I sat down to write a different post today but was confronted with a bit of writers block. And then I went to tackle some other items on my to-do-list, and couldn’t quite decide where to start. My only next logical step was to go stand in front of the open refrigerator for 5 minutes, find a snack, and then make my way back to the computer for a little download of all of the stuff going on in my brain. A little bit of everything I’ve been reading, watching, and thinking about this week:
Book News. My mind is going a million miles a minute this week as I’ve been prepping for my cookbook to hit shelves in less than two weeks! If you pre-order it today, it should ship and arrive to you the first week of October. I’m so excited about it, and also a little bit nervous. A few people have started to get preview copies of the book in the mail this week and it’s surreal that it’s being read after all that time and work. I’m also working on a bunch of fun events and signings for the fall. Save the date for the first one at Neatly Nested in Boston on October 11th!
Reading List. In other exciting book news, I’ve been tracking my progress here since January on a goal I set to read 24 books in 2018. The number was totally arbitrary, just an estimate that I would attempt to read 2 books a month. I’m super proud that I met my goal over Labor Day weekend and am already on book #26! I think I’ll do a big wrap-up post at the end of the year with all of the best books I read, but the last few I tackled were some of my favorite. I read The Alice Network, about WWII female spies, and I loved it. Not my usual genre, but it moved fast and made me want to learn more about the topic. I also read All Happy Families, a short memoir about one women’s complex family relationships. This one was totally my normal genre and I really enjoyed it – it was a quick read too. I also read A Simple Favor, which is coming out as a movie this month with Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick. The book was okay, it was light and fun and has some good twists and turns, and I look forward to seeing how they adapt it to the movie. Up next, I’m reading The Garden Party and need some new recommendations after that!
Watching. After I hit my reading goal this month, I decided to give myself a little reading reprieve and binge a new show. We started Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime and I watched the whole thing this week – it had me on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding. John Krasinksi is great in it, and I am so excited they’re filming a second season. Now I need a new show, what should I watch next?
Fall Fever. There was a brief moment of cool weather last week that felt like autumn and I was beyond excited. I went fall-crazy working on some comfort food recipes — and Apple Dijon Chicken – bought a new pair of fall booties from Target, and styled a harvest-themed tablescape for the blog. We even took Jane to a corn harvest festival and got some little pumpkins to bring home. Now I just need the temperatures to catch up to my fall fever!
Kid Stuff. A few new favorite things I’ve gotten for Jane lately – an adorable dinosaur raincoat for a steal on Amazon; her first pair of rain boots that she begs to wear everyday, and the most darling reversible t-shirt with stripes on one side and little dogs wearing glasses on the other. I also just got her a set of kids headphones for an upcoming long car ride, and they are a game changer for travel. And in case you missed it, I shared a peek into our playroom nook and how we’ve organized her toys on the blog this week!
So excited for your book launch! Congratulations on this amazing accomplishment.
Aw thank you Molly!
I’m super excited for you and your upcoming book…can’t wait to get my hands on it! And thank you for the book recommendations. I think its great that you set a goal for yourself. It saddens me that I used to read a book or two a week, I’ve never been much of a television person. Of course the quality and superb channels are so incredible, and let’s not forget our time on the internet, social media, writing blogs, etc. I guess eliminating a few of these tempting things would be the answer. Ha! We’ll see!
Jane x
I definitely cut down on TV to spend more time reading, but for me the hardest part is getting off instagram! I can spend hours scrolling!