Blessed Sunday to you all!

Hey there, I’m back! Well, back for Smatterings and the occasional Friday tweet. Because of the COVID-19 situation, I’ve had to spend more time online than I’d planned for the first several days of Lent, so I figured it might as well be a modified business as usual here, too. Plus, I missed you!

I don’t know about you, but it’s been a rather unsettled week. My grave concerns from a few weeks ago seem to have started fulfilling themselves, which has resulted in a lot of shopping and shifting of travel plans.

Sometimes in these situations, the news can be overwhelming, and scary. We’ve certainly never faced anything like COVID-19 in our lifetimes, and, if you’re a fan of dystopian fiction like me, it’s easy to imagine worse case scenarios. I honestly don’t think TEOTWAWKI is underway (though who knows? Maybe once the imminent threat has passed, we will find ourselves in a new, more compassionate landscape in which we all get along and work together...)

I do think we as a community need to be very smart—staying home if we’re ill, cutting back travel and being in crowds, washing hands a LOT, and otherwise being as careful and cautious as we can be. Novel means just that, new, and unknown. No one really knows what’s going to happen, so we need to work together to conquer this insidious disease. Here’s Dr. Dan from the CDC with an important message about where to get legitimate advice.

So how do you keep upbeat in a time of great turmoil? Well, I read. I think books find us at the moment we need them the most. Good example—I tried reading A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES three times before I could finally meet the story with an open heart, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite books.

This week, I’ve been reading Lori Gottlieb’s MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE. I am in love with this book. I’ve recommended it to everyone I can. I was resistant to the idea at first—a therapist telling a story about going to therapy? Meh. But friends were raving, so I gave it a try... and I was hooked immediately, started underlining on page 2, and have been entranced ever since. I’m reading it slowly because I don’t want it to end—the hallmark of the best books for me. It’s almost more of a mystery novel than it is non-fiction, and the voice is intelligent and accessible and heartbreaking and fun. If you’ve been in therapy, it will resonate. If you haven’t, it will still resonate. This is a story about people, and love, and hurt, and happiness. Seriously, go get it. And if you’ve read it, tell me about it in the comments! (And remember I won’t be on FB to answer, so try it here on the blog...)

I had a fun professional week. The awesome Mary Kubica was here, so we got to tape a show and do a book signing at Parnassus. And Thursday I attended the Public Library Association (PLA) conference and signed a whole bunch of books for my lovely librarian friends. One of my firsts (Paula Laurita of the Athens-Limestone in Athens, Alabama) brought me a bottle of wine, too. How fun is that?

And yes… I’m writing… I promise… and it’s going well… 👰🏼

I’ve kept you too long. Here are some links to keep you occupied for a while! Onward!

THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

Obsessed With Outlander? We've Rounded Up 10 New Books You'll Want to Read ASAP. This book list was made for me. I’m so glad #droughtlander is over!

Hundreds of readers donate copies of depression memoir after Caroline Flack's death. What a wonderful outpouring of love. And what a great idea - Buy a Stranger A Book Book Club. Wish all bookstores would do this. Can you imagine it, sort of like the Starbucks drive-through when someone pays for the drink of the car behind them? Leave a book behind for the next person. AWESOME!

11 Chilling Suspense Books You Need This Winter and Beyond. GOOD GIRLS LIE is in such good company!

Plan Your Dream Reading Vacation in a Literary Airbnb. These all look amazing! Since I’m armchair traveling for a while…

Tomi Adeyemi, Angie Thomas and More on Changing the YA Books Industry. Great profile, there are so many new voices breaking out! Love to see this.

Heroic Librarians: Unexpected Roles and Amazing Feats of Librarianship. Cool stories! As I mentioned above, librarians are my favorites.

The 5 Best Independent Bookstores in Paris: English-Language Havens. This makes me want to head back to Paris stat!

That’s it from me. Be safe, be wary, and be kind. I’ll see you next week!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.