(opens in new tab) I haven’t read the book pictured above, but it’s probably very helpful. It gets 3.96 stars on Goodreads and 4.6 on Amazon.com. Plus, it’s about an important goal that many of us in today’s world struggle to accomplish. Science shows that to lead happy, healthy lives, we need human interaction. If…
“Why”…Wednesdays
NetGalley Review of Look Before You Leap
(opens in new tab) title: Look Before You Leap author: Virginia Heath publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin publication date: June 24, 2025 pages: 320 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: none summary: Lottie, a farmer’s daughter from Kent, was raised by her father and four brothers. Rather than work as a farmer, she’s brought into London…
NetGalley Review of Sunny Side Up
(opens in new tab) title: Sunny Side Up author: Katie Sturino publisher: Celadon Books publication date: June 24, 2025 pages: 304 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: fat-phobia and misogyny summary: Sunny, six months after her divorce, is preparing for a beach vacation when her changing-room experience is so bad that it sets her on…
337. Why Not Fit In
(opens in new tab) I’m fully aware that there are two ways to read the title of today’s post. First, I could be asking the question, why not (try to) fit in? Well, there are lots of reasons, some of which I hope you already know and others this post might make clear. I’m thinking…
336. Why SFAH
(opens in new tab) [A quick note to my new subscribers, many of whom are 2025s. Welcome! Did you read last week’s post yet? There’s a special offer for you in there? Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled programming.] When I was a kid, I often saw my mom (Hi, JG!) reading cookbooks as…
NetGalley Review of The Ripple Effect
(opens in new tab) title: The Ripple Effect author: Maggie North publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin publication date: June 17, 2025 pages: 336 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: hospital visit, cut and stitches summary: When Stellar was at her lowest point because of a horrible situation at work, she hooked up with Lyle McHugh, called McHuge….
NetGalley Review of Far and Away
(opens in new tab) title: Far and Away author: Amy Poeppel publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books publication date: June 10, 2025 pages: 400 peppers: 1 (on this scale) warnings: none summary: When Lucy’s son Jack’s life blows up just before his high school graduation (which doesn’t happen because he gets expelled), she impulsively swaps apartments with…
335. Why BYODB
I took the photo above in the weeks before the school closed the old dining hall to renovate it into a bigger, fancier dining hall. One of the things a lot of other people and I loved about our old dining hall was its disco ball. Shortly after I captured this sparkly moment, the school…
NetGalley Review of Worth Fighting For
(opens in new tab) title: Worth Fighting For author: Jesse Q. Sutanto publisher: Hyperion Avenue publication date: June 3, 2025 pages: 288 peppers: 2 (on this scale) warnings: mysogeny summary: In this modern Mulan retelling, Mulan is a finance bro whose father ends up hospitalized just before making the deal with a man-centric whiskey company…
334. Why Walk 2.0
What a mix of emotions looking back at my post from March 11, 2020, linked here, elicited! In that post, I talked about the many benefits I got from walking my dog. We lost Tuukka in January of 2024, and I miss him. I also wrote that post while thinking about my upcoming trip to…