Squinting and sweating, I took down laundry from my clothesline and thought, You are the only things happy about this damn heat. It was in the low 100s (F) this week and it felt cool. We are not alright!

Read on for a peek at my stack of library books, writing news, and my three moods of July eating. Hope you’re well. xxDevin

Reading

I’m drowning in my TBR pile, which isn’t a bad feeling. Currently checked out from the library, with my quick takes:

To Save and to Destroy: Writing as an Other by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Haven’t started yet, but I want to. The book is literally inches from my hand while I’m typing. Feeling good about starting it soon.)

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney (Haven’t started yet, but will move it next to my bed. It has night time reading vibes.)

Atavists: Stories by Lydia Millet (Read half of the first story. Didn’t feel strongly about it.)

Authority: Essays by Andrea Long Chu (Enjoyed the intro, will keep reading.)

Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put by Annie B. Jones (This is probably a DNF, but I want to give it another try.)

Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara (Enjoyed the intro, will keep reading.)

Thrilled to Death: Selected Stories by Lynne Tillman (Read half of the first story. Didn’t feel strongly about it.)

Outline: A Novel by Rachel Cusk (Haven’t started!)

Women's Liberation! Feminist Writings That Inspired a Revolution & Still Can edited by Alix Kates Shulman and Honor Moore (Haven’t started. Will probably not read the whole thing, I found it looking for some of Angela Davis’ writing after watching the Ms. documentary.)

Setting a Place for Us: Recipes and Stories of Displacement, Resilience, and Community from Eight Countries Impacted by War by Hawa Hassan (Am flipping through and deciding what to cook!) » Related » Do you have recommendations for trusted places to donate to people in Gaza?

Writing

This month from The Good Enough Weekly:

• July 4 | Free Meals vs. the City of Tempe: Will feeding each other in public parks require a permit?

• July 11 | Ms. Overlooked: When food is left out of the revolution

• July 18 | Dinner, a Semi-Complete List: Part 7: After Sarah Ruhl's essay On Interruptions

I’m inching closer to moving this newsletter to Beehiiv and what finally got me excited about it is the realization is that I can combine my personal website with my newsletter website (and getting a discount code after attending a free hyped up business webinar they offered.) After playing around in the free mode for a bit, I’ve got to say all the options for customizing things and how fast it was to import my post archives have impressed me.

In July I also sent out Wasted Ink Zine Distro’s newsletter on the 16th, and one more will go out on the 31st. Subscribe if you like zines! I also onboarded two more newsletter clients and can’t wait to share more about them later.

Eating

A month in three moods…

1. Thank God for Coffee Shops

(And becoming a regular makes it even better.)

1. Everything Tastes Better on a Pretty Plate

(And don’t sleep on smashed chickpea sandwiches. I followed this recipe pretty close and loved it.)

1. Take Yourself Out for a Burrito and Margarita

(And bring one home if you want to be a hero.)

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The Good Enough Weekly comes out on Fridays, alternating essays, interviews, and blog posts on food, climate, and labor. Rooted in the Sonoran Desert.