Just when I thought my week would be calm and uneventful, my youngest ends up with a concussion and the rest of us come down with a cold.

Why does it always seem to happen that way?

This week, I’ve got two books to share that are very un-Stephanie-like, a writing idea that will delight library patrons, learning with The Artist’s Way and links you’ll love, too.

What I'm Reading:

This week, I leaned into my bookish theme of the month: intrigue. Usually, I’m not one for books full of mystery and suspense, but my mood reading (and library holds that came in!) got the best of me and I read TWO books that certainly embody that theme. Here they are!

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

I love a good family saga and this group of friends has themselves buried deep in a saga of their own: one that ended in murder. I admit, I became lost in these pages. I loved the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ structure that allowed us to truly get to know the characters and piece together what happened alongside them. Hannah is a new college student at Oxford whose college roommate takes her under her wing and introduces her to a new side of life. But when April is killed in their dorm room, everything changes and Hannah cannot shake her past. When April’s killer dies in prison years later, all sorts of emotions resurface, including those that doubt the evidence she shared that put him away in the first place. This book was a wild ride with a strong sense of place that had me mesmerized. 

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

Would you want to know the fate of your life? Would you want to know exactly how long you’ll live? Are you sure? These were the questions asked throughout this book, questions that still haunt me well after I’m done reading. In it, we meet 8 people who wrestle those very questions after mysterious boxes containing a string that indicates the length of our lives arrive on the doorstep of every adult in the world. And we learn from each of them: those who look and have a short string, those who look and have a long string and those who choose not to know. The complications of every choice are highlighted and readers get a first-hand view of what comes with knowing…and not knowing. This will have you thinking at every twist, turn and page.

What I'm Writing:

I borrowed my writing from Facebook this week. I saw a post about about a person who writes notes to the future readers of the library books she just finished. 

What a lovely surprise that would be!

So, I wrote a few of my own and tucked them into the books I returned.

Let the bookish surprises begin!

What I'm Learning:

I’ve started reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and am following her 12-week program by-the-book. 

I’ve written a week’s worth of daily Morning Pages, took myself on a bookish artist date and am exploring positive affirmations and letters to my past and future selves.

It’s only week 1, but I can sense this creative journey is just getting started.

What I'm Loving:

Do you need some new Fall printables and wallpapers? Here are some beautiful versions from Happily Dwell!

Taylor Swift uses different pens to write different songs with different vibes. I feel seen. 

My favorite chocolate bar now makes GINGERBREAD DARK CHOCOLATE bars for the holiday season. Oh, my taste buds can hardly wait. 

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?