BRAINLESS CROWD PLEASERS ("BCP")

 I'm always curious about what other families are eating on a day-to-day basis.  As someone who loves food, trying new things, but also as a parent who needs to put food on the table three times a day (I'm counting packed lunches here), wants to introduce my kids to good food and nutritional habits, AND also very interested in doing it all on a budget, this is a hot topic.  Another element to add to this is having people over for meals, which we have been doing a lot of, but I'll muse upon on that on a separate post.  For this one, I'm going to focus on the meals that we eat on a regular basis during the week and focus specifically on dinner because that's where most of my energy goes.  For breakfast, I do either one of two things: make a bulk sized version of a thing - egg muffins, shashkuotash, some sort of scramble - and we eat it for several days, or I am grabbing bits and pieces from the fridge to put on a plate and call it breakfast (cut-up fruit or vegetables, dollop of yogurt, cheese, hard-boiled or fried egg, piece of toast, a bit of ham or salami etc.). For lunch, we either pack leftovers from dinner, or I do a similar thing of charcuterie-esque eating, with an occasional sandwich (Sloane's favorite being: bread, hummus, mayo or jajik, ham or turkey, and sliced cucumbers).

There are lots of meal planning guides out there, but the one that most recently resonated and stuck with me is the idea of making a list of Brainless Crowd Pleasers ("BCP"), which I got from The Lazy Genius, a podcast that wants to "help you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't." I think it was Lisa who told me about this podcast at first, and this post is inspired by Lisa's own list!

This is how Kendra (of The Lazy Genius podcast) describes BCPs:  "Brainless crowdpleasers are recipes that don’t require much brain power from you as the cook and generally please the crowd you’re feeding. This isn’t block party crowd or church small group crowd. It’s just you or you and your nuclear family, the people generally around your table. And crowdpleasing doesn’t necessarily mean everyone is throwing a party and it’s the most delicious thing ever. Everyone is just generally pleased. Small expectations. Little to no complaining. Don’t go for the gold every time. Your list of brainless crowdpleasers could be five things, and it could be 25. You might be surprised at how many you have actually! I listed some of mine in the last episode, but include convenience foods in your list like frozen pizza and Trader Joe’s mandarin chicken. Include recipes that feel like they’re not even worth writing down like spaghetti and hot dogs. Don’t necessarily assume that your list will look like everyone else’s. One meal that’s so easy if you know how to cook it is a quickly sautéed piece of salmon over rice and spinach. Delicious with a dash of sesame oil, and if you have rice made or already cooked in the freezer, you can have that meal in ten minutes. So brainless crowdpleasers don’t have to necessarily by all brown foods or all cheap foods or all foods you find on a restaurant kids menu. Those things belong, too, but keep an open mind." (You can listen to the whole episode by going to episode #76).

After hearing the episode, I immediately made my own list and 1) was surprised to find how many went on there, as Kendra predicted, and 2) found it to be a very useful resource to fall back on when I was trying to brainstorm meals for the weak.  Then I saw Lisa post about her BCP list, and thought I should share mine too! In case it spurs others to write and share their list, and also have another way to remind myself when I need a little jog. As you'll see, a lot of these are a variation on a theme, but somehow it is still so helpful to have them written out like this!

1. Frittata or Omelet—usually at the end of the week with leftover veggies
2. Fried Rice— with various veggies, egg, and any sort of protein added in. Recently I made a 'clean-out-the-fridge' fried rice that was supremely satisfying of sauteed ginger, garlic, onion, red cabbage, carrots, frozen mixed vegetables, ham with a very crispy rice, fried egg, and Korean sweet hot sauce drizzled on top (photo below). 
3. Spaghetti with mushrooms or ground beef
4. Dumplings– frozen ones from Costco or Trader Joe’s
5. Rice Bowls (tofu, tuna, salmon + avocado, cucumber, edamame + pickled red onion)- one of my personal favorites. Topped with TJ’s soyaki sauce.
6. Egg with fried rice, Korean hot sauce (an abbreviated version of the above)
7. Charcuterie plate—crackers, cheese, cut up raw veggies and fruit, salami
8. Roasted vegetable platter - a bunch of roasted vegetables with dipping sauce.  The sauces are key! My recent favorites are aioli and romesco. 
9. Clean out the fridge and pantry meals - as long as there are a couple of fresh vegetables to roast, some canned sardines, tuna or beans in the pantry and maybe a few eggs that haven't been used up, we can make ourselves a feast this way. 
10. Rice with a side of cubed tofu sautéed in soy sauce, side of green beans/ broccoli
11. Avocado, tuna or sardine topped toast with pickled red onions
12. Costco frozen cauliflower pizza
13. Peppers (those colorful mini ones), red onions, and Trader Joe's frozen meatballs roasted in the oven, cook orzo while the oven is going, and toss it all together.  Add tomato sauce or pesto if available. 
14. Chicken curry (jarred curry from Kroger or TJ) with rotisserie chicken 
15. Roasted vegetables and egg—also another one of my favorites. I love roasting a bunch of cubed vegetables (whatever is in season) with tons of seasoning and boiling, frying or poaching an egg to go with it
16. Any combo of salad (with arugula or romaine lettuce base) and lemon vinagrette dressing with boiled egg or deli ham/turkey (this dressing is my favorite!)
17. Any combo of soup (this customizable guide from Mark Bittman is so helpful!)
18. Kimbap (Korean sushi roll) - nori wrap stuffed with rice, veggie, protein combo
19. French green beans with 7 minute egg
20. Breakfast burrito 
21. Sweet potato tacos 
22. Sardines over garlic toast with good tomato and pickled red onions
23. Ground beef/pork sauce over rice noodles
24. Alison Roman's chickpea stew (I have made this SO many times, make it in large batches and freeze for later use). 
25. Also, this is not a meal but it feels like it: red cabbage slaw.  Red cabbage, shredded carrots, julienned apples or peach, all tossed in a lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and salt mixture. It's so good and we've been eating this as an accompaniment to many a meal. 

What are you all eating these days?

WHAT I'M READING V. 43

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama

I saw this book popping up everywhere, and while I am usually not one to read autobiographies by political or politically related figures, I am very interested in the Obamas stories and particularly curious about Michelle Obama's point of view on what she went through.  It's a big book, and the first half of the book felt like a very standard growing up in the suburbs story, but it started to get really interesting midway when she started talking about the balance of working while being a mom, couples counseling, and what it mean to take care of herself and determine for herself what would make her happy.  Also, it gave a backstage look at what it was like to be a part of the campaigns and living in the White House during those 8 years and what it was like afterwards.  It was so interesting, and I even cried at some parts that described the campaign - all that hope.

2.  The Hidden Life of Trees

My cousin Lois lent me this book and by the first couple of chapters, my mind was blown. Wohlleben is a German forester who is passionate and knowledgeable about trees and makes the very convincing case that trees are like human families, caring for one another in a social network, and how much letting trees do their thing is beneficial to all of life on this earth. I read this one slowly, one small chapter at a time, and grew into a deeper appreciation for trees. I will never be able to see trees quite the same way again!

3. Creativity, Inc. 

I can't remember where I heard about this one, but the person recommending said that while it was about Ed Catmull, the president of Pixar, and how he got the company to where it was, it also held principals that would be helpful for all creative endeavors.  He states at the very beginning that he is primarily concerned with creating a culture of sustainable creativity and problem-solving, and he demonstrates how Pixar accomplished that by going through its history and its practices. I took away a lot from this one!

4. Evicted by Matthew Desmond

This book was utterly heartbreaking, and I think that every American should read. MacArthur follows eight families in Milwaukee as they struggle to keep housing. With these various stories, you get to see the very clear and unifying theme that when you are poor, you can only focus on one day at a time, and even the tiniest road bump could completely derail your life.  Planning is a luxury reserved for those that live above the poverty line.  It was well-written and spotlights a very pervasive and significant problem in this country. I especially liked the chapter at the end where he talks about the effect that doing this research had on him personally. 

MOM AND DAD'S VISIT

my parent's bi-annual visit wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, and looking through these photos make me appreciative all over again about how they get to come stay with us for a little while and weave themselves into the rhythms of our daily life. 

both my parents are so good at just plopping down on the floor and playing and reading with the kids. 

after church one sunday. 

ken took them to have his favorite latte at alchemy. 

random run to target, just us!

we had a bounty of fruit and vegetables sitting in the middle of the dining table while they were here.



i made this blood orange upside down cake while my parents were here and they liked it so much i ended up making it 3-4 more times (with regular orange and also with pear).

matching pajamas that my mom brought the girls from korea! korean pajamas are the best.

my dad safeguarding sloane's tiger for her. 

the girls often ended up in my parents' room at the beginning and end of each day; talking, playing and being read to. i love coming upon scenes like this.

a cozy scene from one of the weekends. 

on friday evening, we set aside time for an art session where we each worked on a piece of art (the girls made several pieces each, of course) and it was so much fun! especially because it was my dad's first time really drawing or painting like this, so it was special for all of us to do it together.

we visited the new Institute of Contemporary Art that opened up a few months ago, and got to listen to a wonderful performance by the First African Baptist Choir in this beautiful space at the top of the museum. 

this was the elevator! 

my very cute parents. 

my dad took this one of me. 

and then back to the train station to see them off to nyc so that they could visit my sister up there. sad to see them go and so happy to have time together! 

THESE DAYS

I think it's been almost a solid year now that I've been saying, "this is such a good age" about the girls and how well they play together. These days they are 6.5 and 3.5 years old. I'm holding on to the hope that this stage will last for as long as possible; that is, the stage where they love playing together and will do so happily for hours.  Last week, after I got pushed out of their room where they were playing some elaborate pretend play with their horses, I marveled at how much they were content to play with each other without my oversight, and how different it was from even 1.5 years ago when Logan wouldn't let me leave her side, especially at the end of the day when we got home.  It used to be really difficult to transition into the evening after work, when we stumbled back home, with stories to tell each other but exhausted, eager for rest and cuddles, but also needing to clean up the kitchen, cook and get dinner on the table. It's not as if it's a breeze now, but the marked difference is that usually Sloane and Logan will take off running to their room and get zapped into their imaginary world, from which I have to pull them out of in order for them to eat dinner. Every other day there seems to be some conflict that comes up, usually within their play, i.e. some sort of disagreement about who will hold what or play which part, but they are at the point where I usually try to let them resolve it between themselves and they usually do, quickly. 

Logan used to wake me up very early and then insist that we don't do anymore sleeping or cuddling, but these past few months, she has been crawling into bed with me when she does wake up early to cuddle and go back to sleep until a more reasonable time, and I have been loving that so much.  The other morning, I was half-asleep when I pulled a warm body closer to me and thought, "Oh! I didn't realize Sloane came into bed this morning..." only to realize that it was actually Logan, but she had all of a sudden felt so much bigger to me as I noticed her long limbs.  She is growing so quickly.

I appreciate these two so very much these days.  They are thoughtful, imaginative, smart and so funny. They make life logistics more complicated but simplify everything else to its most important parts. I am so pleased to be able to get to know them a little more with each passing day; what a privilege.

WHAT I'M READING V. 42

1. The God Who is There by Francis Shaeffer

This one was a whopper! A work of Christian apologetic by a person who apparently had great influence on Christian thinkers the past few decades.  It took me a while to really dig in (it's philosophical aspects took a while to get used to; made me think I would like to read more philosophy to get in the habit of thinking this way), and I don't know if I agree with all his points, but ultimately he did a worthy job of emphasizing the need to maintain the existence of God in all of our dialogue and thinking, and to be able to explain the reality of this existence in tangible ways. I took it as an encouragement to really think and to continue to formulate words to communicate the reality of God to others, and I especially liked his appendices at the end which goes into how to apply some of these things to our communities and conversations.

2. On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior

I LOVED this book. This will definitely make it on my five-star shelf (which I'll be working on organizing this weekend! Very excited.) When I started it, I couldn't believe such a book existed; it's one of those books that I wished I had written myself. Prior goes through and describes the classical virtues, in a compelling way, and looks at them through the lens of great literature (some of them by favorites) - Fielding, Fitzgerald, Dickens, Twain, Endo, McCarthy, Tolstoy, Wharton, Bunyan, Austen, Saunders and O'Connor. I read it on Kindle, and as soon as I approached the final pages, I ordered the hard copy of the book because I know it's one I'll refer back to again and again.

3. Pilgrim's Regress by C.S. Lewis

I have had this book for a long time but had never cracked it open until a few weeks ago. It wasn't what I was expecting at all, and at some points, it felt a little bizarre, but I didn't dislike it overall. Apparently, it was his first published work of prose fiction, and it almost feels like an experiment of sorts. It's an allegory, which I'm not the biggest fan of, but he is playing with the form (also apparently in the homage he's paying to Bunyan's A Pilgrim's Progress) and there seems to be a sort of snark or something here that felt both familiar and unfamiliar. I was also a little perturbed by the use of "the brown girls" as a metaphor of lust and desires, as that is a loaded thing which Lewis may or may not have been aware of. Overall, what was interesting to me about it was the form and tone, which I am still mulling over now.

4. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

I read An American Marriage a few weeks ago and liked it so much I immediately went to go see what else Jones had written.  I found this one and liked it immensely, though not as much as An American Marriage.  This particular one is about two girls who share the same father, but only one of them knows about the other.  The book shares with us both perspectives of the girls, and I loved the way Jones wrote these girls' voices - it felt so real and intimate and vulnerable. 

2019 HOPES

(photo source and hand drawn type by maddy nye for designlovefest)

how is everyone doing with the 2019 year so far? january is almost over and while it's been great, it's also been so cold, and i am eager to get out of this month and trot through february and march to get to the warmer weather.  in the meanwhile, i have books to read and things to try and i jotted down this list of some of these things earlier this month, and i want to preserve it here as well to look back on (here is my list from last year):


things to continue:

1. keep reading: i have ramped up my reading habit over the past year and these days i read like i'm starving. i'm reading several books at a time and trying to get into a good cycle of reading a healthy variety of books that pertain to my interests. the categories are like this:

• fiction: classic & modern works, making sure to include female and writers of color
• non-fiction: memoirs, theological or philosophical, any other book with a topic that i would like to study more

i also hope to keep up reading the bible with the CBR (community bible reading) guide, and using my journal to do whatever in it that inspires me from that day's reading.

2. keep trying to wake up early: i fell out of the habit of waking early due to several things out of my control, and these days i try to just wake up a little bit before the kids wake up so i can do a couple of the things that are grounding and lifegiving to me before i start my day. the tricky thing now is that i have gotten into the habit of reading before bed, which leads to staying up as long as i dare, which leads to difficulty waking early. i have been finding that i like reading before bed, and writing in the morning - i just need to find a way to balance that out for time purposes.

things to do:

1. integrate more meditation/mindfulness practice: i tried to do this a few times last year but didn't maintain it much beyond a few attempts. i would like to do this more regularly. i'm starting with baby steps by doing a few intentional minutes per day.

2. take masterclasses on writing (malcolm gladwell, margaret atwood, aaron sorkin): my mom got me a year's subscription to masterclass online classes and it is SO good. so far i've taken a gordon ramsey cooking  class, which i loved, and i've just started a writing class with malcolm gladwell.  i'm hoping  to do a couple more of their writing classes!

3. learn more about investments: i need to learn more about this topic for work. culling resources as i go. 

4. draw more: it has been a long time since i've drawn regularly and i'm trying to do more of it this year. drawing feels like a meditative practice in itself, and i do want to get better at it. right now i'm working on drawing one thing each day.

QUESTIONS WITH SLOANE AND LOGAN - VIDEO

We did it! The third installment of "Questions with Sloane and Logan".  This one went particular long because 1) now Logan talks more, ha, and 2) there is a chunk of dancing in the middle there, but that I felt was imperative to include.  We do a lot of dancing at our house lately.

Really fun to revisit the previous videos to see how much they've grown: video from 2016 and video from 2017

NEW YEAR'S DAY LUNCHEON

Happy 2019!!  A few weeks before the new year, I got it in my head that I wanted to make duk guk (Korean rice cake soup that is traditionally eaten on Korean New Year's) and have some friends over for it. This was a feat because 1) I had never made duk guk before, much less for a large crowd, and 2) I didn't know how I would seat everyone, because soup is most definitely a sit-down type of meal.  Ultimately, I moved the kitchen island to the foyer area and made it a bar for drinks, and then added another table to our dining table to seat 17 adults. I was extremely pleased with myself for figuring this out.  And happily, it was a balmy day (highs in the 60s!) so we were able to utilize the sunroom to seat all the kids (14 of them).  Guys, this sort of problem-solving for the purpose of having friends seated around a table to eat food is the sort of thing I live for. I got these heavy duty paper bowls from Amazon (along with paper plates, plastic gold silverware and these black and white checkered napkins) and got a bunch of eucaplytus from Trader Joe's to spread down the table as a runner.

So it turns out making duk guk for this many people when I've never made it before, along with a huge batch of japchae (Korean sweet potato noodles with vegetables and beef), is no easy feat, and at one point the day before when I was cooking, I did question my sanity....but Mignon helped me cut up the vegetables for the japchae and I had cleared my schedule the day before to make everything the day before so that I could enjoy the process without feeling rushed and stressed out....and it was totally worth it. For food, Ken also made his wontons that are always a crowd favorite, and guests brought supplies as well (I asked guests to bring either champagne, dessert or dumplings) so we had ourselves a proper feast.

For some reason I didn't take any photos of the food that I made, but I DID take a photo of Ken's wontons as Lois formed them and Ken fried them. Look at them in their crispy brown goodness.

Lately, I've decided that the hanging light and chandelier needs to be up higher and it's driving me crazy. Actually, what I really want is to replace it altogether (and we actually have one in the wings, waiting) but it would take some finagling and this is a task low on the list of things to update.  I've been very daydreaming about replacing all of our light fixtures lately, but I need to wrap my mind around things like electrical wiring so I'm pushing it off until we get some other priorities taken care of first - like updating the guest room!

We scrounged up every chair we had, including a long bench to make sure we had enough seats. (Also, this is why, when I see a good chair for $5 at a thrift store, I can't pass it up!) 

Our bar! 

Kids table #1. 

Kids table #2. 

The adults feast table! After lunch, we sat around and discussed the things that were most influential to us in the past year of 2018, and it was really good hearing everyone's answers and sharing in the hopes of a new year.

SLOANE AND LOGAN THESE DAYS

Sloane is halfway through six and Logan is halfway through three years! It's been a while since I've done one of these reflections, but I recently noticed that I had a few of these notes jotted down in my "Notes" app of my phone and wanted to commit them to a post for safekeeping (but ARE blogs safekeeping? I keep wondering about this; whether I need to find some other way to back up these posts or try to make them into a book or something. anyone else?) 

They are so stunning to me; how wonderful, brilliant and different they are. They have moments when they argue or miscommunicate, and they have moments where they are lost in their own little world for hours and hours at a time playing pretend, and they have moments when they are so tender and loving to each other, it cracks me open.  

I try to soak them in, and regret it immediately when I am impatient with them, and most times I don't think I'll be able to stand them not being like this, in this age, forever. But then they always move on, and I always adjust, heart breaking just a little bit, but also so excited for the new things that come. 

What is truly an unexpected perk and work is that as they grow, not only do I learn about who they are, but I learn more about who I am too. 

For example, Sloane and I have similar interests and passions but our tendencies seem to be very different. For now, she appears to be more of an internal processor, and she will take her time with decisions and expressing her feelings. And lately, I've been noticing my reaction to her emotions have been less patient. I think I used to be really good at hearing her out and walking her through things, no matter how long it took, but now that she is older and acts so competent and knowledgeable, I expect so much more of her.  But then I realize, it's not her, it's me and my own issues coming into play here. I do the thing of compartmentalizing my emotions, but that is just not how Sloane operates. For the most part, I feel, identify, and analyze immediately (not all the time obviously; sometimes it takes a while before I figure out why I feel a certain way.), sometimes without feeling the whole of my feelings, but Sloane feels and then processes it internally and expresses, sometimes before she gets to the identify phase. Sometimes her emotions come out at a moment and it turns out it is because of something else entirely that happened the day before. It has been a good reminder to me lately to pause, not be too reactive, to be patient, not to over-verbalize and just hold her until she is ready to talk. 

With Logan, her personality and tendencies is one that I understand more readily, but I can see the dangers in that too. That I might assume things about her before giving her space to explain herself and blossom of her own accord.  She expresses plenty of emotion, but it's plain what/why/how she feels in that moment, and then she quickly moves on. Emotion is a quick and easily accessible tool for her that she is not afraid of using, along with all of her opinions. I'm still figuring her out, but I was relieved to realize that her moments of being completely unreasonable were due to her being a toddler, and being unable to fully explain herself. Nowadays, for the most part (unless she is extremely tired or sick), she is very reasonable and responds well to boundaries. Sometimes, I have to stand my ground and be really firm, but I get the sense that she respects that. She will always try to hold her own and get her way, but if I meet her energy with my own firm energy, she will comply.  

I know it's way too early to tell, but lately, I have had suspicions that Sloane might be a 6w5, and Logan is probably a 7w8.  It's really important for Sloane that she feels safe and supported, and she loves knowing how things work. It's really important for Logan that she is not deprived or missing out on things, and she wants to know that she can make her own way.  

Logan is at this age where so much of what she says is surprising and hilarious to us. I take video as much as I can remember, but too much of that can sort of suck the air out of the whole moment. We just belly laugh and try to be present as it is happening. 

Some things Logan has said recently that I've been able to jot down:

"Hey mom, I’m a wine person." followed by, "so I need some wine."  When I deny her this, she then will ask, "Ok, then can I have some milk, but in a wine glass? Like A LOT of milk. A LOT."

Logan: “Is it almost dinner time?” 

Me: “Yes, it is!” 

Logan: “Great! After dinner can we have breakfast?"

While in bed: "Mom I’m going to pray. Dear God, thank you for me and mom going all the way to sleep. Amen."

She has also often said, "I don’t want to grow up!!" which always surprises me (don't kids usually want to grow up?) and has stated that she will go up to age 7, but no further. 

Another instance: "Dad I like your basketball shoes."
Ken:" Oh, these are for volleyball ... you can wear something like these when you grow up!"
Logan: "No thanks, I don’t want to grow up."

One time, while driving, she overheard a conversation I was having on the phone and when I got off the phone, she asked me what I was talking about. "Oh, I was just trying to get a quote for something....I'm working on a website." Logan responds with fury, "Mom, those are not real words!!"

And my favorite: “I look beautiful when I’m naked!”

With Sloane, it's harder to capture moments and conversations with her with just a few quotes here and there. She is so thoughtful and funny, and there is so much more context to her thoughts and our interactions these days. 

She loves jokes, riddles, and learning new songs. She still loves stories and can sit for HOURS listening to an audiobook or anyone reading aloud to her. She has a great eye and hand for drawing, and she loves learning about animals. She is affectionate, loves cuddling and is still a champion sleeper that can sleep through anything.  She'll tell me I'm doing a good job, and is so helpful whenever I need a hand. She loves playing with other kids, and also enjoys playing by herself. 

She tells me random animal facts that she has learned at school, in books and on Wild Kratts (one of her favorite shows), and right now she is particularly obsessed with horses.  She has been bringing home sheets of paper where she writes down all the different types of horses that she can find from a horse book at school, so we can look them up and learn more about them. She doesn't like watching movies that much, especially if they are new ones that are unfamiliar to her, but she is a big fan of Mary Poppins (and Mary Poppins Returns, which we saw recently together).

There is one word that she still says incorrectly, that I can't bear to correct her about: she'll say "brook" instead of "broke" for the past tense of "break", as in, "Oh no, that brook!".  She is learning new words everyday and will use them out on me, surprising me and making me laugh.  On the weekdays these days, I'll wake up to Sloane singing songs in her room as she plays - songs she has learned or most likely ones that she makes up as she goes. 

They are also both into superheroes lately, and the first half of their superhero play is always announcing all of their individual powers and demonstrating them. 

The are simply marvelous. 

WHAT I'M READING V. 41 (To start off 2019!)

1. Tin Man by Sarah Winman

This felt like a sonnet or something - loosely woven but beautiful and poignant. It didn't land for me like I know it did for others. It's great writing but the tone is one that takes itself very seriously without first drawing me in to trust the voice - if that makes any sense. I stuck with it, and I felt very privileged to be let in on what seemed to be a very private affair of these characters, but it's not one that stayed with me.

2. The Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides

I wasn't quite sure if I would like or finish this one (I picked this one up because it was available on Overdrive and I recognized the author from Middlesex, which I haven't read) but I was sucked in because the main character is an English major and there is one line in there at the beginning that says something like, "she became an  English ajor reason for the worst reason imaginable - because she liked to read"- which I obviously totally related with.  None of the characters are really likeable, the book highlights a lot of the unappealing things about prestigious liberal arts education, and overall feels a little inconsequential, but! I was invested in the journey because of the sharp writing, intellectual insights into the meanderings of college and post-college life, and the description of one of the character's experience with mental illness and its effect on the relationship.  I didn't love the book, but I'm intrigued enough to want to pick up Middlesex.

3. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

I listened to this one right after "The Marriage Plot" and while they both had "marriage" in its title and as its theme, it was a very different book, and I liked this one much more. I think I actually said "wow" aloud after I finished it (other audible wow moments from this past year include Mother Tongue, A Little Life, and Educated). It's almost better if you don't know what to expect going into it, which is how I dipped in, so I'll leave it at that, but I liked it so much, I immediately went to go find her other book, Silver Sparrow, which I'm in the middle of now.


4. I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson

This was a memoir-type collection of essays by Jacobson as she traveled across the country and I really loved this one because of her voice, her humor and the specificity of her writing. It feels like a written tightly woven series of blog posts, and I say that as a positive attribute - its honest and vulnerable, making it very relatable. She provides insight into her past and how she came to be the writer, creator and actor of her own show, Broad City, and you get a sense of how hard she worked and how real she is.  It was a quick and refreshing read; I recommend it if you appreciate the show!