Three Cheers for Summer and Peas

💌 The Month for Romance

Living in New York for the last few weeks has felt a little bit like a fever dream. The Knicks won? We had a parade? The weather has been amazing? The World Cup has brought excitable fans in from all over the world? And on top of it all a bunch of amazing books released and I got to celebrate them?

I hope everyone’s start of summer is feeling as giddy as this. I must admit I’m a summer gal, so I’m prone to being happy this time of year anyway. But this has felt a little greedy to have so much fun surrounding us.

If you do want to get in on the joy, want to come for a walk on Sunday? I’m joining the Preoccupied Walking Club at 11am in Central park for a walking book club and would love for you to join me? Let’s keep soaking up summer happiness.

And for those of you not in New York, I’ve got some upcoming joys for you too. More news about my upcoming book The Apparent Trap is coming. We’re planning a lot of fun stuff so make sure to stay tuned. In the meantime, Happy Books!

📚 What I’m Reading

I do not think I can possibly sum up what an amazing week it was for new books last week. Three of my favorites of the year came out and I got to celebrate them all. We threw Kirsty Greenwood a big ole American party — if you aren’t familiar with her, she writes the coziest, most hilarious, slightly magical British romcoms. Her previous book Love of My Afterlife was one of my favorite books last year, and her newest is Romantic Hero, about a writer whose book villain comes to life in her apartment. An actual delight.

And speaking of favorite books of last year, Lauren Okie’s The Best Worst Thing truly had me screaming from the rooftops about how it was the best book no one was talking about. Well luckily for us, her newest, Tropesick, has been shouted about from all the rooftops and it is truly a love letter to romance readers.

Finally, Ashley Poston released her newest, The Someday Garden, and it made me so hopeful and weepy that I found myself staring at a wall and texting friends that I loved them. It’s the story of a gardener who loses her best friend and then goes back to find solace in an unknowingly magical garden they went to together. I adore everything she writes and this is truly one of her best.

🍴What I’m Cooking Up

I am currently 90% snap pea and strawberry. That is all I want to eat. Raw, in salads, and cooked in everything imaginable. I highly recommend making a salad out of them with goat cheese and little Dijon mustard dressing. Simplicity beats all things this time of year.

But speaking of miracles with vegetables, I’m a little sad because one of my favorite restaurants, Loring Place is closing next month. It was the kind of New York restaurant that feels impossible lately—elevated but somehow of the neighborhood. But the good news is, the chef, Dan Kluger, wrote one of the all-time best cookbooks imaginable, Chasing Flavor. And he’s particularly adroit with produce, so this is a good time of year to be cooking his food.

💛 Happy News

Did I mention the Knicks? I live with a long-suffering New York husband and a New Yorker son who loves sports, so this has been a very happy time in our house. If you want to see collective joy I highly recommend watching videos of the streets of New York while everyone was celebrating.

And while I promise I’m not going to become sporty on you, I am also loving all the content about World Cup fans having a great time. I particularly love the Norway fans and their over the top rowing. If you haven’t seen it, give it a watch. You can’t possibly stop a smile.

✨ Thanks for being here!

Thanks again for being here in this little spot of happy books.