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Friday Five – I Love a Day Off

July 3, 2026 by Suzanne

Happy July! I have the day off today, as I work for the state, and the holiday we would usually get at this time is on a Saturday this year. I’ll take it.

I’ve had a pretty easy week overall. In addition to having today off, I also took Monday and Tuesday off – just because – and I got a lot of reading and very little housework done and got to talk about books while in a pool on Tuesday. So…perfect days. I have a laidback party with some fun people this weekend, and then preparation for a reading retreat next weekend. Yay!

My seasonal depression is visiting. So far, it’s pretty mild this year. This is not a challenge, Derek (what I have named my seasonal depression. I feel like he would be a Derek. No offense if your name or the name of someone you love is Derek, of course. It’s just easy to yell in an exasperated manner.).

And yes, I do picture Derek from The Good Place when I yell it. Thanks for asking.

Here are some things that confused some of the summer sads this week:

  • Wednesday Adams is playing Klara in the screen adaptation of Klara and the Sun!!! And by Wednesday Adams, I do mean Jenna Ortega (which I had to google, because Jenny didn’t look right. Because it wasn’t). That is her real name. I’m too excited. I can’t be trusted to get names right.
  • One of my things-to-do-by-the-time-I’m-60 goals is to join an online book club. I should have been more specific. I have joined several. Technically, I am a member of at least three online book clubs, but I am having a hard time remembering to participate. I have online book friends and book groups, but I wanted to buckle down with one that reads and discusses a book each month. I was excited to discover that Kate Bowler has started one, and the first month is Shark Heart, which was on my radar to read for one of my challenges this year anyway. Added bonus – there are many ways to participate in this club. We’ll see how it goes!
  • One of these days, I’m going to give in and just make some Bala Baiana. It truly is everything I love in a candy.
  • “Obliterates” is a strong word, but I do enjoy Mamdani’s handling of the press. Almost as much as I appreciate that he actually does the job he was elected to do. The bar is so low, y’all.
  • Rachel Maddow’s concern about books that have been weeded is my favorite thing on the internet this week.

I hope you are doing well and get to do something fun this weekend!

Posted in Books, Cozy, Food, Friday Five, Fun, Joy, Mental Health | Leave a Comment »

Friday Five – Action and Opportunity

June 20, 2026 by Suzanne

I was really looking forward to this being the first day I slept past 7:00 in what seems like a thousand years. I realize 7:00 is reasonable for many people, but when you naturally fall asleep (i.e., without sleep aid medication, which I don’t take unless I’m desperate) at 1:00-2:00 a.m., 7:00 is hella early. 

Guess when the very loud thunderstorm rolled through. 6:30. Six. Thirty.

Not cool, thunder. Not cool.

At least I didn’t have to get out of bed. I guess that’s something.

Here are some things on the internet I liked this week.

  • Today is Juneteenth, which marks the anniversary of the news of emancipation finally reaching Texas. To celebrate on this and any other day, please consider donating to the good work We Have Stories is doing in NYC. Also, please consider looking at your own community and joining in the good work being done there. Also, please consider starting the good work if you don’t find any being done around you.
  • I love this piece on Georgia O’Keefe.
  • This whole quote – “Things can be hot in a book boyfriend and an absolute red flag in a real boyfriend. This is the nature of fiction.” (This is the smallest example of that, but like in romance novels men are always tilting her chin up with their finger. Touch me like that?!?!?!?! Put your fucking FINGER under my CHIN to get my attention?!?!?! I’m sorry but I would karate chop your throat. Sexy in a book. Would drive me crazy in real life.) “ I feel seen.
  • One of my great joys is following professional dancers (specifically, partnered dancers, but I am a sucker for any kind of dance) on Instagram. Emeline Rochefeuille is one of my favorites, and this is so cute.
  • While my new position did come with a slight pay bump, it was definitely a downgrade in responsibility. I went from supervising a staff of 12 to not being a supervisor at all. HIGHLY RECOMMEND even a temporary career downgrade if you are feeling those signs of burnout (…or even if you just want to. Turns out, you don’t have to wait until you are already at your wit’s end to do something that makes your life better.). Even if it had been a lateral move financially, it still would have been worth it for all the added peace it has brought to my private life.

I hope your Friday was good, and I hope you have a great weekend!

Posted in Beauty, Books, Cozy, Dance, Friday Five, Mental Health, Revolution, Work | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Friday Five – Here Are Things

June 12, 2026 by Suzanne

It’s Friday. We made it. Good job, us!

I sat here for five minutes trying to sum up the things listed below, but my mind is drawing a blank. Little byproduct of the summer seasonal sads, probably. Anyway, here are things:

  • Voted this week. Quick question: Does Mamdani have a friend who is looking to relocate to Texas? I’d like Denton to experience how it feels to have Mamdani as mayor.
  • Every week, I make approximately 2,435 new plans for the plants in and around my home. This week, my favorite daydreams are thrifting small dishes to use as drip plates for pots and making mint ice cream out of the extravagance my plant has produced.
  • Star Trek and its trailblazing ways.
  • I have a Rec League. I love the unabashed sharing of things people love. It’s a nice brain break in the middle of the day.
  • I am very close to finishing my Libro.fm challenge for the year. The prompt that’s holding me up? “Plan or join an audiobook outing.” Because…why would I want to do that. I meant to listen to an audiobook during the last get-together of my local Silent Book Club, but I got overstimulated that day and ended up not going. Maybe I’ll try again. Or maybe I’ll include listening to an audiobook in my car. Technically, that’s an outing, in that it’s outside my home. It doesn’t say it has to be an outing with other people. It’s a stretch, but I may get desperate.

I hope your weekend is fun and relaxing!

Posted in Alive, Books, Cozy, Food, Friday Five, Home, Mental Health, Reading Challenges, Revolution, TV | Leave a Comment »

Friday Five – Feelings

June 5, 2026 by Suzanne

This week was meh. I did a lot, but I also had a lot on my to-do list, so it doesn’t feel like I did a lot because there are things that are still not crossed off. It’s possible my to-do list was unreasonable, but my feelings don’t seem to see it that way. Something to work on (making both to-do lists and mental expectations reasonable).

Here are some things that stood out to me on the internet this week.

  • This is the energy I want to see from lawmakers. No grandstanding, no fanfare. Just recognizing conversion therapy for what it is – medical malpractice – and allowing the appropriate consequences. Excellent work, Colorado!
  • In other words, NOT this nonsense. What exactly is the legal basis of a suit against a city that 1) informed the groups leading an event about the changes to their marketing and plan that this dumbass law requires, and 2) received immediate compliance from said groups? I know a lot of our Texas government folk get some well-deserved side eye, but Paxton acts like he’s trying to win the prize for most hateful and wasteful (of time, money, etc.). An embarrassment, indeed.
  • Deeply saddened by the death of Marjan Satrapi. Persepolis was the first graphic novel I really loved. Also RIP to Anthony Head, who will always be Giles to me.
  • Many of the authors I love own bookstores. Visiting them is definitely on my bucket list. Happy to see Nowhere got a shout-out in the comments.
  • We are doing art/crafts at church on the first and third Wednesday nights of June and July (and maybe August, if people want them). People are welcome to bring their own things to work on while they hang out, but we will also have a small project just in case they want to try something new. This week, it was pom poms. The next one is blackout poetry. I’m excited to see what people create. We all need a little whimsy and revolution in our lives.

I hope you get to experience some wonder this weekend!

Posted in Books, Bookshops, Church, Friday Five, Revolution | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

June 2026 TBR

June 2, 2026 by Suzanne

You know how June usually likes to flirt? Like…it’s warm but not hot? Sultry but not oppressive?

Not this year, apparently. *pants* It’s so unpleasant outside.

All the more reason to stay inside and read!

It’s Pride month and summer, and this month’s selections are a bit of a shoutout to both.

[Disclaimer – I am a Bookshop.org affiliate – I get a cut of the sales from most of the links below.]

Book Clubs

Cozy

Anti Brain Rot

Popsugar

  • Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner – A book that explores influencer culture
  • The Favorites by Layne Fargo – A book about your favorite event in the Winter Olympics

52 Book Club

  • The Rose Code by Kate Quinn – Author’s bio mentions their dog
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – Written in the 1800s
  • The June mini challenge prompts? Stay tuned…

Libro.fm

  • Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders (narrated by Lisa Flanagan, Marisa Calin, and Sena Bryer) – Listen to an audiobook by a transgender author
  • Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (narrated by Harrison Knights) – Listen to an audiobook by an LGBTQIA+ author

Nowhere

Bad Bitch Book Club 

  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – Reread your favorite book from high school
  • One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon – A novel written in a genre the author has never explored before (i.e., Yoon’s first adult novel/horror/mystery after writing YA romance/family)

Alphabet Challenge

Read Your Bookshelf

Book Riot Read Harder

Happy reading, friends!

Posted in Books, Reading Challenges, Seasons | Leave a Comment »

Friday Five – Adventuring

May 29, 2026 by Suzanne

More Transfer Orientation today! I think I have the hang of these now. Just in time to start Freshman Orientation next week.

I started the year with a goal of 25 micro-adventures – quick things that I can do around town or within a day trip’s drive. I’ve only done a few so far, so today I am posting a list of things to inspire myself (and perhaps you, too) to get out and see the world that is right around me a little more.

  • I like a good crawl. Pub crawl? Classic. Wine crawl? Even better. I did a coffee crawl a few years ago, and that was fun. But something I’ve never done before is a book crawl. This would be a fun way to explore a cute area with lots of cafes or a neighboring downtown.
  • While I am not sure I want my adventure to be dictated for me, I love the idea of a mystery picnic. I do love discovering new places to get delicious treats.
  • I have lived near Dallas for over 30 years, and I haven’t heard of some of these places. May have to check them out sometime this year!
  • Bringing it even closer to home, there’s always so much to see and try right here in Denton. I stay pretty aware of my usual haunts, but it’s always good to keep an eye on this events page to step a little outside my regular proclivities.
  • And finally, if all else fails, you can always count on Reddit for some great ideas.

I hope you have a good weekend – and maybe a little adventure as well.

Posted in Friday Five, Fun, Resolutions | Leave a Comment »

Not-Friday Five – Maggie and Michelle Weekend!

May 24, 2026 by Suzanne

Yay, Maggie and Michelle! They are here in my house this weekend! I am looking at them right now. I was so excited they were coming into town that I didn’t remember to post this on Friday. We have eaten a lot of cheese and blueberry sourdough and also went to see The Importance of Being Earnest at the community theatre last night. Happy all around.

Some more things that made me happy this week:

  • I grew up singing in church choirs. It was always my favorite thing about church, a place where, otherwise, I felt as awkward and out of place as I did everywhere else growing up. I can’t listen to so many songs that we sang without feeling that gut punch of knowing how often they were used to belittle others (we called it speaking the truth in love) and shut them out (we hid behind our wildly out-of-context interpretation of the Bible’s instruction to be set apart for Christ). I remember how scandalous it was when a Christian singer, songwriter, speaker, preacher, etc., stepped outside the prescribed, approved path (i.e., anything but straight, conservative, and behaving according to their assigned gender role). As someone who knew how painful the rejection of not living up to said path could be, I had a soft spot in my heart for these people who were living our shared faith the best they could, despite not fitting their assigned boxes, in a very public arena, even before I understood how much I would come to agree with many of them as I got older. This week, I curled in a ball and sobbed when I read about the rerelease of Testify to Love, a reimagining that celebrates how big and wide God’s love really is. While it is very different in style from the songs I sing in my church choir now, that sad, serious inner child of mine with so much love to give just healed a little. 
  • I love this piece on self-compassion. Here are some golden nuggets that make me feel seen:
    • “I decided long ago that I would rather beat myself up every day for the rest of my life than whisper to myself about how the Universe is conspiring in my favor.”
    • “I try to approach my own brain the way I would approach a skittish rescue animal—no sudden movements.“
    • “I remind myself that I am not competing in the Trauma Olympics. I’m allowed to have feelings even if someone else has it worse.”
    • “Sometimes [self-compassion] looks profound. Sometimes it looks like eating sour gummy candy in my car while telling myself to calm the hell down before I ruin my own day. Either way, I think it counts.”
  • I love two things about Jenny Lawson’s post this week. First, I relate to the perpetual being behind on many cultural commentaries. I, too, get lost in my deep dives. Also, I sometimes have to take in information more thoroughly before I fully form my opinion about it. I blame (i.e., thank) my communication degree. Conflict management teaches response rather than reaction, and so much of what we get, particularly on social media, is mainly reaction (not all – some people just process information really quickly and can get their response out faster). And second, I am very excited to learn what she names her new foster fail kitty. The little face! That cat knows it’s found a home.
  • There is going to be a Grey’s Anatomy spin-off that takes place in West Texas. Yessss. 
  • Thom Yorke was inducted into the Fellowship of the Ivors Academy. Harry Styles presented him with the award. And Yorke’s acceptance speech was also brilliant. I love it when musicians are also good writers.

Hope you’re having a fun weekend, too!

Posted in Church, Denton, Food, Friday Five, Fun, Joy, Mental Health, Music, TV | Leave a Comment »

Friday Five – Slow Life

May 15, 2026 by Suzanne

Today is the second round of Transfer Orientation, so work is going to be anything but slow. Perhaps the busyness at work is part of why I have been drawn to snippets and musings about a slow life this week. 

  • I love this daydream about living in Italy (and also a gentle push to maybe put down/throw away the phone and live) from Shawn Smucker.
  • Andi’s snapshot of a slow-living moment made my mouth water. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a perfect omelette. I think I see one in my near future.
  • As it will soon be too hot here to cook over a stove or turn on the oven for a few months, I’m clinging to warm salad season lately. I love a good roasted veggie salad so much, but my willingness to tolerate the heat that roasting adds to my house will evaporate by mid-June. This week, my meal plan includes a spin on German potato salad (warm, with a mustard vinaigrette) and something with sweet potatoes, onions, and cranberries.
  • Speaking of changing weather, I love this piece of advice about being stuck in the transition time between seasons from Tamar Adler – “When you taste the season’s first cherry, then plum, then apricot, let all the time before it open your mind and heart to its miracle. Sit down and describe it. Be stuck until you unstick.”
  • “Dough you want this focaccia recipe from Le Cirque?” Yes, Dorie Greenspan. I really do. I may not make it before summer arrives, but I love a good focaccia.

I hope you get some time to slow down and savor whatever you have going on this weekend. Have a good one!

Posted in Cozy, Food, Friday Five, Home, Lush, Quiet | Leave a Comment »

Friday Fi…three.

May 8, 2026 by Suzanne

After spending a good chunk of my lunch hour looking for two more things to include in this list, I’ve decided I don’t need five things. It’s just fine the way it is. It has books. It has cozy tips. It encourages literary citizenship. What more could you want (rhetorical)?

  • The Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide comes out next week!! This will mark 15 years of stellar recommendations of seasonal new releases from the MMD team. Here are some backlist favorites to whet your appetite.
  • A lot of these tips for making the end of the workday feel like a beginning rather than an ending don’t really appeal to me specifically (as a single person who lives alone and also is allergic to just about everything outside), but I like the general idea. I like having an evening “now I’m at home and not working” ritual. This is a good reminder of how much I definitely need that off switch in my life.
  • Two of my book club leaders already have a Little Free Library at their houses, but I am on a mission to promote more. I’m also in the process of seeing if I am allowed to have one on the back porch of my apartment. But I love the idea of doing it as a group.  

There you have it. Short and sweet. Enjoy your weekend!

Posted in Books, Cozy, Friday Five | Leave a Comment »

May 2026 TBR

May 6, 2026 by Suzanne

Welcome to Mashed Potato May! 

No, it’s not about seeing how many mashed potatoes I can eat without suffering serious consequences (a challenge I would happily undertake). For fans of the Books Unbound Podcast, it’s about reading the books that have been on your TBR for a minute that you haven’t quite gotten to yet. Mashed potatoes are the perfect metaphor for how I feel about the books that hover near the top of the TBR. Saving the best for last, if you will. Like eating mashed potatoes after you’ve eaten everything else on your plate.

[Aside – I do not do that. Potatoes first. Sometimes, potatoes only. Sometimes, potatoes mixed with something else on the plate, even though that violates the one-food-at-a-time code. That’s just how excited I get about eating potatoes.]

I do not have leftover feelings about mashed potatoes. And I don’t have leftover feelings about any book I’ve listed on a TBR this year, either.

This month’s list is intentionally sparse (well, compared to my usual TBRs) to allow me to give some TLC to the books I’ve already planned but didn’t read yet because…

  • Someone else had them on hold at the library, or
  • I started them and then had to switch gears to finish a book club selection before we met and didn’t pick the original book back up, or
  • (most likely) I had 30+ books on my TBR for the month, and that’s not typically a reasonable expectation.

So I’m dipping back into

And adding just a (relatively) few more for this month.

[Disclaimer – I am a Bookshop.org affiliate – I get a cut of the sales from most of the links below.]

Book Clubs

Cozy

I incorporated most of my cozy reading plan for May into the summer months, but there are a few books that I had on hold at the library that became available recently. I’ll continue to read these throughout this month.

Anti Brain Rot Challenge

I ordered the three curricula I’m tackling for this challenge so that the one that will take the longest to see progress on (i.e., learning organ) was started first. While that’s not going as quickly as I’d planned, I have made some progress. At this point, I’m still regaining flexibility/mobility in my fingers so that I can play keys more nimbly. We’ll add in feet later.

That skill will also help out with my second curriculum, which I’m easing into this month. My goal for this curriculum is to write a score (or a song) and upload a recording on Bandcamp. I already have a rough draft of a score that I’m excited to perform. This curriculum will include some readings on deep listening, experimental sound/music, and other related topics. I’m going to start with these:

52 Book Club

I don’t have specific books for the May mini-challenges here yet, but I’m keeping an eye out for these prompts as I read. Extra challenge this month – the three May mini-challenges must be published in different decades.

  • May Mini 1 – A coffee shop scene
  • May Mini 2 – Character has a roommate
  • May Mini 3 – “I’ll be there for you.”

Libro.fm

OK, so I am burning through audiobooks these days. So I’m going to keep doing so with this challenge in mind. Books I should be able to finish by the end of the month:

  • This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page (narrated by Zadeiah Campbell-Davies) – Read a bookseller-recommended audiobook – this one has been recommended by so many people, and it finally became my turn on our library’s waitlist, and I finished and returned it within 24 hours. It’s so good. I concur with my librarian friend that this is the best book about books (and bookshops) that I’ve read in a long time. I enjoyed the audio, but I’m 100% going to buy the print copy because 1) book lists, and 2) I will definitely re-read it at some point.
  • The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd (narrated by Saskia Maarleveld) – Read an audiobook with a buddy. It was…fine. But Brenda also read it via audio to discuss at book club last night, so I’m counting it toward this prompt.
  • Flashlight by Susan Choi (narrated by Eunice Wong) – Plan or join an audiobook outing. I’m counting my Silent Book Club meetup this Sunday as an “audiobook outing.” I’m sure others will also be reading via audio, as this will free up our hands for food truck treats.
  • A Murder in Eight Cocktails by Kelly Mullen (narrated by Laurence Bouvard) – Read an audiobook from our New This Week podcast
  • The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende (narrated by Samantha Desz, Cynthia Farrell, Joy Osmanski, and Timothy Andrés Pabon) – Listen to an audiobook by a Latine author
  • Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (narrated by Arian Moayed) – Listen to an audiobook by a South West Asian or North African author

I hope you get to read (and eat) some of your mashed potatoes, too!

Posted in Books, Cozy, Reading Challenges, Resolutions | 2 Comments »

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