You guys! As I mentioned last week, I was interviewed for a podcast! And it just dropped today!
The podcast is 10 Things To Tell You by the brilliant Laura Tremaine, who I have followed for years now--ever since I discovered her original blog (which she no longer updates), Hollywood Housewife. I've always been a big fan of her smart writing, her great taste, and her amazing recommendations, particularly for books. So I was thrilled when she asked me to come on her podcast to discuss what's pretty much become my favorite thing lately: books!
It was a cool experience for multiple reasons, but perhaps mainly, because it was the first time Laura and I have ever spoken! See, for the past few years, we've become that weird kind of Internet/social media friend, where we follow each other, chat over DM and in the comments, but never actually MEET each other. Well, we still haven't met in person, but we did have this awesome Skype video chat. And you can listen in to it now!
In our convo, we each give our top five reads of the summer, and then we discuss a few other popular books that everyone is talking about in order to give our take. (Some we liked, some--including a hugely popular one--we didn't.)
Below, I've listed the books that I name as my top five picks on the pod (plus two more that I almost picked, didn't mention on the podcast, and totally love as well). I'll give a quick summary of those below, but if you'd like to hear much more about them--and find out Laura's picks (three of which were also ones I loved)--well, you're going to have to listen to the podcast. :)
My top five books of the summer:
-Recursion By Blake Crouch: A mind-twisting, heart-stopping, sci-fi-but-don't-let-that-scare-you thriller that it truly unputdownable. You'll follow a New York City detective investigating a mysterious illness where people suddenly remember an entire life that haven't lived. I don't want to say anything else or I'll give it away, and you do not want this one spoiled.
-City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert: This delightful, incredibly well-written book tells the story of a young woman named Vivien who is sent to live with her Aunt Peg in 1940s New York City. Aunt Peg runs (and lives in) a struggling theater, and Vivien makes friends with showgirls and actors, and has these amazing, crazy experiences. It's a coming-of-age story, but like none you've ever read before. It's unexpectedly feminine and just a joyful, fun ride throughout. I especially loved the dialogue (smart and often really funny!) and the characters were incredible. This is one of those books that you hate to finish because it feels like you're saying goodbye to friends. I'll miss Vivien and her crew so much!
-Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keene: The story of two neighboring families torn apart by a sudden, tragic event. We then follow the characters throughout their lives as their stories twist and turn and intersect. It's beautiful literary fiction with some of the best character development I've ever read. I truly felt like I knew these characters and really became invested in their stories. And when you learn what the title means, your heart will soar!
-Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl: A funny, poignant page turner about Ruth Reich's time as editor in chief of Gourmet magazine--from reinventing it to going down with the ship when it closed years later. Like all of Reichl's work, the writing is amazing--beautifully descriptive but not so much that it gets in the way of her skillful storytelling. I'm admittedly a little partial to this one since I come from the magazine world, but you certainly don't have to have worked for magazines to love it. I also mention and recommend Tender At The Bone, which is a memoir of her childhood and early days writing about food. It's so funny and so good. (And no, you don't need to read her memoirs in order.)
-American Predator by Maureen Callahan: A non-fiction book that truly reads like a really, really good crime novel. It tells the story of Israel Keyes, one of the scariest serial killers of all time--and someone very few people have ever heard of. (And there's a reason for that.) The author uses interviews with Keyes and other key players, court transcripts, and her own research to reconstruct some of his crimes and everything that came after. You will not be able to put this one down.
My honorable mentions:
I didn't get a chance to mention these two on the podcast, but they were very close runners-up!
-Time After Time: I love anything to do with time travel (I'm obsessed with the concept!), and this includes it in a really interesting way. But it's so much more than that! It's also a beautiful love story with an unexpected ending. I really, really enjoyed this book, and think about it often!
-Park Avenue Summer: This is the fictional story of a real-life person (legendary editor Helen Gurley Brown) after she is hired to reinvent Cosmopolitan in the 1960s. The story is told through Alice, a young woman who moves to New York City and is hired as Brown's secretary. It's very Mad Men meets Devil Wears Prada, and there is lots of workplace drama and a great love story. I was totally immersed in this world while reading it, and it was the perfect light-but-smart summer read.
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For more amazing books (plus lots of good bookish chat!), please listen to the podcast here. Then, definitely come back here and let me know what you think! And if you have a favorite summer read, can you mention it here in the comments? I'm always looking for more great reads! (For more of mine, follow my #bookstagram here.) Happy reading--and listening!
I can't believe it's almost August. I mean, how?? The summer is over half over! It's going by way too fast. My kids are finishing their fifth week of camp today, which is just bizarre. (And it's hitting me how I had hoped to accomplish way more during those camp hours that I actually have. Eek!)
And, now, we're finally doing a little bit of (local-ish) traveling. We visited friends in the Hamptons last weekend, which was great, and are heading to Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore next week. (Believe it or not, I haven't been to the Jersey Shore since I was a kid!). This weekend, we'll be laying low at the lake, which I am definitely excited for. A lazy weekend of reading sounds good to me.
Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope you make it a great one. Here's a few fun links to check out in the meantime.
• If you've seen me in person in the past two weeks, there's a decent chance I was wearing this Vici dress, because I have been living in it. It's kind of the perfect dress: It's basically a big, soft t-shirt, so it's super comfy, but the cut is just right, so it's not shapeless or overly baggy. And I love the dusty black color; it looks vintage-y and just a little worn in. I've dressed it up with gold sandals and a long necklace, and worn it running around town with flip flops and a hat. And it's under $50! I'm obsessed.
• I've always been an Anthropologie fan (fun fact: I worked there years ago!), but lately I've been rediscovering it in a big way. They have so much great stuff right now! I recently bought this hat, which I love, and two of these $18 knotted headbands, which are perfect (and much less expensive) dupes of those Lele Sadoughi headbands everyone is wearing. And this lacy top is next on my list. How pretty is it?!?
• Got these blush-pink sandals from Target (!) the other day, and they are even cuter in person.
• As I mentioned a few weeks back in this post about how to increase your reading, I've been reading a ton this year. I'm now up to 64 books in 2019! And in case you're looking for a beach read, here are a few of the very best ones I've read since that post: Recursion (this one actually ranks as an all-time fave. SO GOOD), A Nearly Normal Family, Lock Every Door, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, The Beekeeper of Aleppo (out in late August, but you can pre-order), and You Were There Too (this doesn't launch until January, but it's worth preordering. I loved it!).
• Speaking of books, I'm super excited about a new podcast coming soon from one of my Instagram buddies, @bookishkatenyc. It's called The Shelf-Care Podcast, and it combines two of my favorite things: books and beauty. (Uh, why didn't I think of that!??!) Kate already told me who the first guest is, too, and it's a good one!
• I went to an Amazon holiday preview earlier this week, and there was so much good stuff. A lot of it is already available, so here's a peek at my three very favorite things I saw there: this amazing gold flatware set (four five-piece place settings for under $95), this stunning serving piece (so good for entertaining!), and this jewelry storage cabinet hidden inside a mirror (I need this).
• I never knew I wanted a "snuggle nook" until I saw this one. Now, I need a snuggle nook. (I mean, how cozy and gorgeous and snuggle-worthy does it seem?!?)
• I hadn't even heard of Electric sunglasses a year ago--and suddenly they are by far my favorite brand. I own three pairs now! My latest is this Honey Bee style in Nude Crystal, which is a big departure for me (I almost always wear black sunnies), but it's so fun. And my absolute favorite pair is the Crasher in Matte Black. So cool! They're definitely not cheap, but they are extremely durable, and just so damn good-looking.
• Besides being a blogger and a beauty-PR wizard, my friend Meghan is a true Paris expert (she has so many dreamy posts of her many trips there on her blog!). She recently launched a new service where she'll help you plan your trip there by creating a personalized, curated list of cool things to do and see including lots of hidden gems you won't find in the guidebooks. If you're heading to Paris soon, 1) I'm jealous, and 2) check out her service, Paris, Perfected. It's only $25!
• Watermelon Mint Frose?! Uh, yes, please!
• After hearing rave after rave from people I admire, I had to check out this much talked about essay. You should, too. It's worth it.
• A photographer asked elderly couples to pose for engagement-style photos--and the results are adorable.
And in case you missed it, I...
• Told you why you must visit Nosara, Costa Rica immediately.
• Shared exactly what I bought at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.
Have a great weekend!
What a week! My kids were home all day long for the first three days, which was...a lot. We did a few excursions (such as seeing Secret Life of Pets 2 where we were the only ones in the theater!), but it was mostly "I'm bored" on repeat. I bought them a lot of new books, made them spend some time on their summer workbooks (I'd heard great things about the Summer Brain Quest books to prevent summer slide, so I got this one and this one, and they actually really enjoyed them!). But I'd be lying if I said they didn't spend a lot of quality time on their iPads during those days, too.
And then, they were off to camp on Thursday and Friday, and--oh em gee--it was like my entire world opened up! I was free from 8am until 5pm straight and it was glorious! I did miss them like crazy and was so excited to see them at the end of the day when they got home though. (Wish I could say the feeling was mutual though; when they got home, they were mostly excited to see their iPad!) But the day-long break is nice, not going to lie. Now, we're all taking it easy this weekend (it's way too hot to do much of anything), and looking forward to the week ahead. Camp, I love you.
Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope you make it a great one. Here's a few fun links to check out in the meantime!
• Since we've been talking a lot about books lately, I wanted to share the latest one that I finished. It was Recursion, which is one of the hottest books of the summer (it was a June Book of the Month pick!), and it was AMAZING. Definitely one of the very best books I've read this year, and possibly one of the best I've ever read! It was a total mind-bend and an unputdownable thriller and I loved every second of it. Highly recommend!
• Also, the July Book of the Month picks just came out! If you're a BOTM member, what did you pick? I chose Lock Every Door (I've heard it's a really good thriller!), and then added on The Gifted School, because it's supposed to be fabulous. It would have been a lot harder for me to choose, but I actually had already read advance copies of two of the picks: Things You Save In A Fire (a smart romance that's so good and likely to be made into a movie soon!) and Three Women (really good, different than anything you've ever read, and sure to be one of the most talked about books of the year). If you haven't joined Book of the Month yet, do it! (I'm obsessed!!) Here's your incentive: Join using this link and you and I will each get a free book. Yay!
• And one more cool thing about books: I recently shared on my Instagram that I discovered this amazing site called Book Outlet, where they sell overstocks of books for insane prices (we're talking $1.99 to like $6 for most things!). And while they don't carry brand new releases, they do have an incredible selection of both new-ish and classic kids books and adult books, so it's absolutely perfect for getting books that have been hanging around on your Amazon wishlist forever. I just bought a huge box of books (about 75 percent for my kids and 25 percent for me!) for about $130--but the books were worth around $400! Anyway, if you want to try it, I just discovered a discount code! If you use this link, you can get $10 off your order (woo hoo!). Enjoy!
• This is my favorite cardigan (I own it in black, charcoal gray, maroon, and army green, and love the little brass buttons!), and it's a steal: $24.99 on Amazon!
• This jumpsuit is so pretty.
• And this maxi dress! Love the gold foil details and the price. (It's on sale for under $100!)
• Okay, and this Rebecca Taylor dress is gorgeous, too! Would be so pretty for a summer wedding or a rehearsal dinner. (I think I'm going to wait for it to--hopefully--go on sale though...)
• Speaking of weddings, my brother's wedding was three weeks ago, and I was a bridesmaid in it. My sister-in-law had basically no requests as to what we wore (beyond that she wanted us in long black dresses), but she did say she'd prefer pale pink nails. She hadn't specified what to do with toes though, and I worried that the dark colors I usually gravitate to (navy, back, deep red), would look out of place. So I split the difference and chose a medium mauve shade. Well. I got so many compliments on it (I think because it's very pretty and wearable, but still a little different?), and it has totally become my new favorite, go-to pedi color. It's Zoya nail polish in Madeline, if you're looking for a new shade.
• I had/have a ridiculous amount of basil in my garden this week, so I made pesto. I used this recipe, and it was delicious and SO easy. (If anyone has any great basil recipes/ideas, let me know. I still have so much!)
• It's been a weirdly domestic week for me: I also made blueberry muffins! I used a mix, but I also tried Rach Parcell's trick for jazzing up box muffins with homemade crumble topping. It made all the difference, and was so good.
• How summery and refreshing and delicious does this chicken paillard with watermelon and arugula salad sound?
• Meghan's post about her trip Provence really, really makes me want to go to Provence.
• I can't stop thinking about this dreamy kitchen.
• How to cook Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi in an air fryer! #genius
And in case you missed it, I...
• Revealed my tips for reading more books in less time!
• Shared my summer bucket list.
Have a great weekend!
