Coffee Grinds 07: I can't settle on an audiobook and work is eating me alive

Plus, life sized Polly Pocket house, books I've read this week, my new summer perfume, why Ulta is the best, and the show I finally gave up on.

Things I’m obsessed with this week: Life-size Polly Pocket Airbnb, Crystal Light Lemon Iced Tea, cool August mornings, not settling on an audiobook, writing my novel, and the inch towards being done my second to final (I hope!) draft.

📚 Reading:

A few of this week's reads

• This week, I finished Lo-Fi by Liz Riggs, which, given all the music references, is going to make an excellent comp for my own WIP! I’ve had a terrible time finding comps so I’m THRILLED about this. If, like me, you love the music scene or bands like Death Cab For Cutie and Jack's Mannequin and/or want a glimpse into a bit of the music industry, you'll enjoy this.

• Meanwhile, I've been having a hard time sinking my teeth into a new book. I picked up Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld as another potential comp but I'm having trouble with it. I've also been trying to listen to the Pride and Prejudice audiobook on my runs, but I’m not sure it’s exactly a running book.

• Then I remembered I picked up Bunny by Mona Awad a couple weeks ago so that’s now my current read. Only about 50 pages in but so far, I’m intrigued.

• For audiobook, I’ve been jumping around on Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louise and Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory forever which is probably why it’s taking me months to finish either. I’m enjoying both but they’re not quite compelling enough to keep me from remembering I’m running, which is the goal of my audiobooks, so I just started Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto and so far, so good!

Substacks I loved this week:

This take on “show, don’t tell” by

George Saunders

This beautiful take on friendship, love, and what was. If you like my To All The Friends I’ve Loved Before series, I think you’ll like this. By

Marble 🌿🍸🪐

This gorgeous take on mother daughter relationships, featuring Gilmore Girls references (Jess forever) by

Ciara

🫶Love

• I recently discovered Valentino’s Born in Roma perfume as part of a free sample set from Ulta (I love Ulta so much) and I’m in love. My usual scent is Chanel’s Coco Noir, but I’m thinking I might make this my summer smell.

• Also obsessed with Crystal Light Lemon Iced Tea. For a while, it was their lemonade; now it’s both. It’s my favorite afternoon treat, usually when I’m writing or reading. Served in a mason jar, of course.

• This Polly Pocket home you can ACTUALLY STAY IN. It’s not that far from Boston and I’m already contemplating booking. I mean how cute?!

• I’m sitting at 98 subscribers and I am SO CLOSE to my first 100 that I can TASTE it! I am so grateful that ninety-eight people (How?!?!) care to even read this like seriously, how did this happen?! 🥹

🎧Listened:

• Lately, this has been my go-to playlist for writing. I need something immersive without words otherwise I just get distracted.

• In my day job doing PR for musicians, one of my clients released this prog-rock/alt-rock album and I’ve been listening to it a lot throughout the pitching process. I’m not usually one for prog-rock (pop-punk all the way!) but songs like “Faster To Your Grave” have an undeniably dirty rock club vibe that I love.

✍️Wrote:

• I am getting soooo close to wrapping up this round of edits on my novel! Seriously, what once felt like an impossibility now feels within reach! I’m hoping I can wrap this up in the next week or so. Ahhh!!

🍿Watched:

• I think I’m finally giving up on Nashville. Season 3 was odd but good, Season 4 was a struggle and Season 5 has gone totally off the rails. I hate to quit so close to the end but, life is too short for haphazard TV shows. This week will be the deciding factor!

• Meanwhile Your Honor is still fantastic. Just wrapped up Season One

• Unsolved Mysteries has five new episodes out!!!!

• Still catching up on gymnastics from the Olympics, and still thinking about this piece I wrote on the demand of it all. It’s funny how it all comes in waves. I don’t hear people talking about the Olympics as much anymore, and that’s natural, but it just kind of goes to the point.

🔭 Looking ahead:

This next week is going to be a little nuts. I suddenly have a lot of client work all starting at the same exact time, which is GREAT but also STRESSFUL and as

Madeline Paige

and I were talking about, how rude to cut into Substack time??

Just kidding. I am lucky that I really love what I do. But it’s a little chaotic right now, so I have to be really conscious of making time for my writing over the next few months. Spring through Fall are the busy seasons for the music industry and it won’t quiet until about November.

I’m hoping to have a few new posts this week, so keep your fingers crossed that I can somehow do all of this AND wrap up this round of edits on my book!

That’s it for this week! I hope you have a slow (or fast!) and beautiful Sunday filled with lots of treats and reads. <3