It was a big week in our house! My oldest is now a senior in high-school and my twins are officially high-school freshmen. Where has the time gone?! I’ve got a great mix of things for you today: a powerful book, an even more powerful prompt and a few links you’ll love.

What I’m Reading:

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison was quite the read. It won the Nobel Prize in Literature and won the hearts of many, including mine. Morrison’s writing is incredible: lyrical, moving and emotional. Admittedly, I had to work while reading this book: work through the impactful language, the difficult happenings, the changing characters and narration and the web of powerful connections throughout each page. And while I’ve closed the final page, I’m still not sure what to do with these emotions, just as Morrison explained in her afterward. She felt many readers may have been touched by the book, but not moved. I was moved, but now have to figure out what to do with all of it. There’s such beauty in the writing and beauty in the book.

What I’m Writing:

I’m following Michelle Hesseltine’s lead and creating a summer bucket list in my notebook with sticky notes and colorful boxes. I’m borrowing some of the items on my 21 for 21 list and adding a few more, too. We all deserve a less socially-distanced summer!

What I’m Learning:

I love all things Martha Beck and this week, she was on the Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher talking about alignment and integrity. Martha said one thing that resonated immediately and has stayed with me ever since: Think about an aspect of your life that is less than optimal, whether it’s something in your home, personal life or work life. Then, think about just one little thing (YES!) to make it just a smidgen happier: play music while you clean, grab a great cup of coffee for the commute, brighten the space with a small plant? There’s ALWAYS something we can do to control our happiness and this was such a lovely reminder.

What I’m Loving:

I’ve always been fascinated by book covers and how they are designed, especially once I was lucky enough to get first-hand insight into the process with my own books. If you are, too, then you’ll love to see how these book covers evolved after first being rejected.

I found a new bookish website: Electric Lit. And I’m LOVING their book lists.

I also found a new Instagram account to follow: Journal with Purpose. These journal images are BEAUTIFUL!

There you have it! I hope this inspires you to make space for more reading and writing in your own life. What are the highlights from your literate life this week?