Bluestocking Catalogue #3
Cozy comfort fiction, my favorite comedy podcast & giving myself grace.
Happy Friday, all!
I’m gearing up to start full-time virtual teaching on Monday, so this week has been busy & stressful for me. I’m trying to teach myself how to do new things while also preparing to support students who I imagine are more emotionally fragile as a collective than any I’ve worked with before. I oscillate between excitement (I do love the beginning of the school year, with its energy and new journals and crisp edges!) and anxiety these days. It’s easy for me to see where I’m not prepared, where I feel inadequate, and to ignore all the preparations I have made and all the ways I have made progress. I imagine that I’m not the only one.
If you are also experiencing unprecedented stress - or just more feelings than you’re using to feeling over the course of one day or one week - you’re not alone. In a meeting yesterday, a colleague mentioned that this year, we’ll need to give ourselves a lot of grace. I didn’t really hear it yesterday, but I woke up this morning thinking about it. I’ve prepared myself to have a lot of grace for my students this year. Maybe I haven’t added in grace for myself to that equation - but I know to do the work I want to do sustainably I will need to keep returning home to grace.
If you have practices or rituals that help you give yourself grace, I’d love to hear about them in the comments - or just reply to this email.
Here are 3 things giving me life right now:
This one-bowl cake mix, which my husband said is the best simple vanilla cake he’s ever tasted (and he doesn’t love cake as a general principle.) In case you’re curious: I used vanilla & lime zest, a 9x13 pan, and didn’t frost it because I couldn’t be bothered.
The Popcast with Knox & Jamie: a weekly comedy podcast “educating you about the things that entertain but do not matter.” Their most recent episode, “The Nos of Birthdays,” had me laughing out loud while I was baking blueberry muffins early Wednesday morning They also give excellent TV, movie, and book recommendations that I refer to when I’m looking for a new show.
At the beginning of quarantine, I became a Patreon subscriber because once a week wasn’t enough Knox & Jamie magic for me, and their BFOTS (Best Friends of the Show) get not one but two bonus episodes a week. Their conversations have brought me levity & joy during this weird & heavy time. Would recommend.
Reading cozy fiction. At the beginning of quarantine, all I wanted to do was read nonfiction. Now I want comfy, cozy stories I can escape into: the fictional equivalent of being cuddled on the couch under your favorite quilt while a fire blazes, Christmas tree lights twinkle & snow falls outside the window.
For me, comfort fiction usually includes these three elements: 1. A female protagonist, usually with an identity crisis, who loves books (#relatable) 2. A small town(with secrets!) that often functions as a character in the story 3. A coming-of-age/ YA or YA - adjac plot. 4. Bookstore & romance not required, but highly recommended.
For me, The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer epitomizes these elements perfectly. (In case you’re wondering: the movie is good. The book is better.)
Here are several books I’ve read in the last month or so that check off my comfort fiction boxes. I’m not claiming these novels will radically change your life - although the prose is well-done enough to often be pleasurable (to my sensibilities, anyway.) Novels like these can do might remind us of the beauty we might be struggling to see in this world - or just provide a welcome distraction. In my opinion, both are equally valid reasons to pick up a novel this weekend.
The Jane Austen Society* by Natalie Jenner
Set in the post-WWII village where Austen lived, villagers from all different walks of life - along with an attractive stranger - find a common connection in their love for Jane Austen novels. If you are a fellow Austenite (I don’t know if this is a real term, but I’m keeping it because I can), you’ll appreciate the way Jenner threads Austen’s characters and plots throughout her story.
By the Book: A Novel of Prose and Cons by Amanda Select
I don’t believe in judging a book by its cover, but if you aren’t sold by this book’s cover, along with its subtitle, I don’t know what to do for you. I loved this coming-of-age story where the main protagonist, the new kid at school, deploys her literary knowledge to categorize boys in the school for her friends. Hijinks ensue.
Beach Read* by Emily Henry (I listened to the audio book on Libby.)
The author says this is about writing block. It’s also about two competitive writers who decide to switch genres for the summer; their banter is smart & sassy, with strong Lizzy/ Darcy overtones. FYI: This romance has what Anne Bogel calls some “open door” sexy scenes.
One last non-bookish rec:
If you’re a parent who’s unexpectedly homeschooling this year, may I recommend my friend, mentor, & MIL Dr. Allen? She’s offering a 10-month virtual Parent/ Teacher Lounge, in which she will share from her considerable life & academic expertise, provide curated resources, and make herself available to you for individual support in real time. This group might be the lifeline you’re looking for.
That’s all for now. Happy weekend, all.
*Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Summer Reading Guide recommendations.