We drove to Toronto yesterday, and I visited The Book People bookstore, a woman & BIPOC-owned bookstore on Queen Street West. What a breathtaking shop. The shelves are lined with thoughtful mini-review cards attached below the hyper-curated local author books, which I found so charming and helpful. The owner, Kai Yu, holds intimate book events/readings and a book club that I’d love to join!

I picked up a few goodies

1. Faldum by Herman Hess zine, by Dart Harley.

2. Toronto Journal Issue 8 Summer 2026. Excited to read all the short stories.

3. In The Small Hours by Erin Brubacher. Sparse poems that chronicle the aftermath of her marriage through slice-of-life observations.

4. My Gender Is Ghost zine by Suchita Chadha

What a treat it was to chat with Kai and peruse her stunning space. Courtice needs more indie bookstores.

lately

I had the best French onion soup of my life at Pickel Barrel the other day. THE BEST. Coupled with a chicken, roasted red pepper + avocado sandwich, I was in culinary heaven. Superb.

Currently reading: Witches: The Transformative Power of Women Working Together by Sam George-Allen. Covens. Convents. Girl bands. Make-up. Sex workers. Trans women. Midwives. Matriarchal societies. I can’t put this book down. I’m taking a lot of notes.

I’m yearning for beauty in my physical space. Rn this basement is very utilitarian.

Things I want to write about

- Foods that shaped my childhood

- A list of all the things I want to learn/study

- Monthly wishlist/goals/desires

- Thoughts on aging

- Green flags

- A list of things that bring me comfort

🐦‍⬛

heart-ons

• How I use my Hobonichi weeks | a reading/media journal

• Florence Pugh’s East of Eden makeup. I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I find her videos relaxing to watch nonetheless. Plus, I’m crushing hard on Florence rn.

• I binged Carrie (2026), and now, of course, this song is on repeat Shy girl. Are they doing a second season bc they left it wide open?

• Hotaru’s photo blog

• Lovely food blog, Honeybunch of Onion, I found through Zachary Kai’s blog.

always trust staff picks <3