Well hello there, happy Saturday!

What a week! Being back in my library, unpacking new books, planning schoolwide grade-level read alouds focusing on digital citizenship, greeting all of the 6th graders at orientation, getting all of our new teachers up and running ~ it was an invigorating start to my year. School not actually being in session means I didn’t get sworn at by a tween/teen yet for the year ~ still winning!

Today’s newsletter is mostly photo-based … let’s go!

A New Book Notebook

I started using a notebook to formally record forthcoming book releases back in January 2023, after a few years of not recording, and prior to that, using a spreadsheet. The green notebook above on the left is the one I started in 2023, and the new one is on the right ~ I finally filled up my whole original notebook!

I started the fresh one with 2027 releases, and I have a front-back page for every month, although typically March - May require two full pages front-back. This is very much just for me, and I love the bit of time I spend most Mondays scouring Edelweiss and NetGalley for the newly-added titles that interest me.

If I have a review copy, I add the dash in the front, if I am extra excited about a book, I star it. SUPER simple and I love going back to heart or frowny face books after I read them and using the list to place library holds post-release.

Tower of Power

Yes, I’m still in my (not mat) Pilates era and YOU GUYS. On Tuesday I took my first Tower class and I can’t even tell you how amazing it felt! I mean, yes, I also felt like my hamstrings were going to snap and could barely do some of the moves, but there’s just something about it that made me feel super powerful and dare I say, graceful? So, yes please to the Tower of Power! I didn’t make up that name.

Something Beautiful

I bought this postcard at my favorite bookstore in Madison last weekend and isn’t it just the most lovely thing? Check out all of Joanna Fusco’s work here, and more at the Instagram link on her website. I bought my daughter a different, perfect for her, postcard and turns out she already loves and follows this artist. I’m late to the cool kid party!

What We Record

I was looking back at my (very few) photos of our San Diego trip and LOVE that this is one of two pictures I have of the Zach Bryan concert. One is of the screen showing Ryan Bingham(!!!) to prove to my husband (at home) that he was opening, and then lolololololol this one of our eternity-long wait for our Lyft. That’s my 20 year old daughter with her head in my lap, laughing-agonizing over the fact that she had to be at the airport in 4 short hours and me in the dress I sweated through about 10 times over.

Anyway, the point of that is … it’s okay that I only have those two pictures. The one of Ryan shows how very excited I was to see him opening, and this one shows that we still managed to have fun even while … sitting in a gravel parking lot against a barricade for SO LONG. The concert itself was unforgettable and these two pictures are enough to help me recall the rest.

I usually take more pictures than I need to, and this experience reminded me that just a few can do.

Two Great Reads

Yes, some books! I haven’t had much reading time, but did read two more of my Battle of the Books titles last weekend and powered through a VERY LONG YA book for work this week, so below I’m sharing two adult titles I read a few weeks ago and greatly enjoyed.

A bonus: I love that the covers are so perfectly color-coordinated!

Annie Knows Everything by Rachel Wood is a unique, big-hearted romance set in the tech world and I loved the NYC setting and workplace aspect. I got a bit frustrated with the main character a few times, but overall, this was a fun, refreshing NOT-TROPEY reading experience.

Life: A Love Story by Elizabeth Berg is the book I desperately want to recommend to all fans of The Correspondent, with the caveat that no book can BE The Correspondent so don’t set expectations too high. But there are a lot of similarities! Elderly woman, epistolary, reflective. I really loved this one.

Words to Ponder [Premium Only]

Some words related to AI that struck me this week … and in case I haven’t mentioned it recently, this newsletter is always 100% human- brainstormed, written, and likely (always?) left with errors.

NOTE: This is one of the new premium subscriber features as I transition to a lighter fall publishing schedule ~ you can upgrade on a monthly ($5/month) or annual ($40/year) basis to see the full content!

That’s all for this week! I’m hoping to have a delightful weekend at home to rest up for my wild week of inservice, doggy vet appointments, STUDENTS STARTING, and my 9th grader’s high school open house. WHEW.