Well hello there, happy MAY!

This has been such a delightful week of walking / hiking with PEOPLE I LOVE! Last Sunday I got to go on an early morning hike with a longtime friend, on Wednesday I got to hike with my SISTER when she was in town for work, and yesterday afternoon I was able to walk with my dear friend on trails in a local park. YAY SPRING!

In crafting news, I fully admit to having slowed down recently, and that is a-okay. I love that hobbies can have seasons, as the ebb and flow of crafting keeps things fresh and builds excitement for the hibernation months. I did manage to finish page 2 of my embroidery stitch book that I’m working on via Sarah’s Hand Embroidery, and have already gotten started on page 3. Only two months behind ~ I’ve got this.

Yesteryear

Back in January when I read and shared about Yesteryear, the publisher promised that it would be a hit. While reading, I immediately felt the electricity that comes with an IT BOOK, and damn, it’s happened. Upon release on April 7th, it debuted at #2 on NYT bestseller list, it’s a GMA Book Club Pick, has holds lists thousands long in my local public library system, has reviews in EVERY publication, and the NYT didn’t just review it, they featured the author Caro Claire Burke in the Style section. (gift link)

At this point, it doesn’t even matter if people like the book ~ IT BOOKS reach the stage of virality without universal appeal, and readers just feed the frenzy with the hype. IT BOOKS, based on my unofficial observation, tend to end up with slightly lower Goodreads reviews after a year or so because EVERYONE is reading these books, including people who are not inclined to like them.

Anne Helen Peterson addresses this a bit in her recent piece about the book, and I’m not even diving into the discourse on her dedicated thread because I’d rather just savor the experience I personally had with the story. One thing that did add to this experience, months after actually reading the book, was a podcast episode with the author that really satisfied my urges regarding teasing out the author’s identity and beliefs from the actual storyline. Huge thanks to Laura G for sharing it with me!

My best advice for those of you going into the book with excitement is to go in as cold as you can ~ the more you know, the less fun it will be.

May Movie

It’s only May 2nd, and I’ve already checked off my May movie on my watch list! The youngest and I went to see The Devil Wears Prada 2 last night and had a delightful time. Nothing like decadent outfits and nostalgia to fill an evening!

Want to see how others have reacted to it? Here you go!

What’s up next? Maybe another one yet in May (there’s some good stuff coming!), but June has Power Ballad on tap and I can’t WAIT ~ you know I love Paul Rudd, and why not add in Nick Jonas too?

Excellent on Audio

Strangers by Belle Burden is one of the few books that I recommend in one format over another ~ please LISTEN to this book! Burden expertly narrates this compelling memoir about her marriage implosion, and even better than the story itself is the craft. Impeccable writing in a soothing, addictive voice. If you’re waiting on the holds list, you can start with this NYT interview (gift link)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend ~ I have a few days of NOTHING lined up and can’t WAIT!