What Caught My Eye Online #32

And what I'm loving this summer

Photo by Anastasia Zhenina on Unsplash

The first week of my summer break was wonderful. It was packed full of good meals, lots of sleep, productivity, organization, and a lot of fun reading time. In addition to this week's links, I thought I'd share a list of what I'm loving so far this summer.

• Reading all the things.

• Relaxing with a well-designed coloring book while listening to an audiobook.

• The pink peonies in my neighbor’s backyard.

• Fresh strawberries that taste incredible.

• Caesar salads with extra parmesan.

• Fresh tomatoes on homemade burgers.

• A lime green manicure.

• Journaling.

• Fruity perfume.

• Cold brew coffee.

• Fans (and my BFF, air conditioning).

• Stickers, pens, highlighters, and any other cute office supplies.

• A large bowl of grapes.

• A candle that smells like raspberries and whipped cream.

• Music.

• My local library and the new releases section.

• Waking up without an alarm clock, making an iced latte, and crawling back in bed to enjoy it while reading.

  I hope you, too, have been experiencing some joy this season.

Here’s everything else that caught my eye this past week!

• I’m always interested in artists’ creative processes. In this piece for Lit Hub, writer Caitlin Shetterly talks about hers and those of fellow writers. She says:

  • “If you simply sit in front of the blank page, day after day after day, with a brownie in your hand, a bowl of Jelly Bellies on your desk, a favorite book you reach for, or just a Patchett-like fire in your belly (or perhaps some version of all of the above), I believe you will eventually have a manuscript, as words do add to words. It’s like magic.”

• I absolutely love this article about public libraries in Britain and all they offer their patrons. They’re doing so much good, but that raises the question of whether or not it should be a library’s responsibility to take on an avalanche of public needs.

  • “The average public library is not only a provider of the latest Anne Enright or Julia Donaldson: it is now an informal citizens advice bureau, a business development centre, a community centre and a mental health provider. It is an unofficial Sure Start centre, a homelessness shelter, a literacy and foreign language-learning centre, a calm space where tutors can help struggling kids, an asylum support provider, a citizenship and driving theory test centre, and a place to sit still all day and stare at the wall, if that is what you need to do, without anyone expecting you to buy anything.”

• My dad sent me this fascinating article about how Black librarians helped create generations of Black literature.

• I embrace simple meals all year, but especially during the warm days of summer. The Kitchn suggests 14 easy sheet pan dinners. Easy clean up, too? Yes, please.

• Peter Swanson is one of my favorite mystery writers. He recently talked with CrimeReads about his new novel, A Talent for Murder.

• If you want more mysteries or thrillers, NPR suggests four. I can’t wait to read The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.

• Here’s an eye-opening look at self-care that explores how we’ve misunderstood it and how that misunderstanding can lead to loneliness.

  • “Commoditized self-care was here to stay, reaching mass saturation right around the time Trump was elected to office. Young people, disillusioned by polarized politics, saddled with astronomical student loan debt, and burned out by hustle culture, turned to skin care, direct-to-consumer home goods, and food and alcohol delivery — aggressively peddled by companies eager to capitalize on consumers’ stressors. While these practices may be restorative in the short term, they fail to address the systemic problems at the heart of individual despair.”

• If you’re interested in Edgar Allan Poe and rare book collecting, don’t miss this essay about Poe’s rare first book, Tamerlane.

• What books are being called the best of the year so far? Book Riot has the answer. Number one is no surprise.

• I’ve been enjoying Strands, the newest word game from the New York Times.

• Journaling with Mady is one of my new favorite YouTube channels. I first followed her on TikTok, but the long-form videos are great, too. I’ve gotten a lot of creative inspiration from Mady.

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What summer things are you loving so far? What caught your eye online this week? Share below!