Sunday Smatterings (The Kerr Edition)

Hey, peeps! It's me, The Kerr. How's it going? Anybody play a good April Fool's joke on you yesterday? I have quite a few pranksters in my life, so I'm always on high alert on April 1. Nothing's happened . . . yet. There could be some aftershocks that I just don't know about. We'll see. 🤔

Anywho, let's get onto the links!
 

What I'm Eating

You guys. I got ridiculously good strawberries from Costco this week. Once again, all hail Costco. 🎉

I like mixing savory with sweet. Scratch that—I love it. I'm from West Tennessee, where we know our barbecue, and we make our sauce pretty sweet. I've carried this into adulthood, and on Monday, I accidentally threw together the best savory/sweet salad: spinach, sliced strawberries, goat cheese, avocado, pecans, and chicken breast—and it's topped off with balsamic vinegar and basil olive oil.

I have eaten this salad every day since. I'm not sorry about it.

PS: I've also been chugging Earl Grey like mad. Because if I drank coffee all day, I would never sleep.

What I'm Playing

While I've been working this week, I've tuned into Spotify's Your Favorite Coffeehouse station. Mellow and unobtrusive—that's what I like when I'm doing non-writing work. (confession: I can't listen to music with words and write at the same time. Cannot do it.)

If you like singer/songwriter or acoustic-y things, check that station out.
 

What I'm Reading

I'm a sucker for narrative nonfiction. I found STRANGERS TEND TO TELL ME THINGS by Amy Dickinson on a whim after I read fell down the bowels of the Internet and found an Ask Amy column that make me giggle something fierce. The book's on my Kindle, ready for me to dive into. I'll let you know how I feel about it soon.

Bonus read: this brought me to tears. 

What I'm Watching

You know those authors who, when they tease a new book cover, you drop everything you're doing, hop to your favorite retailer, and click Pre-order?

That's how I feel about Liane Moriarty. 

I. Love. Her.

So it's no surprise that I've watched her novel-turned-HBO-mini-series, BIG LITTLE LIES, faithfully on Sunday nights right when it comes on. (When's the last time you watched a scripted show on broadcast television right when it aired? Yeah, me too.) It's 90% faithful to the book, which I and the rest of America loved. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Laura Dern are remarkable in this, as is Alexander Skarsgård, who does not have the easiest role to pull off (just watch it—you'll see what I mean). And truly, between the luscious scenery of coastal Monterey, CA, the beautiful homes on the ocean, and the gorgeous clothes, it's a lifestyle junkie's dream. 

The plot also happens to be top-notch, full of twists and turns and psychological thrills. I bet you'll probably like it, too. If you haven't read the book, go get it.
 

Dog of the Week

This story is absolutely 100% true. I went to take the dogs for a drive today. Usually I open the trunk and they just jump in. Today Nellie BOLTED out of the door and ran to the car. She went to jump in, but realized too late that the trunk was shut. This is where she ended up. 6 feet into the air on my roof. My neighbor happened to be outside and we got her down safe. I'm pretty sure I've never laughed so hard in my life. Can't make this stuff up! Nellies racing name is "Wild High Jumper".. she is, in fact, the wildest and highest jumper Ive ever come across. #OnlyNellie

A post shared by Dibs and Nellie (@mrdibsandnelliebellie) on Feb 28, 2017 at 1:25pm PST

The story in the caption speaks for itself. Nellie the Jumping Greyhound, for the win! 😂

That's all I've got this week! You guys have a good one, enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and I'll be back again soon.

Warmly,
The Kerr

Sunday Smatterings

Howdy, folks. It's been a rough week at Chez Ellison. Jameson and Jordan lost their cousins Miraj (on Saturday) and Jamocha (on Wednesday) so we've all been quite sad. There's nothing harder than saying goodbye to your beloveds. And strangely, our fifth anniversary of losing Jade was last Sunday. So there have been a lot of tears, and candles burnt, and donations to animal shelters made. Isn't it amazing how a creature who can't actually talk can become such a bosom buddy? I don't know that we're ever the same after such a loss. 

And then Mr. Ellison and I were felled by the flu. I don't know that I've have the real flu since my U.K. tour in 2010, and we picked up swine flu on the train to London. That was bad. This is about the same. I am a wreck. I am on Tamiflu, and Sudafed, and cough syrup with codeine, and hot toddys, and I'm still wrecked. (As you can tell, I do sick well. Wah!)

Suffice it to say, with all the grief and illness and other unmentionable insanities this week, there wasn't a lot of work done. But... Lent starts Wednesday, and that means I'll be sneaking off on my annual social media sabbatical. I even have a full-fledged writing retreat scheduled during this time, and I fully expect to report back April 13 that I have a finished manuscript. That's the goal, anyway.

So. Even sadly, we march ever onward. It's the only way we can function, yes? 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Y'all know I'm a sucker for productivity tips. In honor of Presidents' Day, Lifehacker ran a special article with productivity tips from leaders who have sat in the Oval Office.

In "I'll take 'Sobering Thoughts' for $600, Alex": using the time you spend on social media each year, you could read 200 books instead. 😳

Watching HBO's adaptation of BIG LITTLE LIES? Maybe you're not into TV, just the actual novel (I get that). At any rate, here are 16 novels you'll love if you enjoyed/are enjoying BIG LITTLE LIES. (spoiler alert: along with some books from kickass writers like Megan Abbott and Clare Mackintosh, NO ONE KNOWS is on this list! 🙌🏻)

And speaking of adaptations: these are 10 things you'll relate to if you prefer the book to the movie.

And closer to home:

If you got the BookBub email this morning, you may already know this, but... THE FINAL CUT ebook is on sale for only $1.99! Get it while it's hot, y'all—this is the best time to start reading A Brit in the FBI if you haven't already, since #4 is coming out in a couple of weeks.

Newsflash: a wine-distributing purse exists, and it's amazing. We at The Wine Vixen aren't telling you how to use it or anything, but... it may help out during your next family reunion.

And if you're looking to expand your vino-horizons this year, here are four ways to make 2017 your best year of wine ever.

You like thrillers. I like thrillers. Here's a giveaway with 50+ thrillers up for grabs! Say hello to your next binge read... or fifty.

That's it from me. Y'all enjoy the first days of March (in like a lion, you know), hug your furry friends, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.