Shorty September, Two New Substack Recommendations, and Red Lentil Soup

Greetings, friends, and Happy Autumn Equinox (substitute autumn for spring if you’re in the southern hemisphere). It seems like every other person I know is embracing fall as their favorite season, and I’m among them. Give me all the cooler temperatures (especially in the mornings), lazy Sunday afternoons (like this one, happening right now!) with football on TV, hearty soups (I’ve got a great one for you later in this post), and Starbucks’ iced pumpkin cream chai (my fave). Oh, and a big stack of books, which goes without saying.

I’ve been participating in Shorty September, a BookTube event hosted by Bert and Siân of PAStoryTime as well as Heather from Too Many Heathers. The idea is to read short books throughout the month. What constitutes a shorty is up to you. My criteria is generally a book under 225 pages but I’ll extend that to 250. My preference is for shorter works anyway, so this event is one of my favorites.

For a variety of reasons (work, life), September has been busier than usual so my reading’s been slower. And right before Labor Day, my hold for What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to the West Wing by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack came in at the library, so I got a late start on Shorty September. (What’s Next is a whopping 604 pages).

Since then I’ve read three “shorties” — Lost and Found by Kathryn Schulz (a brilliantly written memoir of love and loss, a solid 5 stars); Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto (a very odd book, listened to this on audio, 2.5 stars); and Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant (your average business/self-help/motivational read, just okay, 3.5 stars). So, kind of ho-hum, with the exception of Lost and Found…until last night, when I started Interpretations of Love by Jane Campbell.

First off, at 82-years-old, Jane Campbell is the inspiring embodiment that it’s never too late to publish a book. Her short story collection, Cat Brushing was released in 2022 and Interpretations of Love is her debut novel. It centers on Agnes, whose parents died in a car accident when she was four. Her Uncle Malcolm raised Agnes along with his parents. He’s been keeping a family secret for decades and now, as an old man and on the eve of Agnes’ daughter’s wedding, is torn whether to share what he knows. The family gathering/family secret is a well-trod trope, to be sure; however, in Campbell’s hands this is a page turner. At first the prose felt a bit overwritten but I am fully invested and can’t wait to find out what Uncle Malcolm does.

I want to share two new Substacks with you and encourage you to read and subscribe.

My son Will (longtime readers know him as The Boy) has launched First Thoughts, a newsletter focused on politics. Call me biased, but if you know me, or him, in real life, you know that my boy has a sharp political mind and his insights and knowledge have astounded us for years. He’s been working on this for awhile and I’m thrilled to share his latest post with commentary and analysis on the Harris/Trump campaign. Click on the Read More button to do just that and subscribe.

The other Substack is also newly-launched and is the latest creative work from my friend Beth Kephart. “I work with words and paper, with verbs like tear, paint, weave, and stitch. The Hush and the Howl is a pilgrimage—prose poems, hybrid art, collage, persuasions.” Beth goes on to describe her newsletter as “an endless entanglement of art and language, prose and paint, seam and stitch.” I can attest: As with everything Beth creates, be it one of her books or her handcrafted journals, The Hush and the Howl is gorgeous, emotive, and a treat for the senses.

(I can’t seem to get the embed to work like above, but clicking on the link will take you there.)

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of New York Times Cooking, subscribers are able to gift unlimited recipes throughout September. I’ve made this Red Lentil Soup by Melissa Clark and it always tastes like autumn in a bowl. (If you, like me, tend to avoid lentils because they’re not always your friend, I’ve found that I can tolerate red lentils a bit easier than brown.)

Happy Fall, y’all!

Leave a comment