Things of Beauty #16

A good book and a virtual fireplace to curl up next to while you read-- just for fun

Kicking this edition of Things of Beauty off with a little book review. The Rewind showed up as a Christmas gift (that I forgot I’d asked for!) just in time for me to read while travelling to Nashville. I haven’t read as much fiction in the last year or so, and I really loved this one.

I’ve been gravitating to non-fiction reading about topics I’m interested in and curious to learn more about (see lifelong learner point below), but I’ve also recently been reminding myself that it doesn’t all have to be learning, all the time. Last week I had cued up a podcast about burnout before getting on the elliptical at the gym and this little voice inside my head nudged: you know you could listen to music instead. So I changed course and pulled up this amazing playlist from

Mari Andrew

I’m pretty sure it made my day.

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Something to read, something to listen to, something to play in the background, and a couple other things to ponder . . .

📚 The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch - I’ve always enjoyed Winn Scotch’s books. Her novel Time of my Life was a recommendation when I was writing (or re-writing, as it were) my first novel to include an element of time slip, as an example of that fictional construct done really well. She plays with time again in The Rewind as the main characters retrace their steps and try to piece together the events of the previous night. It’s also set in the past— 1999 on New Years Eve at the turn of millennium. I loved the clever backwards looking timeline and the nineties nostalgia, but what resonated the most with me was the realizations the main characters, Frankie and Ezra, make about themselves and their shared history. They each revisit the story of their past and find it looks different through the lens of age and self-awareness. Underneath the fun premise, The Rewind is a story about personal growth and self-reflection that I’ve found myself re-playing quite a bit since finishing the book (see what I did there, rewind . . . replay).

📧 I appreciated this post below, as someone who often feels bad about how long it takes me to respond to people, often because I am waiting until I have time for a thorough (and hopefully quality) response. I do sometimes try to lean into the flip side of this though— just sending that quick response (even if it’s to say more to come!) to let someone know their message was seen and matters to me. Either way, I’m just more and more aware of the sheer volume of incoming information we all face and think a lot about the impact of that on our well-being and relationships with others.

adamgrant

A post shared by Adam Grant (@adamgrant)

❄️ I’ve got this cozy, snowy, cabin on the TV as I’m writing this. Every now and then I glance over at the snow falling and the cat curled up in the corner. It’s nearly 50 degrees here today- so when I get up from the couch to walk to the office I’ll be super grateful not to actually have to contend with that snow outside. Best of both worlds, as they say. (This little gem came from Amber Petty’s fabulous newsletter, which is full of inspiration and resources for freelance writers.)

🤓 I think and talk a lot about the value of being a lifelong learner and I love the way this article explains it AND offers some concrete tips for how to cultivate life long learning. (Thanks to reader Shannon for sharing on LinkedIn!)

🎶 The Walk Home by Young the Giant is just hitting all the right notes for me with themes of feeling a little unmoored but also hopeful, as well as seeking connection. I’m always amazed how songwriters can pack so much into so few words.

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Read any good books while curled up by the fireplace (real or virtual) lately? Any songs playing on repeat or posts that have you pondering something? Please do share the little (or big) things that are lighting up your world a little!

Be well, find tiny joy-

Mary Chris