summer reading, eating, & gardening

How was your summer? Mine was pretty mellow and will continue into October in Hawaii, but I’m still looking forward to my pretend fall season by seeing at all the gorgeous fall fashions online. Chelsea boots, camel trench coats, cashmere sweaters, all look wonderful to wear.

I read a lot but I feel like it was slow paced this summer. A few books I enjoyed were The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tam. A beautifully written story of four Chinese women, who in 1949 were immigrants living in San Francisco, and started a club where they got together and played mahjong, nibbled on dumplings and talked. They each share their inner thoughts and secrets, all told in mesmerizing storytelling.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. If you like books about people who work and live around books, then this if for you. A.J. lives above the bookstore he owns on tiny Alice Island. His wife has recently died and sales aren’t going so well. But things start happening that change his life. It’s heartwarming and tells the tale of second chances and learning to love again.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, published in 1859. It’s one of the first mystery novels written and was sometimes called a “sensation novel”. When I read an old book, I prepare myself that the language might be a little bit of a slog to get through but it’s a surprisingly easy read at over 600+ pages, so don’t let that deter you. I enjoyed it very much.

Summer eating felt really good. I ate a lot of grain bowls for lunch and found the simple formula of grains, beans, a cooked veg, a raw veg, and a dressing lead me to many delicious variations. The other thing I’ve been enjoying is putting tons of fresh and dried herbs into my dishes. The garlic chives in the photo above from the garden were one the handful of things I’d throw into my cooking that added a pop of flavor. These Iranian Herb Fritters from Yotam Ottolenghi were on regular rotation. I feel much better when I’m eating well, which in turn helps me manage my PD symptoms better.

This week I want to “design my fall season”. Choose a few books that will get me in the fall mood, pick a few recipes that incorporate apples, warm spices, and fall flavors, and see if there is anything happening in town that I’ll want to do. Have a beautiful week. 💖