Reading, Watching, Eating: October Edition

Ten Things So Lit When the Dark Was Ours...

Reading, Watching, Eating: October Edition

A red leaf landed on my windshield. Isn’t it perfect?Things I’m Watching:

Fall. “They” said it would be an ugly brown fall because of the lack of rain but fall came through and there is an astounding menagerie of orange, red, and yellow autumnal beauty in New England. Fall is my favorite. Pumpkins, leaves, wind…

Baby Hal. Baby is visiting and am I really watching anything else??? Look how cute our little baby gnome is (the hand knit sweater was a gift to his mama when she was a baby). I’m obsessed with him (as you can attest from my Instagram stories :)

3. The Typist. My son’s short film submitted to Utah’s “Screamfest.”

4. 1883. It’s heavy, gritty, and sometimes hard to watch. It’s also gorgeous, western cinematography. Starring Sam Elliot, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and my favorite: Isabel May, who plays 18-year-old Elsa who becomes “Lightening with the Yellow Hair,” a nickname given to her by Sam, a Comanche Warrior after they race on horseback (and fall in love). Elsa’s also the narrator and it’s some of the best screenwriting I’ve ever heard…the last two episodes…my heart.

What I Read (and highly recommend!):

For you non-fiction, science lovers, read Outlive by Peter Attia, M.D.: “Aging and longevity are far more malleable than we think; our fate is not set in stone. With the right roadmap, you can plot a different path for your life, one that lets you outlive your genes to make each decade better than the one before.” The chapters that made the biggest impressions on me were on exercise, nutrition, and emotional health (which packs a big emotional punch). READ THIS BOOK and incorporate bc there is no magic pill. The single most important factor to living better into old age? EXERCISE (better than any pharmaceutical out there).

For non-fiction that reads like fiction, read Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (and then watch the Say Nothing series). Completely captivating…and the audiobook is read with an Irish accent, which makes it that much better.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is a love story with enough mystery to keep the pages turning quickly. It’s described as a woman confronted with an “impossible choice,” which annoys me bc is an affair ever A GOOD IDEA? (and actually not an “impossible choice”) But it’s beautiful writing, nostalgic, and I gobbled it up, teary in the end.

On My Bedside Table:

Heartwood by Amity Gage (halfway through and OMGoodness it’s so good), Newbery winner The Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, by Florence Knapp, The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese, and Marty McGuire by Kate Messner…so many books.

What I Listened to:

I’ve never read Lily King, but I have Writers and Lovers on my bookshelf, and keep hearing how good Heart the Lover is. I esp want to read it after “Lily King Writes Her Heart” on this episode of The Book Case podcast with father-daughter duo Charlie and Kate Gibson. “Just because you let someone go, doesn’t mean they do…”

What I’m Eating:

The perfect fall combo: Soft Bavarian Pretzels (made on Thursdays at the local bakery, Blue Loon) with Pumpkin Spice Oat Milk.

Also, freshly picked apples and apple cider donuts. Save me.

Your turn. What’s good these days?

Amy 💖

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The Last Part:

Halloween Movies to Watch With the Family: a great round up (with some I’ve never seen!) by (and the second person to recommend Over the Garden Wall this week).

Coaching: Soccer! We’re going into the final stretch of the season with only one loss…better than a winning record though, is our team’s hard work and kindness culture.

Writing: Almost done with a draft which will accompany a query letter…

Visited: This week I spoke with students in Minnesota and they lost their minds when I said 6-7. We also went to Montreal for the weekend. The drive through Vermont was wow (see above on stunning autumnal colors…)

xoxo