What to Read (and Eat)

August book recommendations + an energy-packed breakfast

First the books and then some brain food!

Here is what I read in August and highly recommend:

1. Beloved by Toni Morrison (Libby audio, read by the author; masterful, disturbing, and brilliant with a ghost child as a main character. This is a hard listen, but persevere. Frequently banned.)

2. Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson (Hoopla audio; a middle grade murder mystery and it’s fantastic!)

3. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (again) (Kindle; I read this again so I could write a critical essay for a MFA application¹. It’s just such a brilliant book and now on Netflix.)

4. Stay: A Story of Family, Love, and Other Traumas by Julie Fingersh (Hoopla audio; not something I was looking for but was “recommended.” It irked me in the beginning bc of what I wrote about last week - woman and creativity can coexist! But Julie is a great writer and tells a wonderful & heartbreaking story. Blurbed by Anne Lamott.)

I guess it was an audiobook month for me, even though I have stacks of paper books on my bedside table. I’ve been holding baby Hal at night so my daughter can get some good hours of sleep before nursing. Hal and I fall into a half-sleep before I can even open a book. It’s such a treat to hold a newborn and how lucky that our reading can shift to “listening” as needed.

In the middle of: Covenant of Water (hardback), The Trouble With Heroes (hardback), and a reread of Rebecca (audio).

And you? Any good books?!?

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Writers Need to Eat:

The old and outdated stereotype of great writers drinking scotch, smoking cigarettes, and surviving on peanuts all day - while churning out pulitzers - is laughable. Let me tell you, that’s not going to work long-term, most esp not for humans with even a hamster to take care of. Long-term, our stories and sentences need our best brain function. And that means good food made with real ingredients!

I’m with Michael Pollen: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Pop tarts are out. Protein and fiber are in.

So I give you my latest breakfast go-to: Spinach-Egg Scramble.

It’s protein and nutrient packed, super filling, delicious, and fast.

Spinach-Egg Scramble (feeds two):

4 eggs, scrambled

Shredded Mexican Cheese (or whatever cheese you like)

A dash of Milk

Fresh Spinach (I like the pre-washed big tubs)

3-5 Mushrooms, sliced

One Tomato, chopped (straight from the garden if you’ve got it!)

Directions:

Heat your big skillet, pour in some Olive Oil, sprinkle Salt and Pepper. Throw in two big handfuls of Spinach and the sliced Mushrooms. Saute a few minutes. Add Eggs (previously beaten with Mex Cheese, Milk, Salt and Pepper to taste). Add the cut Tomato at the end.

That’s it! Cook and stir to your satisfaction (I like my eggs well done).

You can add ANY vegetables. Our neighbor brought us broccoli, zucchini, and squash that you can be chopped or grated. I’ve grated leftover baked potato into this dish, and really love olives and feta. This breakfast not only makes me feel full for a couple of hours, but also gives me great energy and doesn’t put me in a coma - which is helpful when you have things to do that require brain activity (re: everything).

Sadly, in my vast and repeated experience, pasta and sugar guarantees a full-blown coma. And thus, not my best (or any) writing.

Now, eat some real food and go forth and write that masterpiece!

What are you reading - and eating?

Amy 💖

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The Last Part:

Holding: Sweet baby Hal

goodness, babies are miracles

Packing: To take two daughters to college on Wednesday morning

Meeting: My son’s college girlfriend as soon as we step off the plane

Painting: Something for

Kelcey Ervick

‘s Substack. eek.

Writing: A young YA gothic romance in the vein of Rebecca…but scarier!

xoxo

The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair is part-mystery, part understanding of the human heart 💖

Ten Thousand Tries is Golden’s quest to save his dad and the soccer team ⚽

The McNifficents is one summer with six rambunctious kids and their miniature-schnauzer nanny 🐕 New Hampshire’s 2024 Great Reads for Kids selection!

1. I got into Hamline University’s Master’s Program for Children and Young Adult literature - wahoo! I’m mulling the financial cost/investment…