What Have I Been Reading and Writing?

Last week I finished The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (my 19th book of the year). One of my biggest takeaway’s was how large Sybil’s life was able to become because she kept it as “analog” as possible. Yes, there were the occasional emails instead of handwritten letters, but the correspondence (rather than the sticky web of digital connection) kept the responses coming back. Letters to authors she admired. Emails to customer service reps turned into a friendship, a confidant, a new job. Growing emotionally intimate relationships, across property lines and oceans. Having the opportunity to give a child the love you so desperately need to give (and have received).

Wholesome, funny, devastating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️; 4 stars.

Also, in the spirit of correspondence…

Last week, I shared this post about L.L. Bean’s new tote. Out of curiosity, I searched Substack for real life off-the gridders and connected with Amy Jay. I asked her if she would ever buy that L.L. Bean tote and she said not only would she never buy that bag that isn’t even trying to be sustainable, but she had to look up what L.L. Bean was.

Amy recently posted this piece titled “The Off-Grid Fantasy” about how what “off-the-grid” really means, and why it has become such a fantasy. Spoiler alert: Off-the-grid isn’t the fantasy people actually want. I think they just want a day without emails? Could you imagine not knowing the difference between indoor plumbing and a PTO? Do the think L.L. Bean knows the difference?? Should I write a letter, Sybil van Antwerp style?

Speaking of indoor plumbing versus a PTO, I read Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum on Friday and Saturday, my 20th book of the year. Technically, I didn’t read it; I listened to it at 2.5x speed (while following alone in the book)! Talk about dopamine. I didn’t really know what to expect and it seemed “off-the-grid” adjacent. The book was more about consumerism and influencer-culture than going off-the-grid, which I still loved. I really appreciated the way Maum wrote Alan’s perspective and approach to “simplicity,” which wasn’t off-the-grid at all, but rather forced disconnection within the confines of his own highly-connected & influenced life.

A couple noteworthy quotes:

1. “…that answered needs & lessened burdens instead of replacing one problem with another and requiring consumers to change their power cords.” And that’s on consumerism and influencer-culture today.

2. “The more he thought about the projects coming down the pipeline, the more he felt he was doing something futile, maybe even absurd” (be honest, who hasn’t felt this way at least once a week, sloggin’ away in the corporate machine, and for what?

Super fun book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️; 4 stars.

I’ve also been writing my tail off, and I am flabbergasted to be sharing that I have not one, but TWO, forthcoming essays in Business Insider!

I also recently had an awesome conversation with Suzanne Warye, which will be shared on her podcast Sober Mom Life in the next couple weeks. We talked about all sorts of important things - mommy wine culture, gray-area drinking, early sobriety and puzzles. I promise to absolutely blast your inbox once the episode airs.