A Wednesday list

1. Met some friends at their neighborhood pool this morning. Last summer going swimming felt like a huge headache. C had just turned 2 and M wasn't even a year old yet. It all felt complicated and hard. But now that they're both walking, and no one's still drinking bottles, and C will stay beside me until she gets on her floaties it's much less of an ordeal. Plus, I've reached the stage of toddlerhood where leaving the house -- even for a trip to the pool -- doesn't require a bunch of stuff. So, we all had fun, the kids are napping, and it was a good mood booster for me.

2. I needed a mood booster because before we left, the kids were playing outside and both me and the littlest managed to step in some kind of animal poop in the middle of the yard. We don't have a pet. But my money is on one of the stray cats that roam our street or one of the litter of stray kittens that, while adorable, seem to think our backyard is their backyard (and no, we DO NOT feed them). I just want to be able to send the kids out to play without wondering if they will get covered in poop. They aren't going to look for it, or avoid it. This isn't the first time this has happened, and I'm just really, really over it. BUT! Pool time. I'm feeling much more chill now.

3. Yesterday, I finished reading First Impressions, by Charlie Lovett, and it was....pretty good. I have and really enjoyed Lovett's first novel; The Bookman's Tale, and First Impressions follows the same basic format: a literary mystery told half in present day and half in the past. I enjoyed the format (as I did with The Bookman's Tale), and I enjoyed the plot and the mystery. I thought the historical chapters -- which followed a fictionalized Jane Austen -- were well-done for the most part. Unfortunately, aside from the setting and plot, the present day chapters left a lot to be desired in my opinion. The characters -- even the main character, Sophie -- just felt completely flat and unrealistic. Lovett added a little romance into the story and while the idea was solid the execution was awkward and passionless and left me rolling my eyes so. hard. I'm of the opinion that authors can write fantastic characters of the opposite gender, but in this case it just felt like the author had a really hard time writing a woman character (not to mention that cringe-worthy romance). That said, I enjoyed the book enough -- and really enjoyed The Bookman's Tale -- that I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book by the author again.

4. But let's talk about a really GOOD story.  Girlboss, on Netflix. It's a little vulgar (so, Mom, I don't think you'd like it), and the first couple of episodes I wasn't sure I could handle watching the main character for 12 more episodes, but it just kept getting better and better. It's the story of an early twenty-something girl who can't keep a job, can't figure out what she wants, has a complicated relationship with her Dad, and a pretty big chip on her shoulder. But one day she finds an expensive vintage leather jacket in a thrift shop for only $6 and sells it on Ebay for enough money to pay her rent and then some. So she starts a business. In her words: "You know when people flip houses? I do that, but with old clothes." What really kept me watching the show, was the storytelling. I love watching (or reading) characters grow, and watching them navigate relationships that feel authentic and complicated. And the pacing was spot on. Just enough tension and time to earn each step forward, each new development, but not so much that any one storyline dragged too much.

5. MEGAN WHALEN TURNER HAS A NEW BOOK OUT IN THE QUEEN'S THIEF SERIES. Y'all. I loved this series. Deceptively complex fantasy, with a unique world, brilliant storytelling, and one of my favorite characters of all time. It's been a while since I read the first four books in the series, but they're not too long so I'm going to reread them before I dive into number five. But you better believe it's sitting in my Kindle waiting for me!