Well hello there, happy Saturday!

We are now truly joining the autumn season and in my region, temps have FINALLY dropped a bit. I actually got to pull out my sweatshirts a few times this past week!

Last weekend was an absolute treat ~ a Kacey Musgraves concert at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee (with the oldest, my sister, and niece) on Friday night and then a stop at our favorite bookstore and a visit to the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show in Madison (with just the oldest) on Saturday. VERY different cultural outings, but both were delightful.

My quick takes are that Kacey Musgraves is a QUEEN at 38 (who else could lean into the sequined balls with such humor, collab with Willy, and be the rare country music ally?) and also that the amount of computerization and machine-automation-focus at the quilt show vendor section was a bit surprising and very much not my style. The quilts on exhibit were so fun to look at, though! Both my daughter and I are much more drawn to the quilts that were original designs and had signs of humanity woven in, whether through hand-stitching, multidimensional elements, or tiny quirks.

I have so many other fragmented things to share today, so I’m doing what I always do in that situation … sharing in list form. Enjoy!

• This piece from Wisconsin Public Radio highlights exactly why homes like mine don’t have, and probably never will have, access to high speed internet.

• Two of my favorite brands both have teacher discounts ~ even more reason to shop from them! Lems and Branwyn are brands worth checking out if you haven’t tried them before, and if you already love them and are a teacher, jump on these discounts! Check out even more teacher deals!

• Hobbies > introspection? I have to say that I nodded along with Clara for much of this piece!

• In preparation for our next concert, this is the ONLY music I listened to over the past seven days.

• If you want to be prepared for the exciting fall project that I’m working on with my Pilates studio owner (hi Dawn!), get your hands on this book ASAP. This is a book I have been reading annually since 2020, and I’m so excited to talk about it with a group. In addition to our studio book club, I’ll be doing a bonus series for this book for my supporters here in October / November!

• Some great seasonal reading offerings are now out in the world ~ make sure to check out:

  • the Fall Reading Guide from Bibliolifestyle

  • this curated fall romance list from Book Girls’ Guide

  • the Book Gang Fall 2026 Reading Guide

  • Nina + Sarah the Librarian’s Ultimate Autumn Reading Guide

  • and of course, Anne Bogel’s annual MMD Fall Book Preview.

• Mark your calendars! The book I wouldn’t stop talking about last September will be out in PAPERBACK on September 29th! Yes, my sister-friend is the author, and yes, I am referenced in the book.

• a colleague shared this April episode of On Point from WBUR about teachers and parents pushing back on tech in schools, and it inspired me to jump back into listening to this book. And yes, both of these are preaching to the choir (me).

• and finally, I refreshed my work laptop vibe after several years of the same stickers … it always makes me happy to change things up a bit! Pro tip: clear laptop case + not taking the backs off stickers + tiny pieces of scotch tape on the back of the stickers = change is always possible!

Unique Lit Fic

This week’s book recommendation is one of my Book of the Month picks ~ despite me NOT intending to keep my subscription, I’m happy I forgot to cancel because I got this buzzy lit fic title before it hits bookstores on September 29th!

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw is one of the rare books that I loved but can’t think of a single specific person to hand it to. With the main character being the unconventional wife of a megachurch pastor, and Christianity (and pointed jabs at the hypocrisy of Christianity) woven thickly throughout the story, I know this book won’t be for everyone. Satire about the church often doesn’t land with the devout?

Despite not considering myself religious, I am fascinated by the inner workings of church worlds since they are so mysterious to me; and due to my non-devout status, I can peer at religion through a curious lens. Case in point: this novel about the search for a church’s new pastor is one of my all-time favorite books!

I am astounded that this is Philyaw’s debut novel, although given the outstanding craft of her short story collection that I read and raved about back in 2020, I shouldn’t be surprised that this novel is so well done.

Sharp, thought-provoking, funny, full of heart and laden with footnotes with witty asides … this was a winner for me. Maybe you’re the perfect reader I can recommend it to?

Whew, that was a lot of goodness today! This weekend I have a tattoo appointment, a coffee date with friends, a Pilates stretch class, and I’m hoping to make serious headway in the book I am book clubbing with my oldest daughter. I hope you all get some rest and reading time in!