This was the first week in a long while that it did not rain each and every day. We enjoyed the pool, played a little miniature golf and visited our favorite ice-cream shop. It was a good week to have a good week! Here’s hoping your week was everything you needed it to be, too. And if you’re looking for a few ideas to spark a bookish weekend, here you go!

What I'm Reading:

I finished two amazing books this week. One was an almost-released middle grades novel and one was a back-list adult fiction title. I loved them both.  

I dive into each new book with the clear expectation that I will love it. But when I started reading The Thing I’m Most Afraid Of by Kristin Levine, I honestly wasn’t so sure. The story opens with a bang: Becca, a 12-year old dealing with anxiety attacks is traveling from her home in Virginia to spend the Summer with her father in Austria while her supportive, yet free-spirited, mother prepares to backpack across Europe in her absence. It seemed a bit fantastical: an anxious child bravely undertaking a large life event, parents getting along beautifully after a recent divorce and an au pair waiting to oversee it all. Perfect. I thought I knew how the story would predictably unfold in a perfect happily-ever-after story, but I was wrong. Yes, Becca tackles her fears and has a summer to remember, but this book was so much more than expected. Levine so beautifully invites us into Becca’s mind, not only helping us feel what it’s like to be anxious, but actually showing the reader how to get through it. She invites us into the lives of Felix and Sara, putting complex feelings and life challenges into simple facts that inspire courage, connection and confidence. From the bugs in the Goulash and happy chickens to the list-making and Doomsday and Pig Journals, every reader will find a piece of themselves in this book, a piece of themselves that will feel just a bit stronger for having read this book. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m starting a Pig Journal of my own. 

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty was mesmerizing from the first page to the last. And it completely changed the way I look at my current circumstances in life. Really. Moriarty tells Alice’s story, an almost-forty-year-old woman who has a serious fall at the gym, a fall that robs her of her last ten years of memories. As she tries to piece her completely-unexpected life back together filled with grief, family strife and even an impending divorce, she gains a new clarity amidst the confusion. This book will stop you in your tracks, make you think about what your own ten-years-younger-version-of-you would say about your current life and maybe even prompt you to reconsider what your next ten years should look like, too.

What I'm Writing:

I journaled my heart out this week. While I won’t bore you with the personal details, I WILL share the t-chart that gave me a needed perspective shift in hopes it can do the same for you. I channeled my inner Glennon Doyle and journaled what a beautiful life full of health and wellness would look like. I listed my thoughts on the left side of the chart and on the right, I wrote one little thing I could do to get closer to reaching it. It may not have looked like much on the page, but it was just the kick I needed to put myself back in the driver’s seat.

What I'm Learning:

Dog training. I am learning EVERYTHING I can about dog training. My wonderful, loveable labradoodle is the best dog in the world…except when he is on a leash. His sweet slobbery kisses because incredibly powerful barks at any dog that passes us making our nightly walk less than a treat. I’ve been learning from Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution and That Mutt. Send any recommendations my way!

What I'm Loving:

Here are the links that warmed my literate heart this week:

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?