I am going to the coast this weekend with my mother. For her birthday a few months ago I told her I’d take her away for a weekend and then she promptly forgot. When I decided to randomly take a few days off this month for a brain break, I asked if she wanted to use that weekend for her trip and now we are off to Nye Beach. My mother has never been but I went a few years ago when I was gifted a weekend at the amazing Sylvia Beach Hotel by my parents for Christmas.
The Sylvia Beach Hotel is a resort for book nerds on the Oregon Coast. Each room is themed after a different author, there’s no wifi and a huge library, and a communal dinner every night (which you don’t have to do if you don’t want to, no worries.) It’s an absolute dream. I stayed two nights in the Agatha Christie room which is gorgeous and has an in room mystery for you to solve and a deck that looks over the ocean and it’s just all around marvelous.
This time, we’re staying at a hotel called The Whaler which I’m hoping is nice. It looks over the beach, though sadly is not themed. It also emailed me a pre-check in form where I had to agree not to vape in the room? Fingers crossed it’s not weird. I figure that we can always just chill in the room, bring food back, watch tv and watch the ocean, which is about the best you can hope for in a pandemic vacation. I’m also hoping to do a bit of my new favorite travel game: go to a local bookstore and look for your own book. There high highs and low lows in that game which then ends in me buying a book on ghosts. (I always buy a book of local ghost stories from an indie bookstore wherever I travel. Have been doing it since I was a teen.) Tradition!
Here’s Some Good Podcasts
Criminal - Roselle and Michael
This year was the twentieth anniversary of September 11 and let’s be real, I wasn’t looking forward to memorial pieces. I was 13 when it happened, I remember it very well, as well as everything that came after. While memorializing a tragedy is of course important, I wasn’t looking forward to any of the weird nationalism that usually accompanies it.
So when Criminal released this episode on the 10th, I was feeling kind of ‘meh’ about it but I love the podcast so I turned it on as I headed into work and I’ve been thinking about it for days. It’s a man named Michael who has been blind his entire life talking about his experience of September 11th from where he was (the 78th floor of Tower 1) and how he, his buddy Dave, and his guide dog Roselle got out. He’s a great storyteller, it’s a perspective I’ve never heard, and it’s ultimately a man’s love letter to his dog. If you listen to one September 11th story this month, make it this one.
Many, many moons ago, back when I was in library school, someone recommended Overdue to me. It looked great, I downloaded some episodes but then kind of fell out of it. A few months ago, I looked at it again, went “Let’s do this” and started from where I left off: roughly episode 15ish. Yeah, there’s almost 500 now. As I type this, I’m in the 320s, just making my way through and it’s been great.
Overdue is two college roommates, now in their mid-thirties, reading and discussing books. One has read the week’s book, the other either hasn’t or read it awhile ago, and discussion goes from there. I love it. It’s fun to listen about books I love, books I know I’ll never get around to reading, even books I hate. I’ve skipped a few, mainly because they’re about books I do plan to read and I don’t want to spoil myself, but I haven’t skipped many.
Andrew and Craig are funny, relatable hosts that are also aware of their limitations and are quick to acknowledge mistakes. I love hearing their takes on books, even if I don’t always agree with them (though, I’d say I do about 75% of the time.) Plus, there is nothing better than guessing the voices they’ll use for a Choose Your Own Adventure episode. It’s been inspiring my own backseat ‘talk about literature’ project, as well, that I haven’t quite 100% planned out yet but I did make a logo the other week:
Books. Obviously Some Books
In Deeper Waters by F.T. Luken
Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.
Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.
That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming—and secretive—as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope…
Sometimes you just want to snuggle up on your couch, get a cat cozy on your lap, and read a queer fairy tale. This is the perfect book for that. Tal is a bookish, magical prince venturing forth for the first time (with his enthusiastic yet protective big brother) while trying to keep his magic a secret. Big Elsa vibes. Athlen is an happy-go-lucky mystery who just keeps popping up. Plus, you know, he cute.
This is a super quick read because you want to zoom through it. Lots of cliffhangers, lots of big feelings, lots of trying to figure out who is behind secret plots. Plus lots of ~~longing~~. If you like fantasy, YA, pirates, magic, intrigue, and anything that’s a mix of that, definitely check this out. It’s lovely.
Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.
They’re polar opposites.
In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.
Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.
My coworker Angelika and I trade rom coms with each other and she told me I just had to read this one. Yep, she was right. It’s a rivals to friends to lovers where each character is dealing with their own personal trauma at the same time. There is an amazing lesbian aunt matchmaker, descriptions of a lake house I desperately want to visit, and honestly very relatable writer feelings. I loved both January and Gus and I’m currently reading Emily Henry’s next book, People We Meet on Vacation, so clearly she’s become an author to check out for me.
A Movie Must See
I know I normally embed the movie trailer but for Malignant, I really recommend going in knowing absolutely nothing. I went in just knowing it was the new horror film by James Wan and there was a cool overhead shot of someone running through a house at one point. It was not at all what I expected it to be, I felt weird about it at first, then I just relaxed, went with it, and loved the hell out of it. People seem to have very polarizing opinions, they either adore it or they hate it, but I am firmly in the love camp. If you like B movies, Evil Dead, camp horror, this might just be up your alley.
That’s all from me for today! Catch you at the end of the month with some more recs and hopefully a lovely beach shot.