7.17.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hello, fellow bookworms.

I hope you're doing alright today. Whatcha been up to, anything fun? I've been trying to figure out what to do with my latest farmer's market haul. I'm thinking of making a huge, cold salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, lemon, and parsley. Because it is 🔥🔥🔥 here, you guys. And under no circumstances do I want to turn on my oven.  

Anyway . . .

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Coca-Cola. Pepsi. Dr. Pepper. Mountain Dew. They all have something in common besides being sodas: they were all founded here in the South. This fascinating article from Serious Eats explains why.

Did you hear that Audible is basically launching its own paid podcast channels?

Update: Texas Library Cat Reinstated (this is the important news I bring you, people).

Nothing stirs up controversy like declaring something THE BEST. What say you about these 100 "best" beach reads?

Speaking of beach reads, you can win a whole bunch of them here—including FIELD OF GRAVES!

IMPORTANT: there is a Harry Potter science summer camp.

 

And closer to home:

And on The Wine Vixen: are you looking for a white wine off the Riesling/Sauv Blanc/Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio beaten path? This wine might be the ticket.

Oh! And you might've heard that J.T. is writing a new book... (talk about saving the best for last!)

That's it from me you guys. Pray for me tonight as I bake in the sun at an outdoor country music concert. In July. In Nashville. I must be a glutton for punishment.
 

Cordially yours,
Assistant Amy

7.10.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Happy Sunday, folks!
 

Amy here. Are you having a good time settling into summer? In Nashville, that usually means coming to terms with never-ending sticky weather with thunderstorms every afternoon. But you know what? I'm making peace with it because . . .

TOMATOES ARE HERE. I repeat, TOMATOES ARE HERE. 🍅🍅🍅

I live for fresh tomatoes. By themselves with salt. On a freshly grilled hamburger. In pico de gallo. With cottage cheese. In all the things, I live for them. I love you, tomatoes.

Anyway . . .

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:
 

This one's for the book nerds: look at these 40 hidden artworks painted on the edges of books!

A valid question: "Why does every new restaurant look like a factory?" (I thought this was just a Nashville thing—not so much, it appears)

Have you ever wanted to own a cool book shop? Now's your chance.

Shop for stocking stuffers early: look at these socks for book nerds!

There is nothing I love more than animals of different species being friends—a good life metaphor, I think.

And closer to home:

Have you been missing JT? Never fear! I have the scoop on a way to get your thrillerchick fix: this Wine Vixen blog post, in which she dishes on an Italian red. 

If you didn't catch JT's July News, you can check it out here, along with this killer pickle recipe! (and if you never want to miss it again, you should sign up for her monthly email—word on the street is a pretty cool contest for email subscribers is coming soon...just sayin', folks)

That's it from me, fine people. Go get you some tomatoes (or whichever summer produce makes your heart flutter), stay cool, and I'll talk to you soon!

Cordially yours,
Assistant Amy

7.3.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Happy Sunday, Everyone!

Amy here, pleasantly surprised that I'm not drowning in Tennessee humidity this July weekend. I actually want to go outside instead of huddle under the A/C and pray for winter (I run a little hot—I really should live in Alaska). 

American friends, I hope you have a lovely time celebrating the 4th tomorrow!

hardly anything rattles toby, but he's not a big fan of loud noises that disturb his slumber

Mother of Greyhounds PSA: If you've got pets who are going to be frightened of fireworks, don't forget to make the holiday a little easier for them, make sure they're secure, and give them a little extra love. 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:
 

Dick Van Dyke led a sing-along of "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from Mary Poppins in front of Walt Disney's childhood home (because why not?), and I got all the feels. LOOK AT HIM. He is 90. I daresay he looks (and moves) 30 years younger than that. I'll have what he's having.

This is why our Nashville indie Parnassus Books is my favorite: a shop-dog scavenger hunt and Harry Potter celebrations. I mean, come on.

Have you heard about people making fancy new cast-iron pans? I was this close from contributing to a Kickstarter for a company trying to make lighter pans...but why would I do that, when my $16 Lodge skillet does just fine and will last me forever? I could put that money toward adding new spices to my collection. (Confession: I have a Penzey's Spices addiction. And I don't care.)
 

Speaking of food, I can't stop eating this chicken. I'm really glad my boyfriend will eat whatever I put in front of him, because I've made this no less than four times in the past ten days. I omit the pita, because I'm lazy and always have rice in my pantry to pair it with instead. Seriously. You have to make this chicken.

As of July 1, we Tennesseans can finally buy wine in grocery stores, and everybody lost their minds. See the actual headline in The Tennessean as proof. No longer will broke college students commission their out-of-state friends to bring them cases of Two-Buck Chuck.

And closer to home:
 

Guys. If you've finished FIELD OF GRAVES, now's the time to move on to the next book (chronologically) in the series: ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS. You J.T. Ellison vets will no doubt remember this is her first book. But! It's being put back in print with a pretty new cover. Hooray! You can check out the details here.

J.T.'s July Newsletter went out this week! Did you get yours? Have you tried that pickle recipe yet!? (you should!) Not on the list yet? You can sign up here. Spoiler alert: there's a great contest coming to newsletter subscribers in the next couple of weeks, so now's the time to join! 

My love for Riesling is not a secret. I love that varietal because it has such range, and you never know what you're going to get. I tried a new bottle this week, and was blown away by it. If you've got spicy food or Asian dishes on your menu soon, this is the perfect one to pair it with!

That's it from me, you guys! Have a lovely week, be safe tomorrow, and I'll talk to you later!
 

–Assistant Amy

6.26.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hello, chickens. Welcome to Sunday.

I hope you're keeping cool and your summer has officially kicked off to a good start. I spent most of last week in Colorado visiting family, enjoying weather a bit more arid than the muggy heat of Tennessee. Though I'm not complaining—after a couple weeks in a suitcase, there really is no place like home. 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

This owl melted my heart. I literally tear up every time I see the pictures, and the story behind them is just as heartwarming. It makes me think that staring into the great unknown isn't perhaps as scary as it once was. 

One of our favorite book sites, BookRiot, listed 10 thrillers & mysteries to read this summer (spoiler alert: you may recognize one of them!).

On Cartography & Comparison—aka the difference between Google Maps and Apple Maps. This is one of the coolest stories you'll read all summer. Really great for those of you who love maps and like to argue about directions. 

How many notebooks do you really need? (if you're me: a bunch) I'm always on the lookout for a perfect physical system, but I've settled pretty well into my Habanas lately. Though true confession: I bought a Midori travel notebook system last night. Sigh.

This bookish jewelry is all kinds of adorable. Want!

Food for thought: "Why following your passion isn't always the best advice." This video was interesting to me for a numbers of reasons, possibly because I did put my passion on hold for so long and simply pulled down a paycheck. I think it's important to have pride in your work, and teach kids a trade. Because if the world collapses, someone's going to have to rebuild it...

And closer to home:

On The Wine Vixen, I talked about my go-to red when it's summer and it's scorching and you want something boozy and cold.

Want an omniscient view of how FIELD OF GRAVES came into being? Here you go!

It's been quite a past few weeks in the headlines, hasn't it? That, coupled with lots of tour travel, had me pensive about traveling and made a few things clear: like what I need to be doing for the rest of the summer (hint: I'm taking a big online break from social media, blogging, the works.) Assistant Amy will be running things, and I'll bet you don't even miss me. 😘 

That's all from me, lovelies. Enjoy your day, and hug on your people. You both deserve a little love today.
 

xoxo,
J.T.

6.19.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Happy Sunday, dear chickens.

And Happy Father's Day to all you incredible Daddies out there, especially my own, who is one of the greatest joys in my life. I come to you today from the grand Rocky Mountains, as I am still touring cross-country for the FIELD OF GRAVES launch. I've so enjoyed getting to meet some of you, hearing your stories (sounds like you're just as glad that I am that Taylor's back!), and getting to say hi to bookseller friends old and new. It's been a hard week for so many reasons, and in the midst of the darkness, I'm so glad to connect with my people, the reading community. Y'all are such a thoughtful, imaginative group, and I'm glad you're mine.

And without further ado . . .  

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

How many of these can you fess up to? "15 Things Book Nerds Are Guilty of Doing During The Summer."

Written by a dear friend of mine who has just been through epic hell, this is a fascinating read in the LA Times: "Legalizing Marijuana Is a Hazy Question Once You've Seen Addiction Up Close."

Take a peek at this giant bookshelf (!).

This may be the cutest town in the whole wide world.
 

If you're interested in finding some simplicity this week, this lost of suggestions is absolute perfection. I felt peaceful just reading it.

 

And closer to home:

My love for Freedom is no secret; I've written more than a million words using this distraction-blocking app. I talked to my friends at Freedom about how I use their app and loads of other tools to write, and you can read our chat here and here.

Also, book recommendation: I'm in the middle of SWEETBITTER by Stephanie Danler. Oh my, chickens—I am utterly entranced. It's the real deal. Methinks you need to read this one.

On The Wine Vixen this week, Amy has a confession of sorts. 

That's it from me, y'all. I leave you with this quote, which continues to speak to me after I saw it earlier this week. Be well, my loves.

xoxo,
J.T.