Sunday Smatterings
Hello, my dears. Happy Easter to those who celebrate, and Happy Passover to those who celebrate, and blessed Sunday for those who just need some extra blessings today!
It’s hard to feel normal on this normally joyous day. We are surrounded by stories of loss and of joy, and in that, we are really no different than any other time. Everyone suffers from their own disruptions, even when the fabric of society as a whole is affected. The world is a very small place sometimes, isn’t it?
I know my job as a writer is to make sense of the situations we find ourselves in through social commentary, but I’ve been at a loss for how to approach this. So I’ve kept my head down and stayed hard at work. I’ve lost track of time. I’ve lived in messy buns and yoga pants. I’ve tried to limit my news consumption and enjoy all the workouts in my makeshift gym. We’ve taken to sitting in the sun for an hour around lunchtime, and that fresh air and vitamin D has kept my mood up. (And my allergies stirred... I take my temperature every time I sneeze. Such is our lives now.)
It is hard to practice normalcy when the world is on fire. And yet... if we’re not directly affected, our own personal disruption occurring, that is all we can do. I think we—as a country, as a community, as human beings—are not used to sitting on our heels when there is trouble. We are at our best in a crisis, pulling together and finding a path back to life, and liberty, and equality.
And therein lies the problem. Most of us have been sidelined in this particular fight. We are completely dependent on our infrastructure, our grocery clerks, our delivery people, our doctors and community leaders, and that feels very, very uncomfortable. If we can’t serve, we must watch, helpless, and pray for the best possible outcomes.
It’s something to think about, how we’re going to come back to ourselves when this crisis is over. How we will come back together as a community.
This morning, I put on jeans and lip gloss so I could remind myself that this isn’t just another day. But now I’m writing, and that makes it normal.
Is there something you can do today to make your life feel real to you?
As always, onward…
GOOD GIRLS LIE IS ON SALE!
Great news! For the very first time, the ebook of GOOD GIRLS LIE is on sale for $4.99. What a deal for all the secrets and lies you could ever want…
Get your copy!
THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:
I interviewed my dear friend and co-introvert Lisa Unger for the latest episode of A WORD ON WORDS. #KeepReading
20 Feel-Good Ebooks Unlikely to Have Long Library Waitlists to Read While Social Distancing. Well, this is handy!
The Book of Reese: How the Morning Show Star Is Blowing Up the Hollywood Boys’ Club. "Reading is one of Witherspoon’s superpowers...She wants to tell stories, and she wants to encourage other people to tell them."
Exciting news for Wunderlist users. Though our favorite app closing up shop (😭), there's a VERY similar new service called Zenkit To Do, and wow, it is a seamless transition so far!
The 18 Best TV Shows for Vicarious Travel Thrills. Awesome shows to stream that will take you away…
Code Name Hélène Is a Masterful Novel About an Unsung World War II Heroine. "World War II heroine Nancy Wake should be so widely celebrated that whole bevies of schoolgirls dress up as this brave member of the French Resistance for Halloween... Lawhon’s novel Code Name Hélène will finally bring her the recognition she deserves."
From us, for you. Brilliant work from the Rotterdam Philharmonic. I love it!
And with that in mind… skim forward to 8:20. Utterly brilliant. You can thank me later.
My friend Tim Maleey and I appeared on Authors On The Air earlier this week. Such a fun conversation!
10 of the Most Morally Bankrupt Narrators in Fiction. Superb list of dark as sin books.
Read this book then stream the movie. Great idea! There are so many possibilities... what will you try first?
From Farm to Table: The Making of a Folio Edition. Such incredible designs!
And though I promised. COVID free zone, this essay was both fascinating and brings some hope. If a polio vaccine took 15 years to filter to the masses, but we’re going to have a vaccine in 15-18 months, that’s something for which we should all be grateful.
WHAT I’M READING:
THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett
On a group text this week, one of my friends asked for an audio recommendation. I had to throw in my fave audiobook of the year thus far - Tom Hanks reading THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett. Oh. My. I'm telling you - there is something about his frank narration — and it is frank — that just worked for me. I adore acting in an audiobook read, truly appreciate when the narrator can take on the characters with different voices and inflections (Julia Whelan is one of the best at this, BTW. I will listen to anything she reads.) But Hanx just goes straight at this, and I felt like I was being told a story by a friend sitting across from me at a restaurant table. Seriously brilliant stuff. Do you have a favorite audio book narrator?
That’s it from me. I’m off to plant some gummy vitamins in some Easter grass. Be safe, be well, and I’ll see you next week!
Peace and hugs,
J.T.