Weekly Wrap Up #7

March 13-19

I feel like I always start these the same way: “Another week has come on gone!” So let’s try something different! Life can be hard, I know these past few years have been especially so, and while I never want to be a Pollyanna or shove toxic positivity in people’s faces, I do think it can be helpful to highlight the little joys. So I’ll share a few of mine, and I’d love it if you would comment with some of yours.

• Having dinner + drinks with good friends. It feels SO good to be back to doing this after three years of dinners in my house.

• Thoughtful messages from your besties.

• Feeling connected to community again.

• Winding down at night with a book and a hot mug of warm milk + hazelnut syrup.

Your turn!

Reading

🎧 A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson – I listened to this in just over a day because it gripped me from the very beginning. Isabelle Manning is the daughter of an iconic New York Times bestselling author growing up in New York City. When family secrets are uncovered it makes her question everything she’s known, including her own writing career. This story had lots of elements I like: multiple perspectives, a dual timeline, complicated families, and unlikeable characters. While it didn’t quite provide the shock value I was hoping for, it was an enjoyable and propulsive story that was perfect on audio. For fans of The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

📖 Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake – I’m only a few chapters in but I can already tell this is going to be a favorite. With lots of messy relationships, a quaint small town, and distinct characters, I’m eager to keep reading (and have already bought the next in the series, Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail.

If you haven’t tried audiobooks or don’t have an audiobook subscription, Libro.fm is my favorite way to listen to audiobooks, and my favorite audiobook company to support. Your purchase supports an indie bookstore of your choosing, and you can pause or cancel at anytime. Use my code (KATHARINE) or this link and get TWO audiobook credits for the price of one.

Watching

“Nashville” rewatch – I have the habit of rewatching shows over and over (ahem Grey’s Anatomy, Parenthood, Friday Night Lights) but I haven’t revisited Nashville since I watched it when it aired. I’m a HUGE of Connie Britton and of country music, so this is hitting the spot right now. I remember it hitting its peak around seasons 3 or 4, but I’m sure I’ll still watch it all the way through.

Listening

The Ezra Klein Show – I don’t listen to every episode of his podcast, but these two were worth the listen:

• If You Read the G.O.P.’s Anti-Trans Policies, You’ll See What It Really Wants

• The Men – and Boys – Are Not Alright

Loving

Chips + cheese – Or what I sometimes call Lazy Girl Nachos. My most basic version is tortilla chips (my current favorite are Tostitos Cantina Thin & Crispy) with shredded cheese on top, melted under the broiler. I’ll then dip them in sour cream, with some chopped tomatoes on the side. Recently I’ve added shredded rotisserie chicken to the mix. And if I’m feeling really ambitious, I do a BBQ chicken version: shredded rotisserie chicken, shredded cheese, bbq sauce, sour cream, jalapeño. Easy and really satisfying.

Trader Joe’s Sparkling Strawberry Juice – Not overly sweet, this has satiated a soda craving for half the price of Olipop.

Senõr Mango – I picked these up at my sister’s new store in NYC and ate them in one sitting. Now I just have to figure out how to get my hands on more. (I tried the Pink Mango variety, which was dipped in ruby cacao, something I had no idea existed.)

TKTKTKTKTKT

A reminder for the week: You have not fallen behind. Your life is not a race. The only timeline that matters is yours.

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