What I’m Reading: Verity, by Colleen Hoover. Every once and awhile, I like to read a thriller, the kind that keeps you on the edge of your seat and desperate for the next chapter. Since I was taking a trip by plane, it seemed like a good time to bring along such a book. Verity is about a struggling author , Lowen, who gets contracted to complete a book series by another, more famous author, Verity. Following the death of her twin daughters and a tragic car crash, Verity is in a coma, but her family and publishers don’t want the public finding out. However, when Lowen begins research for the novels in Verity’s office, she stumbles upon an autobiography which reveals that Verity may not have been the devoted, loving wife and mother she made herself out to be. Is she faking her injuries? What does the husband know? Can we trust the narrator?
Although the ending wasn’t exactly a surprise, the story did have me frantically turning the page for more, and was a relatively quick read (I finished it within two 4-hour flights).
What I’m Learning: Yoga Tips for the Hands, by Yoga with Adriene. Because I’ve been doing yoga for so long, I don’t often visit video tutorials that explain how to do simple poses like downward facing dog or cat-cow. However, I’d been feeling some tension in my wrists recently, and so took advantage of the above video with tips for the hands. Her explanations about hand placement in those simple postures was really useful and has helped open up my practice to more comfortable and relaxed body placement.
What I’m Eating: At the farmers market the other week, I picked up a biggg bunch of basil. I’ve tried various pesto recipes over the years and have never been fully satisfied with them – they never seem to be as savory as I’d like. However, this basil pesto recipe from Love & Lemons is the best one I’ve encountered. I made it vegan by omitting the Parmesan and replacing it with a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast. I froze half the batch to be used later this fall!
What I’m Loving: We recently watched The Boys, a new Amazon Prime show. This show addresses a lot of really interesting questions: What would superheroes be like in the real world? How would capitalism shape their position in society? What happens to “collateral damage” – the people they hurt while performing these big actions?
It’s a dark show with a tone that is hopeless at times, but it also functions as the flip side of the coin of stories like those in the Marvel Universe. Because, really, can we assume that superheroes, even the good ones, never become corrupt or greedy or self-centered? Probably not. This show is the answer to those questions.
What I’m Grateful For: Getting to visit the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. No other part of the country has that kind of majesty and magnificence – our trees are tall and strong, our mountains towering, our waters clear and vast. Getting to visit the familiar sites and spend some time with the evergreens is always a treat.
What I’m Trying Out: Milwaukee’s Under One Moon festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. Highlights include a 23-foot replica of the moon, called “Museum of the Moon.”
Have a happy weekend!
pieces of paper (cranes & airplanes) 