Weekly Note: So Many Books
Plus the origins of life, cooking, and upcoming events
I have been reading a lot more since I deleted alllllll of the social media apps (an update on that below) so this is a book-heavy post this week! What have you read lately that you loved? I’m always adding to my (long) TBR.
Here’s a recent photo of me (taken by my eldest). Hi to all the newest subscribers around here. If you don’t know, I’m a children’s author of 11 books, with more to come, a mother of two, and a Brit living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Here are 10 things from this week:
I finished Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s newest release, The Grandest Game. It ends with a major cliffhanger! Jennifer did a great talk for the Romance Writers of America but I can’t find it anymore. However I did find a TED talk that I’m going to check out. Meanwhile I am still reading The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. It’s keeping me captivated even though it’s a much longer book than I expected (the perils of reading on a kindle).
I’m also reading Becoming Earth by Ferris Jabr. It’s fascinating so far. I also read this article from The New York Times (gift link) which covers the scientists drilling into the earth’s mantle to discover the origin of life.
I started strength training at long last! Today was leg day and I have a feeling I’ll be cursing my (lovely!) trainer tomorrow. But it’ll be worth it and strength training is important as we age. Plus I spend a lot of time sitting as a writer so keeping my body healthy and moving is vital.
This week on Kidlit Survival Guide,
kicked off a two-part paid series about school visits. And on Monday we’ll have a fun post about what we learned from Ali Wong’s stand up comedy show.Another great substack post from
this week. I need to start building that neural pathway again now that school is starting and I can get back into a routine.'“We are also told that good habits come from repetition. You have to do something again and again, eg writing 1000 words a day to create a habit. But it turns out there is a structural reason in your brain for this. If you write 1000 words a day for a week, for example, you create a new neural pathway. But if you keep on doing it, that neural pathway is gradually covered with something called a myelin sheath, which makes it stronger and more established. If you don’t, the neural pathway can be washed away like a footprint in the sand.”
I subscribe to Google Trends and get a daily email. I find it fascinating to see what people are searching for each day. For example, during the Perseids Meteor Shower people were searching for “songs about stars”. I love that.
I reinstalled Instagram on my phone this week after deleting it back in early July. I’m hoping to be more intentional with my use of it now it’s back on my phone. TikTok won’t be making a comeback for me though, it’s a massive time suck and my screen time thanks me for deleting it.
I have several events coming up over the next month or so. Come see me at Barnes and Noble, Fairyland, or the Golden Gate Day SCBWI conference.
If you’re at all connected to kidlit (and I guess if you’re reading this, you probably are!) check out Kidlit for Kamala. Read more in this Publisher’s Weekly article and the replay of the kickoff call is on YouTube.
And finally, another book I picked up this week is What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking by
. If you don’t already follow her on Substack, I highly recommend you do! I love to cook but I frequently don’t feel like it by the end of the day. (And I particularly don’t feel like cooking right now as we have a hole in our kitchen where there was once a dishwasher.)
I’ve already got several recipes marked to try but I think I’m going to start with the Cheater Chicken Tinga Tostadas where Caroline utilizes rotisserie chicken for a quick and easy meal. That sounds like my sort of cooking!
Thank you for reading!
Christine xo