Well hello there, happy Saturday!

First of all, THANK YOU to all of you who replied to my newsletter on Tuesday. I went to a book discussion with a memoir writer this winter, and she said something about how when our writing feels vulnerable, to go even deeper, share even more. That’s not really how I roll here, though, or even remotely what I believe. I had a few years of oversharing on social media pre-2020, and I learned so much of what my comfort level is and what I’m truly willing to share.

I think so often of these words from Brene Brown:

Story stewardship means honoring the sacred nature of story—the ones we share and the ones we hear—and knowing that we’ve been entrusted with something valuable or that we have something valuable that we should treat with respect and care. We are good stewards of the stories we tell by trusting them to people who have earned the right to hear them, and telling them only when we are ready.

Brene Brown ~ The Practice of Story Stewardship

This is why my vulnerable pieces are behind paywalls and not easily linked to or shared. Those who pay for my work obviously value it, and if I am going to be even as very-guardedly vulnerable as I was on Tuesday, I need to know that my readers will be good story stewards.

The internet is not a sacred confessional or therapy or a black hole, and when I had my regrettable phase of Instagram oversharing years ago, I would feel sick afterward ~ an emotional hangover. I haven’t had a drink in over six years and certainly don’t need another type of hangover!

A huge benefit of writing a newsletter vs social media is the drafting and editing and schedule that allows for true intentionality in what gets published vs the instant reactions and raw footage that occurs in social media. Time dulls most reactions and emotions, and re-reading and a little distance between the initial spewing of words is something that always, always helps me.

I hope this brings a bit of clarity to how and why I share what I do in this space.

What I Watched

Last Friday night, the oldest arrived home for the weekend and we were unexpectedly home alone for the evening, meaning we could watch something that no one else in the family was super excited about: Remarkably Bright Creatures!

We both read the book right after it released in 2022, and have been eagerly awaiting the movie.

I had to throw the original book cover in here so everyone could remember how we were all originally introduced to the story ~ covers are SO important to me when I’m remembering a book!

Our verdict on the movie? We loved it. My daughter and I both adore the ocean and ocean creatures, and the Pacific Northwest scenery in the movie (filmed in Vancouver!) is stunning. We were both a bit fuzzy on the exact happenings in the book by this point, which made it impossible to do a super close comparison ~ usually for the best with adaptations. Sally Field is amazing as Tova and I just wanted to HUG the entire cast of characters.

Two Tiny But Powerful Nonfiction Reads

I have the great privilege of access to many, many review copies, and I requested both of these tiny nonfiction titles (98 pages each!) in hardcover from the publisher because some books I just know in advance I will want to share widely. So much so that I immediately sent these two home with my oldest last weekend without first grabbing the quotes I wanted to share with you today! Whoops!

Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children by Mac Barnett is an absolute must-read for anyone who works in the world of children’s books. You may not agree with everything he says*, but damn, does he help us librarians and other literary gatekeepers THINK. And that detailed essay on Goodnight Moon? LOVED IT. *I’m not weighing in on or linking to the controversy ~ I loved the book. That is all.

When I handed How to Start: Discovering Your Life’s Work by Jodi Kantor to my 20 year old daughter, I told her she needed to read it immediately because it will 100% validate her current choices, and that her girlfriend should read it as she figures out what to do next after her current AmeriCorps stint. However, I will NOT be handing this book to my cousin who has been desperately attempting to find work in marketing after graduating college last year, barely making ends meet for now by bartending, and feeling completely let down by our society, college, EVERYONE.

This is a book for those still with hope, those who just need validation that they should keep the fire lit, those like me, who sometimes need a reminder that I have made the right choice. It starts rather bleak but then becomes relentlessly positive, and while I think it’s amazing, could potentially be cause for a swift drop kick from someone like my cousin.

Proceed with care if giving this as a college graduation present, but DEFINITELY give it to someone who is throwing their consultant / lawyer / finance job to the wind and pursuing their passion, or who is questioning their decision to work in a job they love but doesn’t pay particularly well.

The Best Thing Online This Week

h/t to Michelle Martin at Literary Leanings for pointing me to this piece that so very eloquently and elaborately sums up my feelings on the publishing market right now:

The result is a literary landscape increasingly dominated by what we might call “content books” — products designed for consumption rather than contemplation, optimised for sharing rather than savouring.

~ The Midnight Nook

Go read the whole piece titled The Algorithm Ate Literature: How BookTok Killed the Author and Birthed the Trope Farmer by The Midnight Nook on Medium.

And now for the weekend … my plan is to actually get the paddleboards on the water this morning, after deeming last weekend WAY too cold for such things. I hope you are able to read and soak in some sunshine, or at least some fresh air, and that a nap is in your near future!