Consumption 7

This is a monthly series, published near the end of the month summarizing what I found, ate, watched, googled, and felt this month. New categories added from time to time.

Books Added to My TBR (e.g., books I just learned about that I’m excited to read… maybe)

• The Velvet Knife (Maureen Johnson)
• Half His Age (Jennette McCurdy)
• Murder Most Haunted (Emma Mason)
• Discontent (Beatriz Serrano)
• A Killer Wedding (Joan O’Leary)
• A Murder in Paris (Matthew Blake)
• The Name on the Door (Anthony Horowitz)
• I’m Not the Only Murderer in my Retirement Home (Fergus Craig)
• Meet the Newmans (Jennifer Niven)
• Upon a White Horse (Peter Ross)
• Go Gentle (Maria Semple)
• Belgrave Road (Manish Chauhan)
• The Life Experiment (Jess Kitching)
• The Body in the Kitchen Garden (Paula Sutton)

Notable Meals (new recipes, old favorites, and restaurant items we ate this month)

• Vegetarian pho with ChickieNob in a little outdoor restaurant.
• New York Times corn risotto recipe, heavily changed.
• Olivada pizza from Antonios: fresh mozzarella, olive tapenade, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, Parmesan, and basil.
• Poppy Cooks roasted potatoes — these were exceptional.
• Austin Grill corn soup (without the add-ons) from the Vegetables Unleashed cookbook by José Andrés.

Television, Movies, and Music (watching and listening)

• The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix. It was good if you don’t compare it to the book (that all-star cast!), but it felt pretty flimsy if you do. I’m not unhappy that I watched it, but I don’t think I would ever re-watch it.
• The Paper on Peacock. I never saw The Office, so I may be missing a few jokes, but it’s very funny and sweet. I like that they’re all (except, of course, the character Esmeralda) trying to make the newspaper work vs. get out of doing work.

Added To My Ongoing Mix Tape

• “Poker Face” (Lady Gaga)
• “Welcome Home” (Radical Face)
• “Amerekan” (Citizen King)

Tabs I Left Open (things I Googled and left up on the screen)

• A list of audio books read by Kristin Atherton. I really like her voice.
• A webpage on Tenby in Wales. I’d like to go there.
• A website for Moomin Valley Park in Hanno, Japan.
• A description of the ride Danse Macabre at Efteling.
• A stuffed pine marten on Amazon.
• An announcement for a Boden sample sale.
• Pippin at the Signature Theater.

Micro-Joys

• I baked a chocolate cake with coffee icing at the end of August, and we ate a slice every night around 8:30 pm, calling it cake-o-clock.
• Josh set Waze to use Paddington’s voice to give us directions. Even after a month, Paddington sometimes throws in a little Paddington fact we haven’t heard before. Hidden depths.
• I got to see an old friend for a short visit, meeting her at her old neighborhood park. It was so good to see her and her kids/husband face-to-face v. through a screen.
• Football/soccer is back! We love cheering on the Spurs on Saturday morning.

Mood

• Contemplative. Trying to keep my head down and get through things without getting swept up in the noise and chaos.

What about you? Let me know what you’re eating, seeing, listening to, googling, feeling this month.