Jenn D’s August Recs
August started out chilly but it’s gotten a little warmer and sunnier. I’m a winter person, but I’m trying to be remember to go outside and stand in the sun when the UV is only 3 and not 14. I have been enjoying the days I can put my washing in the line. It’s such a simple little chore, but it’s just me in the backyard with the birds and the camellias and the leaf-curl spiders, and sometimes I really need that ten minutes of standing in the sun, performing a rote task, and letting my itchy brain settle down through the activity of sorting which clothes go where and with what pegs.
In related news, one of the books I devoured this week was How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis. I tend to collect resources for my peers who have ADHD or are spoonies, so this was something I picked up as a way of vetting it for future recommendations. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt deeply shamed for not having their house “clean and tidy” and feels the overwhelming urge to just throw everything out. (Which, in a couple of cases, the author says “do it, seriously.”)
Little Mate had his cast removed on Tuesday (see the photo—they crack it open with a nifty little tool!) and his leg been very tender and sore. This meant a couple of late nights for me as I helped him settle enough to get sleepy. I turned to my Kindle and worked on some of my TBR. I finally finished Little Thieves by Margaret Owen. It was a slow start but I did enjoy it! Very cool how it unfolded at a nice pace. You can really take your time with it.
I also can’t stop thinking about the Monk & Robot books. They’ve been living in my head rent free since I first read them. Becky Chambers, you mystical beastie, I love your writing very much.
TV: Well, look, I watch a lot of kids’ TV. (And a lot of Planet Earth.) I I did manage to finish Our Flag Means Death (amazing) and I introduced my kids to Waffles + Mochi (it’s just super cute okay) and otherwise I have been mostly hovering around the edges of what other people watch.
I also started the audiobook of Story Genius so I can listen and then go back and consolidate in my printed copy, and I am really enjoying it! I like the premise that stories are hard-wired and that by understanding our brains through science we can figure out why stories matter. And then how to make our stories matter to other people.
I haven’t had much time to go running, but I did manage to sneak out a couple times this past fortnight and it was enough time for me to fall solidly, definitely, truly in love with Beyonce’s RENAISSANCE. It’s wildly horny, funny, queer, and a superb masterpiece. Every time she releases another album I’m literally jaw on the floor amazed at her ability to sing. Not just sing, but also create space within and around her voice that brings new meaning and inflection to the text. She’s amazing. The album is amazing. My running pace is way too fast because it’s such a dang bop.
For podcasts: I have to shout out Jen V’s other podcast, A Tardis of One’s Own, which is just a delight. I specifically enjoyed the recent episode where they discuss motherhood. It was a really interesting episode! It can be really confronting for people when women say they’re not into having kids and this episode goes into a lot of the nuance around it. I wholeheartedly recommend the entire pod, even if, like me, you only have a passing acquaintance with Doctor Who. It’s like a little uni course, but fun! (Also, Sophie’s little ick noises give me life.)
And finally, I can’t remember how I got onto Maintenance Phase, but I heard about the Pete Evans episodes and I was curious enough to start listening, and… dang. Dang, y’all. I did not expect “paleo to neonazi pipeline” to be on my 2022 bingo card but there we are. Anyway it’s a fantastic show and I absolutely recommend the Pete Evans episodes (especially to the Antipodean crowd, who’ve undoubtedly had their fill of the activated almond).
I hope everyone is having a fantastic almost-spring/almost-fall, and I will catch you in a month for some September recommendations! Until then, adios!