Reading · Dispatches from Elsewhere

Hello, hello, hello!

Welcome back to another volume of Seen, Done, Loved! It’s Monday again, and the weather remains scorching in Barcelona. I had an unsuccessful trip to the beach on Thursday that lasted an hour. I left before 1 pm as it felt like I was sitting on the surface of the sun. The heat was something fierce that day, and later in the evening I discovered it had been 36 Celsius.

This week I looked at the Solar Eclipse, went on a F1-inspired scavenger hunt, started a much-needed Instagram and ploughed my way through a 600-page book.

The Solar Eclipse whizzed past our skies here in Barcelona, and whilst we didn’t experience totality, we skirted on 99.8% visibility. We wandered up to the highest point near us in Barcelona, Montjüic and waited for the eclipse to start happening. I had secured some very last-minute glasses from the pharmacy, and wow, they were fantastic! I understand the hype now.

My one solar eclipse regret is not looking at the cool shadows from the trees as it was occurring. I’ve seen so many videos and photos, and it really does look very impressive.

How wonderful it was to be connected with so many other people as we waited for it to happen. It felt so pure and wholesome as we collectively watched something most of us won’t see again in our lifetime (in Europe at least until 2090). People clapped, shouted and exclaimed in delight as the solar eclipse reached its zenith.

Last week I created a Bookstagram account that felt remarkably overdue, and simultaneously unthought of. I’ve been a reader since I discovered Sweet Valley Twins at the tender age of 8, thanks to my friend Megan. I was hooked. I raced through the series and graduated to Sweet Valley High a few years later. I was never a Babysitters Club girlie, despite my best efforts. The drama of Jessica and Elizabeth was far more enticing. Especially when Jessica would steal a boy that Elizabeth liked, or something else controversial.

As the years progressed, my reading habits continued to change and evolve. I love to read. In fact, it’s been a core part of my work identity, working in bookstores before becoming a librarian. Books have been my world for most of my life, and so has recommending them.

Most of my money goes into purchasing books. I’ve spent most of the past decade moving every couple of years, so purchasing books was put on hold as I moved with two suitcases and a Kindle. After a few years living in Antwerp, Belgium, I made the decision to start building up my book collection from scratch. It coincided with the opening of one of the most beautiful bookstores, not only in the city, but in all of Belgium - Luddites Book & Wine.

My dream, like most bookworms, is to one day open a bookstore.

I’m not sure why I never thought about a Bookstagram account. It feels like a shame to have wasted the past years keeping all these wonderful book recommendations to myself, or to the other 3 readers in my life. It’s partly how this Substack came to fruition, initially starting off as somewhere to detail my new life in Barcelona, and has now morphed into my bookish recommendations.

So here we are, a weekish into my WhatsMissyReading account, 500 followers strong and loving being a part of a community that adores reading and sharing. It’s heavenly.

On Saturday morning, my favourite F1 driver, Lando Norris, was having a summer pop-up in a coffee store near our apartment. On offer were a free coffee and stickers. I was a huge F1 fan in the late 90s and left the sport for over 20 years, returning in 2021. Since rejoining, I’ve attended 3 F1 Grand Prixes in Singapore, Belgium and Spain and have become a devoted Lando Norris and McLaren fan.

Being a part of a community of women who love sport is one of the most incredible feelings. When I attended the Barcelona Grand Prix earlier this summer, I was completely amazed at how many solo women (myself included) were there to support their favourite teams and drivers, travelling from all around the world to attend. I met women from Greece and the UK who passionately spoke about their love for the sport, and this was again evidenced on Saturday as the line to the coffeeshop snaked around the block.

It makes me so excited when women build communities together that often feel like that didn’t exist when I was in my early 20s. I longed to find tribes like the F1 Girlies, and whilst it’s totally better late than never, I’m so excited for the future of F1 and its many female supporters.

I’m at the tail end of reading The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett; it’s been an odyssey in the best kind of way. Over 600+ pages, I’ve been immersed in the world of Birdie Calhoun as she grapples with the effects of the Great Depression on her family and friends. I’ve got a little under 200 pages left to go, and I’m already mourning the end of these wonderful and amazing characters that soar off the page. If you’re in the market for an excellent summer read, as we close out these final weeks of August, I cannot recommend The Calamity Club enough.

I have my eye on this bag from & Other Stories that feels like it would be a super addition to my small bag collection. I'm not one into bags, but it does feel like something I would enjoy for years to come. It’s not cheap either. I shall keep pondering.

I need someone to tell me not to purchase this pink keyboard from Logitech. I have absolutely no need for it, yet I’ve had it open on my tabs for days now as I ponder it. Someone tell me no.

Until next Monday,

Missy

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Seen, Done, Loved: Volume 4

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