The Sunday Collection 8.16.26

I am an over-planter. In spring, when the dirt is bare, I get nervous about growing enough flowers to share with everyone. I sprinkle too many seeds, then, come August, the garden is a wild beast. I love my unruly trellises that look like something out of a fairytale, and overcrowded zinnias provide built-in support for summer storms to keep themselves upright. However, as I wander my garden and think about what I would do differently next year, I can’t help but think of cutting back. Letting the zinnias have more room to breathe, so they grow stronger stems and produce more blooms on each plant. Planting fewer seeds for climbing plants, so I can actually find the bean pods and see more flowers than foliage. Giving everything more room to expand—trusting that with more space and less competition, each plant will thrive all the more.

If you know me well, you've already guessed that I’m not just talking about my garden, I’m also talking about my creative life, my work, and my family’s schedule. As we enter a new season in a few weeks, I’m considering how I can best show up for everyone in my life, while building my newsletter, launching new projects, and staying sane through inevitable ups and downs.

It is getting harder and harder to breathe, publishing here on the internet. I feel like a zinnia being choked at every turn, inundated with constant content, and—I can’t lie—I feel like a tiny little bloom compared to much bigger, more successful writers on Substack. A tiny bloom getting squashed by giant AI weeds and algorithms out of my control. I am tempted to toss more writing and ideas on Notes and podcast episodes into my newsletter in order to keep up. But then my writing would have skinny stems and wilting leaves. Creating more would not result in the thriving garden of a newsletter I’m aiming for.

Before I get too lost in this metaphor, let me assure you I’m not cutting anything back from The Eclectic Reader or disappearing from the internet (tempting though it may be). I'm not having any sort of crisis about my work or identity. But I do feel the need to take a short break in order to give my writing some breathing space, to support my kids in back-to-school season, and to decide which plants to water, which plants to pull, and how to tend to my newsletter with enthusiasm over comparison.

I don’t like announcing a break, but I'm happy to feel silly if a few readers relate to the message behind this one. So, I will see you right here with a new Sunday Collection, reading reflections podcast episode, and garden updates in early September! Until then, I hope you squeeze in a few more summer reads and eat delicious tomatoes while I’m away.

• We had a few rainy days last week, so Theo asked to pull out some puzzles. I’d forgotten how much I adore Crocodile Creek puzzles for young kids. Our Garden Friends puzzle isn’t easy to find at a reasonable price anymore, but the Bunny House is awfully cute.

• I’ve been jamming to the new Lake Street Dive song—anyone else?

• This is the summer of lentils. Yay, fiber! I add them to ground meat, make a batch for salads and wraps and can’t wait for lentil soups in the fall. This lentil avocado salad is on my list to make in August.

• I’ve been getting back into coloring as a way to unwind from the day, and my coloring book collection is small but mighty. I’m happy with what I have, but I’m always looking out for books to add to my wishlist. Bear’s Delicious Restaurant is at the top right now because it reminds me of Theo’s stuffed bear, Goober. I make up stories about Goober in which he owns a bakery, so I can’t help but feel a calling to this adorable artwork.

• I’ve been using Bachan’s Japanese Barbeque Sauce as a marinade all summer, for chicken, salmon, and pork. It adds the best umami flavor. I find it at Aldi at a discounted price, but I’m sure it’s only a seasonal item there, so if you see it stock up.

Heather by Caitlin Mullen

As a devoted Nancy Drew reader in my childhood, my adult summer reading doesn’t feel complete without an atmospheric mystery. Heather perfectly fit the bill. I’ve seen Heather compared to The God of the Woods, and I can see why. Both books feature flashback chapters and alternating perspectives, a moody forest landscape, and rough-around-the-edges female characters. But while I enjoyed Heather, I didn’t find it quite up to the caliber of a Liz Moore “literary mystery.” It read like a classic detective novel, imbued with a strong setting and feminist themes. Weirdly, I found a ton of typos in the novel, which I don’t place at the feet of the author. I usually find one or two typos, especially in advanced reader copies, but this was a finished library copy and almost got distracting. As for the summary: newly minted Police Chief Callie Hauser moved back home to help her best friend recover from a car accident, not to confront her alcoholic mother or open a decades old cold case. But small town secrets have a way of sneaking up on you, especially if your DNA turns up in connection with a victim.

Anger is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo

I just finished listening to this advanced audiobook copy from Libro.fm (out 9/15), and I keep sending fellow Acevedo fans a string of crying emojis in lieu of words. Elizabeth Acevedo is a masterful storyteller, imbuing her work with poetry and passion for her characters. In her latest novel-in-free-verse, she manages to depict a messy, trouble-finding teen with such tenderness. Even as I wanted to reprimand Lil along with her parents, or stop her from making the wrong choice, I couldn’t help but root for her and wish I could wrap her in a hug. As Lil exits a juvenile detention center and reenters her life with another court date looming, her brother starts to exhibit concerning mental health symptoms. Confined to a limited radius by her ankle monitor, Lil does her best to make new friends, stay within the bounds of her court orders, and convince her parents that her brother needs more than well wishes and phone calls. He is away at college and unreachable—except to Lil, who needs to decide between following the rules or letting her gut lead the way to protect her family. I had a fist around my heart and a lump in my throat the whole time I listened to Acevedo’s narration. What a fantastic and triumphant return to YA—I hope she wins a well-deserved award for this one.

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