End of August | 2024

A roundup of mundane magic, links I loved, and books I finished this month

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Today's post has a quick reflection, followed by the end-of-the-month roundup of mundane magic moments, links I loved, and books I finished. The sections are clearly marked, so feel free to jump ahead.

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August is, historically, one of my favourite months of the year. My birthday is on the third, and when I was growing up, my family and I went blueberry picking and baked a special dessert before our annual family reunions, and then there was back-to-school shopping and our local fair right before the school year started (all of which I loved, of course).

This year, it didn’t have quite the same kick. I hadn’t realized quite how stressed I’ve become over the summer until this past week, when I found myself on the verge of several panic attacks. Being the primary parent of two tiny children who have been home all day most days all summer is just not something I’m well-equipped for, unfortunately. And now, I have the added anxiety about my five-year-old starting kindergarten soon, which is its own can of worms.

I’m curious to see how my writing will be affected once we settle back into school rhythms and I have a bit more quiet time with just my toddler, because I have a feeling that the overwhelm has been contributing to the block I’ve had.

In the meantime, I’ve got several book recs and some mundane magic for your perusal. And while I still have not been able to do a ton of reading here on Substack, I’ve decided that in lieu of my regular links section, I’d share just a couple writers whose work here I love. I really miss connecting with everyone here, and I’m hoping to have a bit more bandwidth within another month or so.

✨️ Mundane Magics ✨️

• Birthday trip to a local boutique, and a book dragon! I’ve been pretty low energy lately, so for my birthday this year, I planned a minor excursion to a local shop I’d never been to, and I shamelessly bought myself an absurdly expensive stuffed dragon that now lives on top of some of my books (and yes, I will almost undoubtedly be getting more in different colours eventually).

• Getting a Kindle for my birthday. I had talked to my husband about getting a Kindle paperwhite for Christmas, and he took it upon himself to get one for my birthday (which I’m absolutely not complaining about). This isn’t a plug, but it has been better on my eyes to read the majority of my ebooks this month on the Kindle rather than my phone, and since I can transfer the books I’ve borrowed through Libby to it, I’ve gotten a good amount of use out of it already.

• Cozy rainy movie day with the kids. I recently remembered that popcorn exists outside of the movie theater and bought some for a literal rainy day, and we had a really perfect one earlier this month. I lit a candle, and the kids and I ate snacks and watched a few movies, and it was fun to just make the simple day at home a bit more special.

• Projects — This month I played around with a paper weaving, folded some paper stars, finished a knitted baby shirt for my husband’s coworker, and finished a crocheted shirt for my daughter Sybil (these last two were really a relief, because I’d been working on them for a while and was ready to be done).

• Clam bake with my family. My dad works for a company that puts on a yearly picnic that he and my mom and sister all love to be able to bring the kids to. They tend to have a lot of fun activities and gifts for the littles, and it’s always just nice being able to get out and do something together.

• Surprise sunflower! We planted sunflowers this year that did not grow, but we also fed the birds, who apparently left a seed behind that found its environment hospitable and has blessed us with exactly one happy little bloom in our front yard. Life is funny like that.

It's a bit chewed up, but I love it

• Listening/singing along to nostalgic music for my anxiety. I have had to review coping mechanisms of late, and I was reminded by a friend from craft club that singing out loud is a good source of stress relief, so I’ve been blasting favourites from the Backstreet Boys, and Dragostea Din Tei, and various other songs that I used to listen to on repeat as a kid/teen, and it’s been really good for me. The kids go back and forth between dancing along and telling me to stop singing, so I think it’s good for them, too.

• New tattoo! Sadly, I do not have a picture yet, as it is still very fresh and currently covered by saniderm, but I’ve been waiting for this for quite a while now and am so happy to have another lovely piece of art on my body. Naturally, I am already dreaming of my next several one.

Links I Loved

• I have been absolutely enamoured by

  Sarah Shotts
  ’ Compost Heap. I love seeing all of Sarah’s projects and how they engage with their various interests. If you’re neurodivergent, a parent, and/or a creative, you may enjoy taking a peek at their Substack. I’ve found it to be really accessible even when I’m not able to open much else in my inbox. And, if you end up loving it as much as I do, you can consider paying a couple bucks a month for real physical mail! I received my first letter from Sarah this past month, and it just made me smile.

• As many of you know, I am really missing the ability to engage with the poetry community here on Substack, and most especially the beautiful community

  Lisa Jensen
  has created over at 100 Poems. Click on literally any of the posts and you will find a stunning poem and prompt, as well as a comments section full of wonderful poetry and the most supportive, encouraging, lovely people. It’s one of my favourite places on the internet, and I’m hoping to start spending more time there again very soon.

Books I Finished

• Book Lovers by Emily Henry: A contemporary romance. I'm late to the Emily Henry party but I adored this book. It made me laugh and cry in a way no book has done for a while. I loved the premise and the characters and the twists, and the banter. It was full of emotion and still lighthearted. The setting was a huge part of the story, and I just found the whole thing utterly charming.

• Apocalypse Child: Surviving Doomsday and the Search for Identity at the End of the World by Carly Butler: An lgbtq+ and indigenous memoir about Y2K, written by one of my actual internet friends. I pre-ordered my copy of this and awaited it anxiously, and then ended up reading it really slowly so I could take in Carly's story. Parts of it were a bit triggering for my own trauma, but the book is written with such care, and I laughed and cheered and cried along with her all throughout. I can't recommend it enough. (Also, it has one of those incredible velvety covers that makes it feel really indulgent if that's your jam 🙌🏻)

• The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time #2) by Robert Jordan: The second in an epic (meaning VERY LONG) fantasy series; I don't mean that in an off-putting way, though, because I've worked through these first two audiobooks more quickly than many shorter books I’ve read/listened to. There's something about the storytelling that keeps me comfortably engaged throughout. As of right now, I'm very much looking forward to continuing the series.

• Goblin Mode: How to Get Cozy, Embrace Imperfection, and Thrive in the Muck by McKayle Coyle: A fun nonfiction with lots of practical tips. This book was fun and quite accessible. There's a range of useful ideas, and even if you're like me and may have already embraced many of them, some of them may surprise you! I got an idea for something I'd love to do with my friends at some point that I likely wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

• The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune: A cozy fantasy about found family. This started just a bit slow for me, but once I got into it, I felt that it really needed to be written that way, and I don't begrudge it. The characters are absolutely delightful, and by the end of the book they all feel like old friends. It will be a comfort re-read for sure. I've pre-ordered the sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, which comes out next month, and I can't wait to continue in this world with these characters.

• The Duke and I (Bridgerton #1) by Julia Quinn: A spicy historical romance (although you probably knew that already thanks to the Netflix adaptation). This book was a decent historical romance, though certainly not my favourite ever, but I hadn’t realized exactly how much Shonda Rimes had added for the television series and, if I’m honest, I don’t like it nearly as much as the show. I’m glad to have read it and content to continue the series, but I’ve lowered my expectations.

• Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration, and Change by Day Schildkret: A nonfiction guidebook for incorporating rituals into your daily life. I loved that this author pulled from his Jewish heritage as well as other cultural practices to create a number of examples of rituals for various situations. Truthfully, my favourite part of the book is actually how he writes about why ritual is so meaningful to him and describes the way each type of ritual can add to our lives. There’s a lot of welcome for personalization as well as a deep respect for the various cultures and rituals that inspired those listed in the book.

• Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas: The second fantasy in Maas’ TOG series. I found it oddly slow until the last thirdish of the book, when there was a lot of action and some surprising revelations. I’m moving through Maas’ series’ in the order I saw recommended online (ACOTAR, TOG, then Crescent City) just because I thought it would be interesting to see how the worlds are connected, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops from here.

• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman: A contemporary fiction that I am very glad to have not DNFed. This book was such a weird experience for me, because at the beginning I found the main character so terribly off-putting I actually considered not finishing it, and by the end I was completely rooting for her and happy/sad crying over the relationships and desperately glad I stuck around to see it all work out.

• The Islands of Elsewhere by Heather Fawcett: A middle grade fantasy/mystery which I completely adored. I found everything about this book enchanting, from the characters to the setting, to the plot. Truly just a wonderful experience from start to finish.

• Princess Princess Ever After by K. O'Neill: A queer middle grade fantasy graphic novel from the same artist/author as The Tea Dragon Society. My only complaint about this one is that it felt way too short (it’s only about 50 pages). I would happily read a whole series within this world, it was delightful.

• Dead in the Shop (Grasmere Cottage Mystery #3) by Dahlia Donovan: The final book in this cozy queer mystery trilogy. This series had so many things I loved, from the queer/neurodivergent representation to the cozy mystery to the sweet found family relationships. I must once again mention that if you intend to read the trilogy, you should make sure you have access to ALL THREE books, because the first two have major cliffhangers, and you’ll want to find out how it ends.

I hope life gave you some surprise sunflowers this month. I’d love to hear about any mundane magics or books and anything else you’d like to share in the comments. And as always, feel free to share!