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

7.6.16 - Read Books, Drink Wine, & Eat Pickles (not necessarily in that order)

Did you miss J.T.'s July newsletter? Click here to get book news, some great wine recommendations, and a killer pickle recipe!

Come on, folks, who can say no to that??

Wanna get the inside scoop delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for J.T.'s newsletter!

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

6.30.16 - If you've finished FIELD OF GRAVES, it's time for the next Taylor book...

Hi, guys!

Amy here, taking the reins from J.T. so she can, you know, write stuff for all of us to devour. 

If you've finished FIELD OF GRAVES (congrats, by the way!), now's the time to move on to the next book in the Lt. Taylor Jackson series: ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS. It's got a new cover, a creepy killer who likes to leave unconventional bread crumbs at the scenes of his crimes, and more Taylor/Baldwin goodness. You don't wanna miss this book (or, if you've read it, take a walk down Memory Lane and revisit this one!).

Here's a bit more about it:
 

Book #1 in the heart-racing Taylor Jackson series chronicles a serial killer who leaves a gruesome memento at each crime scene—his prior victim's severed hand. As the killer spirals out of control, Taylor and Baldwin must face a horrible truth: the purest evil is born of private lies.
 

Pre-Order the $9.99 Paperback!

AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
BOOKS-A-MILLION
INDIEBOUND

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.