My apologies for being so long-winded today. This is after I've already written 3000 words of my WIP (work-in-progress). What in the world was in my coffee? Before I share some TV and book recommendations and then confess that I've joined the dark side and created a TikTok account, let me start here:

 

Yesterday, I recorded myself reading my favorite passage from A Spanish Sunrise. It's twelve minutes long, which could be a whole lot more Boo than you'd like on this beautiful Saturday, but I've wanted to share it for a while. I hope you enjoy.

 

In other news, I just hit 17k words of my new novel, which is pushing close to sixty pages. And it's slightly polished. I so love my protagonist in the present-day story and can easily fall into her skin every session.

 

Tomorrow is when I finally tackle the piece set in 1881 Winchester, England. From here on out, I'll change time periods every few chapters. I'll wake up about five and drink a glorious cup of coffee while I listen to this jazz playlist on Spotify and read the news, then I'll come up here and type: 

 

 

It's super intimidating to even fathom how to live and breathe in a time so long ago, but it's a heck of a lot of fun too. I know where I'm going with Miles's story. I know what he's going through. But you never really know a character until you start typing from his perspective. 

 

The reward is that I am off to Rome with my family on Wednesday. My wife is pursuing her and our son's Italian citizenship, which requires a deep understanding of pasta. (Not really but you know what I mean…) We're off to find the best plate of cacio e pepe pasta in the world, as it is the favorite of everyone in my household. As with all great delicacies in Italy, it consists of only a few ingredients but takes a lifetime to master. 

 

An important aside: the white wines of Frascati are the most traditional pairing with cacio e pepe. You can bet your bottom dollar Mikella and I will be testing this claim first hand. Frascati is not an easy wine to find in the US, so I've only had a couple in my life. And I'll of course be searching for a seed for my next story. I think Rome could be perfect.

 

Enough about me. Let's talk about you. What's going on? Please, please, please respond with what's making you happy or sad right now. Isn't this earthquake aftermath just agonizing? I feel so helpless. What can I do? I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've put some time into it. What can any of us do?

 

And what books have blown you away lately? Though I may not be able to respond to everyone, I always read your notes. And if you give me a book recommendation, chances are I'll add it to my queue. (Thanks a lot for costing me another $12.)

 

 

Allow me to recommend a few things that have blown me away lately. Let's talk TV first. Limitless on Disney+ might be the best documentary I've ever seen in my life. It follows Chris Hemsworth of Thor fame as he pushes his body and mind to the limits. I'm still thinking about it, not to mention shouting praise from the rooftops. I very well may be affected forever, especially by the last episode. Have you seen it? I'm part of a polar plunge crew made up of some crazies that jump into the ocean every week or two. Limitless has now inspired us to see how long we can stay in. I just got cold typing this, recalling that the last time we hurled ourselves into the water, it was snowing. It's amazing how you can change your mind-state from a six to a ten in seconds.

 

I'm late to the party but The Morning Show on Apple TV is mind-blowing, like West Wing good. The dialogue is as good as it gets. And I'm so glad to finally see Jennifer Aniston finding a role outside of Friends that allows her to show her stuff. Can't wait for the next season. 

 

Lastly, The Last of Us… If you're into Walking Dead-type shows, this is a game-changer. (I'm assuming many of you who read this are NOT fans of these kinds of shows, but I'm sharing anyway). I believe episode three, though a detour from the plot, is one of the best episodes of television ever written. I've promised myself before I die that I'll write an Armageddon story of some sort. I just love super-diverse characters crashing into each other and learning to work together to survive.

 

Here's what I'm reading:

Like Emily St. John Mandel, Emma Straub is just cool. She's New York-ey and plugged-in and intelligent, and she doesn't hold back in her writing or public life. Emma, if you're reading this: can we be friends? You and Emily and I could go for a glass at a natural wine bar Uptown. Argue about the Oxford comma and the choice of some authors to forgo the use of punctuation marks. She's added some time travel to this one, and I'm enjoying it a lot so far.

 

Four Thousand Weeks was hot on the charts last year, and for good reason. I loved the reminder that we'll never get enough done, never check off all our to-dos. The answer is not in measuring how much we do, but in how present we are while we do it. I need that tattooed on my face.

 

Lastly, I am on TikTok! Come find me right here. I know, I know, fifty of you will respond with something like, “I love you, Boo, but I'm never touching TikTok.” I get it, but I'm really enjoying it so far. For one, you can use it on a desktop, where as Instagram requires a phone. That's a big deal for me and allows me to post videos easier. After teaching the algos a few things, I'm getting a lot out of the videos it puts in front of me. And as long as I have only a few followers, I'll keep posting some banjo and guitar work and anything else of which I'm typically more reserved.

Catch up on old newsletters here.