Kim Hooper's Blog, page 5

Weekly Roundup: November 1, 2024

Happy November! October was a whirlwind of activity in my world. Birthdays, a trip, Halloween festivities. I’m excited to enter a new month. I can’t believe the election is NEXT WEEK. If you haven’t already voted, PLEASE VOTE. Now, on to the roundup!

Quote of the week:
“It’s not enough to be nice in life. You’ve got to have nerve.” —Georgia O’Keeffe

What I’m reading:
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty. I am a longtime Moriarty fan. This isn’t my favorite of hers, but I’m enjoying it.

What I’m listening to:
Just finished The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery by Barbara Lipska. This book wasn’t what I was expecting, but I still liked it. She experiences symptoms typical of severe mental illness when advanced melanoma attacks her brain. It’s the story of her cancer treatment and recovery.

What I’m watching:
I watched Seth Myers’s latest comedy special, Dad Man Walking. It’s good for some laughs. My boyfriend and I just started The Terror. The first season is based on the real-life events surrounding a lost expedition to the Arctic in the 1840s.

Writing news:
I had a great talk with my publisher this week. My 2025 novel, Woman on the Verge, is set to release June 17! I can’t wait to share the cover and more details soon!

Interesting things I learned this week:

So far, women are out-voting men 55% to 45%The horror movie “Saw” was released 20 years ago this week69% of Americans say the election is a significant source of stress in their lives, according to a survey from the American Psychological AssociationScientists just discovered the second-smallest vertebrate known on Earth: a “toadlet,” smaller than some ant speciesNPR reported that The Washington Post lost more than 200,000 subscribers after deciding not to endorse a presidential candidate (a decision made by owner Jeff Bezos)A Ph.D. student accidentally found a lost Maya city in a Mexican jungleScientists say more than a third of the world’s trees are at risk of extinctionScammers stole 22 metric tons of rare cheese from a leading London retailer

What I’m grateful for:

The right to VOTE! We should never take this for granted.My birthday! I celebrated last weekend and it was wonderfulMy daughter’s Halloween costume. In a world full of princesses, be the zombie police officerFall conference with my daughter’s teacher today. Teachers are amazing

Snapshots:
From top to bottom: Annual birthday selfie; enjoying my latest hobby on my birthday; another run with a gorgeous view; the costume that scared my dog; our first year embracing the scary looks.

The post Weekly Roundup: November 1, 2024 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: October 25, 2024

Happy Friday! Today is my Dad’s birthday and I can’t believe it’s the fourth one we’re celebrating without him here with us. I have felt the heavy weight of grief all week, mixed with gratitude for my own birthday on Sunday and the joys of Halloween. Life is always full of so many different emotions. I’m doing my best to feel my way through them. Here’s the roundup.

Quote of the week:
“Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away.” –Frida Kahlo

What I’m reading:
The Unseen World by Liz Moore. After loving Long Bright River and The God of the Woods, I decided to go back to one of her earlier works. I’m enjoying it.

What I’m listening to:
Mad Wife: A Memoir by Kate Hamilton. This is billed as the author’s personal story as well as a larger commentary on patriarchy and the institution of marriage. I am not seeing much of that larger commentary; it’s basically just the author’s story. It’s interesting, but I’ve had my fill of memoirs about terrible marriages.

What I’m watching:
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix. Disturbing and hard to watch at times; so compelling. I also watched Anna Kendrick’s latest movie, Woman on the Hour, about a lesser-known serial killer in 1970s Los Angeles. Very good.

Writing news:
I’ve turned in edits on my 2025 novel, Woman on the Verge, which is officially listed on bookseller sites! I’ve been reviewing promotional marketing copy this week and I should see cover designs soon. So exciting! I’m nearing the end of a first draft of my 2026 novel. Title TBD.

Interesting things I learned this week:
I feel like I learned nothing this week, sorry. I had a little stomach bug early in the week and have been so busy catching up on life. I think my brain has been at capacity.

What I’m grateful for:

Halloween decorations. I love this time of yearApproaching another birthday with health and happinessPet cuddles. They came in clutch when I wasn’t feeling well this weekTwo years with the best little doggie, my Rosie

Snapshots:
From top to bottom: one of my favorite photos with my dad—forever birthday buddies; Halloween in the neighborhood; getting ready for “Trunk or Treat” at my daughter’s school; the best little doggie; sick day pet snuggles; gorgeous Fall morning.

The post Weekly Roundup: October 25, 2024 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: October 18, 2024

It’s been a couple weeks since my last roundup and it’s been BUSY. After celebrating my daughter’s birthday, I headed to Maui for a few days of heaven. This week, I’ve been catching up with regular life. #whiplash. Here’s the roundup!

Quote of the week:
“Once we’re thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it’s only here that the new and the good begins.” — Leo Tolstoy

What I’m reading:
I started Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo while I was in Hawaii and I’m about to finish. I’ve LOVED it. She has such a way with creating characters and showing the complexities of relationships.

What I’m listening to:
Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma by Mariel Buqué. Very interesting book. I think most people could benefit from it.

What I’m watching:
I finished Season 1 of Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Amazon Prime and Nobody Wants This on Netflix. Liked both of them! Watched a couple good movies while on vacation—Longlegs (creepy!) and The Last Voyage of the Demeter (great if you’re into Dracula, which I am).

Writing news:
I got copyedits on my novel that comes out in 2025. I love copyeditors. Just when I think I have a firm grasp of English language rules, a copyeditor humbles me—haha. I’m going to shift gears back to working on my 2026 novel next week.

Interesting things I learned this week:

A group of owls is called a parliamentRuth Chepngetich smashed the women’s world marathon record at last weekend’s Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:09:56. Mind blown. The expression “blow your wad” dates back to the era of muzzle-loading guns. Shooters used wads of paper or felt to separate the powder charge from the bullet or shot. Once they shot their wad, they had done all the damage they could do without reloadingDolly Parton wrote the song “I Will Always Love You”The first ever adult man with THREE penises has been identified. Student researchers at the University of Birmingham Medical School in the UK made this discovery while dissecting the body of a 78-year-old man who had donated his bodyOne in five adults reports feeling lonely on a daily basis, according to a new Gallup survey. This is the highest rate of loneliness reported in the past two yearsThe last full-size Kmart in the continental U.S. will close on October 20A full-time minimum-wage job is no longer sufficient to rent a two-bedroom apartment in ANY city, county, or state in the United StatesAn MIT report on the future of work found that 63% of the jobs in 2018 didn’t exist in 1940 and couldn’t even have been imagined (eg, solar or wind power engineer, life coach, content moderator, TikTok influencer, mental health counselor). Who knows what jobs will exist in 50 years?Qantas, the Australian airline, apologized after one of its flights showed an R-rated film with nudity on every screen, with no way for passengers to turn it off. Hilarious.A Dutch museum displayed two empty beer cans that were actually hand-painted works of art. They looked so real that a mechanic threw them away

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“why do birds bob their heads?” I googled this while eating lunch in Maui as several birds hung around for crumbs. The answer: “Birds bob their heads to stabilize their vision while they’re moving, which helps them see their surroundings and hunt prey.”  

What I’m grateful for:

Maui getaway! I’ve been going to Maui since I was a little kid and it never gets old. I brought my boyfriend on this trip and he hadn’t been since he was a kid. It was so relaxing and rejuvenatingEarly voting. Sign, sealed, delivered.My longest run in several months—13 miles this morning!

Maui snapshots:
From top to bottom: a stranger asked to take this photo of us—so sweet; a truly magical sunrise atop Haleakala; one of about 100 sunset photos; beach time; Twin Falls off of Hana Highway.

The post Weekly Roundup: October 18, 2024 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly roundup: October 4, 2024

It’s a big day in my household—my daughter turns 7 today! She is truly the best and I feel lucky every day to be her mom. We have a full weekend of festivities planned and I am doing my best to summon my limited extrovert energy. Here’s the roundup:

Quote of the week:
“Maybe the journey isn’t about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you, so that you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” –Paulo Coelho

What I’m reading:
I’m between books, but about to start Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life by Brigid Schulte.

What I’m listening to:
Started Sandwich by Catherine Newman on my run this morning. Liking it so far.

What I’m watching:
I finished The Perfect Couple on Netflix, thought the last few episodes were a bit odd but liked it overall. Still watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Amazon Prime, loving that one. I just started Nobody Wants This on Netflix because my good friend insisted and she’s not wrong—it’s cute.

Writing news:
Still working away on my 2026 novel. I think there’s an official release date on my 2025 novel, but going to confirm before I blast the date on the internets. I have some exciting TV series news coming… Stay tuned. Oh, one more thing: the People Who Knew Me podcast was nominated for a Lovie Award in the scripted fiction category. Go vote here!

Interesting things I learned this week:

Tara Dower, 31, became the fastest person in history to complete the Appalachian Trail. It’s 2,168 miles and she did it in 40 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes. It takes most hikers five to seven months to cover the trail. She ran/hiked an average of 54 miles PER DAYJohn Gray, who authored Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, has been married three timesAn American surgeon, Dr. William Stewart Halstead, was married to a nurse, Caroline, and noticed her hands were chapped and red when she came back from surgery. He invented rubber gloves for her… A great love story in medicineData from a report released by the American Library Association shows a sharp decline in attempts to ban materials in public, school, and academic libraries year-to-date. From January 1 to August 31 of this year, the ALA tracked 414 challenges addressing 1,128 titles, down from 695 challenges to 1,915 titles in the same period last year. That’s a decrease of about 40% in both cases and challenged titlesA study by LendingTree found that childcare costs more than rent in 91 of the 100 largest US cities. That’s the average monthly cost of full-time, center-based care for an infant and 4-year-old as compared to rent for a two-bedroomPromenadology or strollology is the science of strolling

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Dog ate chocolate chip cookie.” This google search is pretty self-explanatory. I had to use an online calculator to determine if the chocolate chips in the cookie would be fatal for my 11-pound dog. Short answer, no. She is totally fine.

What I’m grateful for:

Seven years with my favorite human. I love her so muchOhana Fest with friends last weekend. Got to see Alanis Morissette and Pearl Jam. Such a treat!My film/tv manager, who texted me with great news this morningCommunity. I love my people so much. I had book club on Wednesday and it filled my cup. My daughter’s soccer team has become like a second family…A little upcoming getaway that is very much needed

Snapshots:
From top to bottom: Palm trees at Ohana Fest; palm trees on my foggy morning run; me and my birthday girl.

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Weekly Roundup: September 27, 2024

Fall is officially herrrre. My neighbors have their Michael Myers dummy out front and it manages to scare me every time I pass by. It’s a difficult time for those of us who startle easily haha. Here’s the roundup!

Quote of the week:
“Man, sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself.” —Miles Davis

What I’m reading:
A Frozen Woman by Annie Ernaux. She wrote this back in the 1980s, but it’s still fresh/modern. It’s about a woman coming of age and trying to fulfill herself in a world that imposes certain expectations on women. She won the Nobel Prize in 2022 and I’ve been wanting to check out her work for a while.

What I’m listening to:
The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger. You will have a whole new respect for, and relationship with, plants after reading this book. Fascinating.

What I’m watching:
The Perfect Couple on Netflix, based on the book by Elin Hilderbrand. I wish I could just sit and watch all the episodes in one sitting. It’s addictive. My boyfriend and I also started watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Amazon Prime. I saw it was nominated for SIXTEEN Emmy awards so had to see what it was all about. It’s good!

Writing news:
I’m still writing. That’s the news. Ha.

Interesting things I learned this week:

A zoo in China admitted to painting dogs and trying to pass them off as pandas. The photos are hilariousGoogle turned 26 this month. Wow, I feel oldOne in 18 people have a third nipple. This seems like way more people than I expected… where y’all hiding?Being bored is actually a ‘high arousal state’ physiologically. This is because when you’re bored your heart rate increases

What I’m grateful for:

I got into the Boston Marathon! I’m so excited to run in April and so excited to work with the best coachMy boyfriend and I got to see Brian Regan do a comedy show last weekend. I’ve loved his comedy for years and it’s always a treat to see him liveMy daughter has gotten interested in the election. She really wants a “girl President.” On her own accord, she made some Kamala Harris signs for our front yard and wrote “Kamala” all over our driveway. Nobody has egged my house yet, so that’s good newsThis is my daughter’s last week as a 6-year-old. I do get nostalgic for the little years, but I’m mostly excited to watch her grow. Can’t wait to celebrate her birthday next week!

Snapshots:
From top to bottom: My daughter and I attended an evening beach birthday last Friday and caught an amazing sunset; our driveway is a hotspot for political activism; the kitties continue to offer endless cuddles and entertainment.

The post Weekly Roundup: September 27, 2024 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: September 20, 2024

Happy Friday! And Happy Birthday to one of my best friends, Lauren! This week has felt verrrrry long and I am ready for the weekend. Here’s the roundup!

Quote of the week:
“The world is not real to me until it has been pushed through the mesh of language.” –John Banville

What I’m reading:
I finished Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker and really liked it. My type of book.

I’m now reading The Bright Years by Sara Damoff. I got an advance copy and it comes out in April. It’s great!

What I’m listening to:
Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women by Maggie Mertens. As a runner, I’ve found this book so fascinating. Up until relatively recently, it was assumed women could not/should not run more than a half-mile. Crazy!

What I’m watching:
Just started The Perfect Couple on Netflix, based on the book by Elin Hilderbrand. I’m liking it so far.

Writing news:
Working on my 2026 novel. It’s going well!

Interesting things I learned this week:

Daguerreologue refers to “an imaginary conversation with an old photo of yourself, in which you might offer them a word of advice—to banish your worries, soak it all in, or shape up before it’s too late—or maybe just ask them if they thought you had done justice to the life they built for you”I am 6 feet tall. What? I don’t know what’s happening. I’ve always been 5’10” and then I measured 5’11” last year. Yesterday I had a “wellness check” at my company and the lady wrote down that I was 6′The Earth will temporarily obtain another moon on Sept. 29 when an asteroid will make a single orbit journey around Earth, ending on Nov. 25 (at which point it will return to orbiting the sun)Activists in the UK are attaching life-size baby dolls to male statues as a part of their campaign for better parental leave options. The photos are awesomeThe U.S. healthcare system is currently ranked dead last when compared to other high-income countries, according to a new report by independent research group The Commonwealth Fund. The U.S. was lowest ranking in access to care, health equity and health outcomesInflation is at its lowest level in more than 3 years

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“baby doll with heartbeat.” Birthday shopping for my daughter……..

What I’m grateful for:

Today is my good friend’s birthday (hi, Lauren!). I am so glad she was born. Those friends who really “get you” are godsendsMy daughter’s first lemonade stand. The entrepreneurial spirit is strong with this oneMy longest long run in months—11 miles today!Yoga class twice in one week. This is very rare. The second class was taught by my friend/house sitter and we got to have a picnic dinner after. So nice!My therapist. I talk to her every two weeks and it’s always so grounding

Snapshots:
From top to bottom: took myself to a yoga class last Friday and it was glorious; my pets offer constant cuteness overload; pausing on my 11-mile run today to take a breath and enjoy the view; another great view from my run.

The post Weekly Roundup: September 20, 2024 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: September 13, 2024

Happy Friday the 13th! It’s been a hectic week. Between that crazy presidential debate and wildfires all around, I’ve been in a weird headspace. Thinking of everyone affected by the fires and hoping they’re out soon. On to the roundup!

Quote of the week:
“Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.” —David Bowie

What I’m reading:
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of this book for months. It has some similar themes to my next two books. I’m really enjoying it.

What I’m listening to:
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver. I love her writing but hadn’t heard of this book. It came to my attention from a book club I attend sometimes. I’ll be attending the discussion for this one. I’m liking it. I love that Kingsolver does the audio herself.

What I’m watching:
I have one episode left of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV. I’m always sort of holding my breath watching this show. Intense. I just watched episode 4 of Chimp Crazy yesterday and I think that’s the last in the docuseries. I need more!

Writing news:
I’m working away on my 2026 novel. It looks like the tentative release date for my 2025 novel is June 17 so mark your calendars!

Interesting things I learned this week:

There will be two Friday the 13ths this year—today and in DecemberIn Italy, Friday the 17th is associated with bad luckAlfred Hitchcock was born on Friday the 13th (in 1899)The word sonder refers to “the feeling one has on realizing that every other individual one sees has a life as full and real as one’s own”The US has just 4% of the world’s population, but contributes 14% of carbon emissionsNearly half a million people went to vote.gov after Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris85% of men experience hair loss by age 50Hong Kong extended maternity leave by four weeks and postpartum depression cases dropped by 22%Steph Curry, the NBA’s highest-paid player, earns $55.8M per year. Jackie Young, the top earner in the WNBA, makes $252,450 a year. The LOWEST paid player in the NBA makes about $1.1M, nearly 4X the WNBA’s highest salary

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“silencer for Steyr Aug rifle.” Book research, what can I say?

What I’m grateful for:

Kidz Bop concert with my daughter and friends last weekend. She is SO INTO this right now. The joy is contagious Back to school night! My daughter’s 1st grade teacher is great. I can tell this is going to be a good yearPhone date with one of my best friends. It’s amazing how a half-hour of chatting can change your whole moodThe end of the heat wave. This one was brutal. We are back to mild temps here in So Cal

Snapshots:
From top to bottom: My daughter insisted on taking this photo of me. We are in our Kidz Bop era and I’m loving it; artwork seen at back to school night that made me smile; cuddles with the most loving cat ever.

The post Weekly Roundup: September 13, 2024 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: September 6, 2024

We are in the midst of a heat wave in California so it is feeling very much like summer. I’m going to go ahead and enjoy it while it’s here. Hope you’re heading into a nice weekend where you are. Here’s the roundup.

Quote of the week:
“The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.” —Frank Lloyd Wright

What I’m reading:
Martyr by Kaveh Akbar. This is my book club’s pick for the month and I’m liking it a lot. Worth the hype.

What I’m listening:
All of This: A Memoir of Death and Desire by Rebecca Woolf. I’m only a couple hours into this one, but it’s so well-written and complex and beautiful. It’s about a strained marriage that the author thought would end in divorce, but ends in widowhood after her husband dies of pancreatic cancer.

What I’m watching:
I’m a few episodes into Presumed Innocent on Apple TV. It is gripping and I want to binge all the remaining episodes in one sitting. We’ve got a couple episodes left of Season 1 of Fallout. I’m going to be jonesing for Season 2. I’m also watching the HBO docuseries, Chimp Crazy…which has me on the edge of my seat.

Writing news:
Working away on my 2026 novel, title TBD.

Interesting things I learned this week:

Sloths poop once a week. I guess everything about them, including their digestive tract, is slowCats have unique nose prints that are similar to human fingerprints. What?! How did I not know this?Women blink almost twice as many times as men, and older women blink more than younger womenGiraffes are 30 times more likely to get hit by lightning than people

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Nemophilist.” I saw someone describe themselves as this and I had no idea what it meant. From Google: “A nemophilist is someone who loves or has a fondness for forests, woods, or woodland scenery. The word comes from the Greek words nemos, meaning grove, and philos, meaning affection.” I’m a bit of a nemophilist myself—who knew?

What I’m grateful for:

This morning’s run. The sky was doing all sorts of glorious things (photos below)Watching my daughter grow. She’s been such a little buddy lately. I just love who she’s becomingPet affection. There’s just nothing like itKnocking things off the “headache” list… This week, I resolved an electrical issue (with help from a pro) and also an issue with my taxes that has been lingering for months. Adulting is hard

Pet snapshots of the week:

The post Weekly Roundup: September 6, 2024 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: August 30, 2024

I guess the older you get, the more you become that person who can’t believe we’re at the end of another month. Hi, it’s me. Perpetually shocked. I know Fall doesn’t officially start until September 22, but I always consider September 1 to be Fall. I’m ready for it.

Quote of the week:
“We cannot forget that our real power is not necessarily to change the world, but to make a world of change to the people we encounter every day.” –Cory Booker

What I’m reading:
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. It is taking me a long time to get through this book. I feel like it could be about 100 pages shorter. I want to see what happens, so I’m committed!

What I’m listening to:
Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes by Christine Yu. So interesting. Every female athlete (and every coach of female athletes) should read this.

What I’m watching:
I’ve got a few shows going on right now. My boyfriend and I are in the middle of Fallout. Worth the hype, for sure. After finishing Season 3 of The Bear, I decided to watch the documentary Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter. It’s an interesting glimpse at the restaurant industry and is so heartbreaking at the end. I’m also into the new HBO docuseries, Chimp Crazy, the latest from the director of Tiger King. It’s just as riveting as Tiger King.

Writing news:
I’m back to working on my 2026 novel. Currently in the phase of wondering if this book is any good at all. Fun times!

Interesting things I learned this week:

On Wednesday, the Surgeon General issued a public health warning saying that “parenting can be harmful for your mental health.” It’s good to see more attention paid to the stresses of modern parenting. It’s a lot!Related: 48% of parents report that they experience “completely overwhelming” stress on “most days,” according to an American Psychological Association study“Semantic satiation” is the scientific term for what happens when you stare at a word so long that it stops making sense to youCalifornia has the most McDonald’s stores in the US, with 1233 stores. Related: 20% of all Starbucks stores in the US are in California (a total of 3352 stores)84% of Gen Xers report having regular family meals growing up versus 38% of Gen Zers You know the cover of Catcher in the Rye that has the rainbow lines in the upper left corner? Turns out J.D. Salinger designed that cover himself

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Is baking soda flammable?” I was cleaning my stove with a baking soda mixture and spilled some of it all over the burners. Since it’s a powder, it’s kind of impossible to remove completely and then I was worried that lighting the burners would cause an explosion. Ha. According to google, baking soda is NOT flammable and is actually used as an extinguishing agent in kitchen grease fires. Good to know!

What I’m grateful for:

A smooth second week of school. Starting to feel like we’re settled into a routine Celebrating my boyfriend’s birthday. I’m quite proud of the brownies I made and he loved his giftsMy first archery lesson. I’ve always wanted to do this and am glad I pulled the trigger (or shot the arrow or whatever)The launch of my friend’s wine company, Caleb & Rose. She has a ton of experience and selects only the best wines (that are still wallet-friendly). Join her wine club if you’re curious—it’s very low pressure. I’m in the 3-bottle clubA surprise bouquet of flowers (see below!) from my other talented friend who has her own flower shop, Story Flower Studio

Snapshots:
From top to bottom: A nice photo of me next to a gross half-dead bush in my yard; my favorite co-worker; cuddling with my boyfriend-cat

The post Weekly Roundup: August 30, 2024 appeared first on Kim Hooper's Blog.

Weekly Roundup: August 23, 2024

Happy Friday! It’s been a whirlwind week here with school starting and finishing book edits (yay!). Looking forward to a little family gathering tonight and a fun weekend ahead. Here’s the roundup!

Quote of the week:
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” –Arundhati Roy

What I’m reading:
I’m just about to finish The Wedding People by Alison Espach, which I enjoyed. It’s funny and heartbreaking—my favorite kind of book. Next up: Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner.

What I’m listening to:
I just finished A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape From Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings. I thought it was well-written and compelling. Ultimately, this is a book about a woman leaving an abusive marriage in which the man uses religion to rationalize how he treats her. I see patriarchy at work in much more subtle ways and I was hoping the book would touch on that more. Next up: Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes by Christine Yu.

What I’m watching:
I saw the new Alien movie, Alien: Romulus, in the theater with my boyfriend. We both liked it. I finished Season 3 of The Bear—so many feels. I flew through the Sprint docuseries on Netflix (about elite sprinters). I’m now watching Face to Face with Scott Peterson, which raises some doubts about his conviction (but I still think he did it).

Writing news:
I’m done with the big edits for my novel that comes out next year. It’s with the copyeditor right now to check for little errors and things. Getting close! I’ll be diving back into writing my 2026 novel next week.

Interesting things I learned this week:

Tsundoku is a Japanese word for “the subtle joy of acquiring books but letting them pile up without reading them”Team USA’s women athletes drove NBC’s ratings for the Olympics. The Games had 30.6M viewers. The top rated sports were women’s gymnastics (12.7M viewers alone for the final) and women’s track and field45% of women between ages 25-44 are expected to be single and childfree by 2030The second-largest diamond ever found was uncovered in Botswana. It’s the size of an adult’s palm, and weighs more than a poundIceland has had SIX volcanic eruptions since DecemberThe journal  Nature Aging  published a study this month, identifying the two major waves of aging — the first around 44 years old, and the second around 60Husbands add 7 hours of domestic labor per week to their wife’s workload, according to a study of housework trends

Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“how many children are only children.” My daughter is in a phase of feeling very sorry for herself for not having a sibling. She asked me to look this up. According to google, it’s about 20%, so 1 in 5 kids. My daughter was not satisfied with this answer.

What I’m grateful for:

A great first week of school for my daughter. I’ve got a first-grader!Lots of quality time with quality people latelyFinishing book edits!A call with my running coach to talk race plans for the next several months. I’m excited!Feeling HOPE about the upcoming Presidential election. How about that convention?!

Snapshots:
From top to bottom: Forever my favorite spooning buddy; my daughter’s first golf swings (my dad would be so excited); the sweetest puppy eyes in all the land; a glorious morning run with a whiff of Fall in the air.

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