it the first major food company to take such a step
- Research published in Molecular Psychiatry found that the amygdala–the part of the brain that processes fear and stress–is less activated in people who live in rural areas. A separate survey of nearly 20,000 subjects found that a person can feel benefits after spending just 120 minutes a week in nature
- Studies of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, show that walking in a forest lowers cortisol, pulse rate, blood pressure, and sympathetic nerve activity
- A team of researchers announced today that they had found sugar in the interstellar space near the center of the Milky Way. In that medium of dust and gas, they spotted erythrulose, which is found on Earth in raspberries. The finding provided an important clue about the origins of sugar on Earth and possibly the rise of life as well
- No major American city gets more sleep than South Burlington, Vt., and none has better income growth than Miami. But according to a study by the company WalletHub, the happiest big city in the U.S. is Fremont, Calif. Fremont has the lowest separation and divorce rate in the country, as well as the fifth-highest average life expectancy
What I’m grateful for:
- So much sunshine. Sometimes we get very gloomy summers near the coast, but not this year. With the high humidity, it’s basically Hawaii in So Cal right now
- Playdates, pool time, sleepovers, camps — all the things to entertain my daughter while I’m adulting
- World Cup. I miss it. Can we do it year-round, every year?
- Dating apps. I mean, yes, they are kind of a cesspool, but there are some gems too. I’ve been single since earlier this year and recently met a great guy
- Marathon training going well! It feels like I’m adjusting to the heat and humidity and everything is clicking lately. One month until Sydney!
Snapshots:
From top to bottom: Puppy snuggles; night out with my sister to celebrate her birthday; Laguna Beach; #summerrunning; another great sunset; proof of life for chameleon; one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen; more pet cuddles.
