rom-coms are delightful and i am not

you know you want to read a list of 36 reasons I'm all GET OFF MY LAWN today

I’m vaguely grumpy today and I think it’s because I read the news before I went to sleep last night. And for a lot of other reasons, which I will list below because I’m in that kind of mood.

BUT FIRST, BOOKS:

I have listened to some of the new Taylor Swift songs and I liked them but I didn’t listen to the whole album(s) because that’s not something I would do, really, but anyway I’m generally happy that she’s writing and producing new songs because she’s a singer songwriter and I thought that was what we wanted from her? But people seem to be unhappy. Or people who are in my social media universe and also the Times, which I think I should just have not opened last night because it didn’t help.

I don’t have a take. But if you like Taylor Swift, or even find her and the idea of the process of songwriting and performing and touring interesting, I have a book for you! The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, is what if a-Taylor-like-star’s college musician boyfriend inspired her biggest hit and then toured with her to perform it—but really it’s what do we think we worth and who teaches us that, and what do artists owe their fans and themselves—AND it’s a super fun behind-the-scenes romance. If you liked Kiss the Girl (I did!) this is maybe even better, without the ick factor it would have if it REALLY took liberties with Taylor Swift’s actual life, which I don’t think it does. It’s a really imaginative take on things we all wonder about.

And—because I’m on a rom-com trip: Can recommend The Rule Book by Sarah Adams. It’s a fun football romance and I really savored it. It has so many things that I love—funny friend group, quirky MCs, woman succeeding on her own terms in male-dominated profession… and so many little things to wonder about/resolve or figure out in the pages. And I like the thing I’m seeing in a lot of romance lately where the MCs have the chance to be mature and refuse a final push to pull them apart. In some cases that comes off as there not being enough at stake, but it didn’t here.

In case you’re keeping score, I’m now half-way through the books I bought at my most recent bookstore visit:

(Yeah ok I might have acquired some other books in the interval, too.)

Just finished, and loved, Half a Soul, by Olivia Atwater. If you adored Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies but wished it was just a little more Bridgerton, this is for you. It’s all the thrills and delights of balls and the ‘ton with, as a bonus, a recognition of the poverty and distress (and dirt and smells) that were the lot of far more humans in that particular epoch—but without ever for one minute being less than fun. I think this author actually got to the regency-but-make-it-fae scene first but who’s counting? Currently reading: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherworlds.

That’s—mostly—it from me! About books, anyway. If you want to read my vent-list, see below.

Before you read on: Love me, love my recs? You’ll probably love the books I have ACTUALLY WRITTEN!

Playing the Witch Card is the witchiest and also has Tarot and a poodle.

The Chicken Sisters has dueling fried chicken restaurants and sisters and reality TV.

In Her Boots has bffs who will do anything for each other but probably shouldn’t have, and also literary fraud and a farm and mini-ponies.

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The generalized nagging things that are making me grumpy: A List.

I have received no fewer than 3 automated “rate our performance/service/whatever emails or texts in the past 30 minutes and just NO. I refuse. I’m not rating anyone for anything any more.

I thought my book draft was pretty good but after turning it in (to a freelance editor that I’m very excited to work with) five days ago and reading a bunch of finished, really excellent books in the genre I have realized it isn’t, and it also isn’t a flaming pile of poop, it’s just … fine. It’s okay. Which, okay, it’s a DRAFT but you always hope you’re basically done and the editor will say IT IS GENIUS. It is not.

I don’t have a handle on the short story I’m trying to write. Also of note, because I just read a series of connected short stories from Amazon Originals, some writers get paid to write “just okay” short stories but that won’t be me. And I don’t want it to be! I don’t want to write things that are “just okay”. But I wouldn’t mind being the kind of famous writer who could. Or maybe I would because no one TOLD them the stories were lame and had no stakes or in one case plot?

This list, honestly. It would probably be better just to get on with my day.

I take so many supplements that they don’t fit into the travel plastic pill containers I took from my m-i-l’s house when she was cleaning it out to move.

I use travel plastic pill containers I took from my m-i-l’s house when she was cleaning it out to move.

That ad about the drug for people with metastatic breast cancer that previous treatments have failed for makes me feel terrible every single time and it’s on every sports broadcast my husband watches and why is that?

I feel kinda bad about the word husband. I can’t put my finger on why. I like the ACTUAL husband a lot. It’s the word.

I have the song Total Eclipse of the Heart stuck in my head.

If Trump is elected will he really encourage Russia to attack the rest of Europe, or is that just the Times being its own version of Fox News and messing with my head?

I probably don’t care as much about whether cities or universities are allowed to evict people in tents in places where tents are not generally expected or intended to be, for any reason, than my news sources think I should.

I bought one of my children a rather pricey thing they wanted, and then they lost its charger, and then they lost it, and while both have been found they apparently live on the kitchen counter now and that makes me feel like a) a dope with no sense of the value of money b) a bad parent for raising a child with no sense of the value of money c) just dumb.

My editor wouldn’t let me use the word dumb if she saw this. And honestly, without in any way wanting to minimize any irritation that occurs at the casual usage of words with technical medical meanings, I’m a little tired of all the words I can’t use anymore.

I wish more people had bought Playing the Witch Card.

Today was one of those spanish lesson days where I felt like I’m not actually improving, I just make mistakes slightly faster. Yesterday was worse.

I was really happier when I felt like accidentally getting pregnant in the wrong state wouldn’t end up with me unable to have cancer treatment if I needed it. Unlikely to be me at this point sure, but anyone. Cancer: not fun. But apparently now we need to make it potentially WORSE.

I feel vaguely fat today, and also I feel bad because I’m not supposed to care if I’m fat, and also I know I’m not fat. I’m not sure what level of stomach presence would make me NOT feel vaguely fat? Concave, I guess. Is that right? Concave is this one, right? ( and this is convex: )

My husband (that word again) sent me a link to something that says this summer will be both wetter and hotter than usual and that doesn’t sound great.

I really need you tonight! Forever’s gonna start tonight… DAMNIT

I think I mostly just don’t like not having a clear work goal. Or having decided not to work and to do something else. I was gonna write this short story but for a lot of reasons I can’t do that yet.

I went to the dermatologist yesterday and they took sort of a scan of my face and said I have more wrinkles than 75% of other people my age and I don’t actually see any wrinkles, seriously. And also less sun damage than 94% of other people and how can both of those be true?

I tried to buy some towels today and got this when I went to check out:

Do the math.Actually just GLANCE at the math. I can’t find anyway this adds up. I’ve tried everything. And also why not put the washcloths on sale too? (Update: with some assistance, have concluded that they added all the prices and took 25% off to get 109.73, then added all the sale prices plus that 25% to get $57.27, then created this completely incoherent cart just to mess with me.)

Once upon a time, there was light in my life, now there’s only love in the dark…. DAMNIT