Weekly roundup: June 27, 2025

Happy Friday! I’m riding a little high from a great book launch event last night. Thank you to everyone who came out! I’m quite the introvert and have a lot of nerves about things like this, but the group who came was so warm and kind. THANK YOU!

Quote of the week:
“At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” —Frida Kahlo

What I’m reading:
I just finished The Möbius Book by Catherine Lacey, which I got from the library after reading about it in The New York Times. I liked it.

What I’m listening to:
I just finished Mothers and Other Fictional Characters: A Memoir in Essays by Nicole Graev Lipson. I went into this pretty blind and was pleasantly surprised. I could relate to many of the essays.

What I’m watching:
Season 4 of Vikings on Netflix. Just started Season 4 of The Bear on Hulu. Oh, and I watched Breaking 4, about Faith Kipyegon’s attempt to break the 4-minute mile. Such a good sports story. She did it in 4:06, which is still a new world record.

Writing news:
We’re in the last few days of Woman on the Verge being an Amazon First Reads pick. You can download it for $1.99 or get it free if you have Prime. Official release date is TUESDAY! I had a great local event last night at Beach Town Books. It’s always wonderful to connect with readers. My daughter served as my hype person, which was extra special. When I told her about the event, she asked if she could introduce me in front of everyone. So sweet.

Interesting things I learned this week:

The Rubin Observatory, a powerful new telescope, has already spotted 2,100 new asteroids. Scientists expect it to find millions of unknown objects in our solar system, and perhaps even a new planetThe longest frozen human embryo known to have resulted in a live birth is 30 years. This record was set by twins Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway, who were born in 2022 after their embryos were frozen in April 1992. The previous record was held by Molly Gibson, who was born from an embryo frozen for 27 yearsA request made using ChatGPT consumes 10x the electricity of a Google search, according to the International Energy AgencyOwning a dog reduces risk of dementia by 40%, while owning cats made no difference at all. LOLHistorians estimate that only 0.5% of recorded history is about womenCalifornia is one of the top states for lung health, according to a new studyU.S. drug deaths dropped by roughly 40% last year among people under the age of 35A new study found that, in places with plastic bag bans or taxes, volunteers at shoreline cleanups collected 25%-47% fewer plastic bags as a total fraction of items collected, compared to places with no plastic bag policiesDenver recorded the largest multi-year reduction in unsheltered homelessness in American historyKraft Heinz announced that it will remove artificial dyes from its U.S. products before the end of 2027China is building the world’s largest national park system, with a network of wilderness bigger than TexasAfter decades of being underpaid, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have secured a 400% pay raiseAccording to Pew Research, 16% of adults, both men and women, report feeling lonely or isolated all or most of the timeBetween 1975 and 2000, mothers’ time to themselves dropped by 7 hours per weekWomen are 51% of the population but 60% of the poor and 83% of single parents. Related: Women earn just 11% of the pay and own only 20% of the landNearly 70% of people arrested in L.A. ICE sweeps from June 1 to June 10 had NO CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS

What I’m grateful for:

Everyone who came out to support me at Beach Town Books last night. It was so heartwarming and funA new book idea that’s percolating. Just when I said I’d take a break from novels for a bit…Our local Boys & Girls Club, where my daughter goes to summer camp. It’s just the best organizationOur community of friends. So many playdates, so little time

No snapshots to share this week! Too busy to snap! I’ll leave you with this pretty photo of my book, taken by my sis.

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