Welcome to THE WEEKENDER, your weekly dispatch full of ~Saturday spirit~! I fill you in briefly on the week, share a few Little Luxuries that make the mundane feel special and save the best for last with some Brain Food to mull over, expand your horizons, or discuss with your friends over a cappuccino. There are usually lots of links and pictures which perhaps will get clipped if you’re reading in your inbox— click here to read in browser!
Happy Saturday! It’s a rainy one here at the beach, sigh. At least I’ll make some progress on the book I’ve been reading the last few days, Douglas Stuart’s John of John. I’m hearing it could win the Booker Prize, and I can see why!
Small wins from my week:
I’ve been on a lightning speed reading tear. Since last Saturday I’ve started and finished The Shampoo Effect, The Au Pair, The Fine Art of Lying and The Da Vinci Code (lol). Can you tell I have no friends where I live? But in all seriousness, picking up a book instead of the remote at night has made each day feel longer and a lot more peaceful.
I got in lots of long walks on the boardwalk and some pickleball this week, and I hit the beach after work several nights— getting outside as much as I can, while I can!
Ending soon!: if you’ve been thinking about upgrading, click here for 40% off for one year (the biggest discount I’ve ever offered!) and get access to my most reader-loved letters, monthly book reviews, and my entire archive.
I am down SO BAD for my new Nantucket Madras windbreaker. It’s simply fabulous and has entirely exceeded expectations. I cannot recommend it enough for virtually all seasons.
Negative’s new arrivals really got me goin’… I just got the black & white tank and waffle pullover but I am watching the waffle shirt jacket like a hawk. (The new stripe-y Whipped collection too.)
I found the best tee on Substack Notes and I reverse Google image searched it to find it from an Etsy maker. Bingo!! I love it, I thought it might be up some of your alleys. I’ve already found the next tee I’m tempted to hunt for…
A Pinterest save I’ve had my eye on: this very cool sacred heart necklace that is adjustable. You can remove the sword from the heart to make the necklace a lariat! I wish they offered this in gold plate since the price on solid gold right now is unjustifiable…
Speaking of jewelry, if you’ve been coveting any of the cool shell or stone jewelry from Chan Luu, it is perhaps up to 65% off in their summer sale right now. This necklace is cool and versatile! I got my wedding day earrings from Chan Luu and it was like unboxing a tiny treasure.
I hit the bottom of an Aesop hand soap I was gifted this week and was reminded of how much I love my favorite sustainable Aesop dupe refills from Element Brooklyn! I love this business so much that I wish I’d come up with the idea myself…
Art of the week this week (above!) is Dina Hoffman’s gorgeous shell paintings, Jenny Aitken’s glittering water paintings and Georgia O’Keefe’s own shell paintings.
ICYMI, this week I published 15 late summer things to add to your bucket list and It is very important that you be embarrassed.
I also wrote about the zucchini muffin recipe from NYT Cooking (here’s a gift link!) that I made for friends last weekend. They’re more involved than my usual recipe, but turned out fantastic. Highly recommend!
The most interesting piece I’ve come across yet on AI, publishing/fiction writing and selling a novel… which is something I’m very nervous about as someone who hopes to do this not too far off.
How was I late to this Read Your Color quiz? You answer a few questions and it tells you what kind of reader you are. I’m an Orange— in other words, I “read books that offer transportation, immersive worlds and a sense of awe.” They got me spot on with what I don’t like: “A story set in a life like yours feels suffocating. You want the wardrobe, the letter, the threshold crossed.” Think of the quiz as your reading enneagram or horoscope!
Speaking of quizzes, I liked some parts of Grace Abbott’s interview with Alexandra Cole about how to use Human Design to find the right freelance clients or career set up for you. I had forgotten (or maybe never taken the quiz to find out) my human design type. I’m a Manifesting Generator, wbu? Everything that the article said about working styles for ManGens was absolutely dead on for how I work and thrive, so it’s feeling like there’s something to it.
How writing on the internet feels most of the time…
your windbreaker is so cool! love it. the negative waffle pullover is at the very top of my list. also bookmarking the zucchini muffins to make over labor day! thanks for the great roundup 🙂
Thanks for sharing the “what type of reader” quiz. Also love your art discoveries 💙