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Hi, happy Friday! How was your week? I had the best time on Wednesday night hosting a chat with local D.C. author Mimi Montgomery at a dog park/social club. Petition to have more book events where dogs are present, please!! Thank you to the readers who came out to hang and to Axios and Wonderland Books for hosting!
An attendee asked for the book to be signed for her dog’s name.
What else? I had the absolute honor of writing the cover column for Riverhead’s newspaper (yes, a real newspaper) called The Eddy. It’ll be available in hundreds of independent bookstores laterthis month. Subscribers (it’s FREE to get this delightful bookish newspaper) will get it in the mail, too, and it’s not too late to subscribe here to get the September issue. Please snap a pic and tag me if you see it!
Lastly, I’m putting the finishing touches on the Downtime Fall Books Special, so be on the lookout for that soon.
P.S. Congrats to reader Caroline who won the giveaway last week for Carla Lalli’s new cookbook!
Today’s newsletter order is flipped because the book I read this week wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, so my review is tucked behind the paywall.
To watch:Sterling Point(on Prime Video). This rec is a bit obvious since apparently everyone is watching this right now. I was late to this YA show but I understand the hype now; it’s giving CW teen drama vibes with really good fashion and hair. I enjoyed this Pop Culture Happy Hour episode that breaks down why, exactly, it’s so good. (And shoutout to my husband for being the first to discover this show in our household and I’m sorry I ever said it was a bad show after watching the first episode!!! 🤪)
We all want Annie’s hair and wardrobe…
Fall denim and sales: My size has been fluctuating postpartum so I’m treating myself to some new jeans this fall. I’m headed to Madewell today for their big 25% off Insiders Sale to try on these jeans, this adorable jacket, these higher-vamp ballet flats, and a few other picks I’ve linked here. I also ordered my favorite jeans from AYR in a new darker wash (it comes in a short inseam!) and will report back. Also, my most worn belt ever is on sale at J.Crew for $39 — a great fall basic.
To cook: This week I made zucchini butter spaghetti from Smitten Kitchen’s curation of her favorite recipes from the past twenty (!) years. (I highly recommend a good scroll of the recipes.) It was a big hit and my 3-year-old actually ate it, though I’d make it with less butter next time. I also made these chicken tenders from a Green Spoon recipe, with a broccoli slaw that uses thinly sliced apples (genius and delicious).
My chicken cutlet breading station. I ran out of panko so I mixed in crushed Ritz crackers.
Two current beauty favorites:This tinted mineral sunscreen with SPF in it has been my “get ready in 5 minutes” MVP this month. (I use the shade 20). These toner pads have made my skin noticeably smoother and brighter recently. I’ve been testing them for over two months. They’re just so easy to swipe on after cleansing your face.
Finally, a toddler thing:This Hatch Baby clock wins my MVP most passionate rec of the month. I think it has saved our sleep. It lets your kid know when it’s time okay to get out of bed via a glowing, colored light of your choosing. Conversely, it lets them know when it’s time to settle down and get ready for sleep via a glowing orange light. I resisted buying this thing for so long and I feel so silly! As all toddler parents know, the bedtime routine can be a battle and this has been pure magic so far.
The clock. There’s also an app that lets you control everything
My current obsession is this daily game for true design-obsessives called Provenance. You guess the year and the country where a design object is from. (Example: an art nouveau fire screen). It’s ADDICTIVE.
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