Happy Sunday, y’all! I hope your weekend is going well. Saw a favorite author Friday at Parnassus (Holly Black), and had a lovely dinner with Assistant Leigh, and now I’m playing catch-up after a busy week juggling multiple projects. My 2019 reading has gotten off to a glorious start, but the writing isn’t as smooth. I’ve been laying down words, just not in the morning like I want. I’ve had my brain on too many things. That’s the way it goes sometimes when you make changes at the beginning of the month. I’ve discovered the lovely new notebook might be better for journaling and my Habana bullet journal feels more comfortable for daily tasks and to dos and meeting notes. I’ve got them both on my desk now, and I’ll figure it out AFTER the draft is done.

I know myself well enough to recognize when to back away from something that’s causing trouble. It’s hard to make such a big shift whilst trying to draft a book. This is the traditional moment in January when new habits fall to the wayside, so I hate to be a cliche. I am still going strong on Dry January. I haven’t done as well with writing in the morning, working in the afternoon, but that will shift this week, I hope!

It’s amazing how we try to build new habits, but our brains have such muscle memory that it’s hard to make too many changes at once. Plasticity in neuroscience is a relatively new discovery, so maybe I can give myself a wee break. So long as the words get done, that’s all that matters. Doing them in an ideal manner, that’s where the new habits come in.

Oh, and we watched Avengers: Infinity War at last. I loved seeing the Marvel multi-verse come together, and can’t wait to see what they cook up next. Very cool.

Let’s take a look at the latest links!

Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

The Real Book Spy’s 2019 Reading Guide: Every Thriller We Know About So Far. Ryan has put together quite an extensive list ! So great to see THE LAST SECOND (3/26/19) and GOOD GIRLS LIE (9/3/19) there.

Independent bookstores are growing — and Instagram helped. “There’s also a thriving — and growing — community of book lovers on Instagram who use the platform to share their love of reading, connect with other bookworms, and support their local independent stores.” Trust me when I say my book list is growing…

I'm still terrible at yoga, 14 years after I started – so what's got me hooked? I loved this piece, mostly because I, too, am not the best at my practice. Physical limitations (I have 3 screws in my left shoulder) mean there are certain poses I will never be able to do, and I modify a ton more. Chaturanga will always be a bitch. But it’s a great lesson – you don’t have to be good to do yoga. You don’t have to be flexible. Athletic. Bendy. It’s about showing up. It’s about moving your body. It’s about connecting with yourself. That’s the hardest part of all, and the reason people quit. Not because of the physical stuff.

Winter Horoscopes for Writers. LOVE. Everything this says about my sign (I’m a Taurus) feels right on. My husband as well. What does it say for you?

Digital Fads Like the ‘Twinning’ App Are Almost Always Bad for Your Privacy.  “The Popsugar leak should also serve as a reminder that there’s always a risk involved when you share information online, even with a brand you know for a fun, care-free purpose.”

How to Configure Your iPhone to Work for You, Not Against You. This goes into the how but also the why. A thorough guide!

9 Podcasts That Are Basically A Book Club You Can Enjoy At Home By Yourself. Awesome stuff here!!!I need to extend my listening day dramatically. I wish I could listen and write at the same time!

Here's How Much it Would Cost to Build Hogwarts in Real Life. Let’s just nip down to the bank for a loan, shall we?

New light sculpture by Design Bridge and Gali May Lucas highlights our obsession with staring at screens. This was both illuminating (see what I did there?) and sad. It’s what I see every time I’m out at night, and it breaks my heart. I know we all need an instant line in to our world, but it’s also really cool to see people NOT checking their phones. I admit I always take note of the diners around me to see if they’re on their phones or not.

What I’m Reading:

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

This book spoke to me on a number of levels. I grew up in the mountains, well away from the nearest town, and understand the joy and pain of isolation. But… that’s where our similarities end.

This is a fascinating look at the lengths some people have to go to in order to become educated. Beautifully written, Tara Westover has a lovely command of language. Heartbreaking, inspiring, and frighteningly real. Have you read this yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

That’s it for now. Find a new author to binge on (may I suggest Holly Black?), send someone you haven’t talked to in a while a note, buy yourself a yoga mat and check out Yoga with Adriene on YouTube, I’ll see you next Sunday.

peace and hugs,
J.T.