Hello from HELL!
A plea for help: our unhoused neighbors in Sacramento (approximately 6,600, but likely far more) including elderly folks and babies, are no longer getting services, INCLUDING WATER, from Sacramento County because funding for homeless camps that was set aside during the pandemic has been exhausted so they just…stopped.
I know the world is full of despair and places begging for donations as everything seems to be crumbling, but if you want to make an immediate difference, Venmo @sacramentohomelessunion or check out their website for more ways to help with a wishlist.
Reading
I discovered Amy Lin through her extremely elegant and bookish Instagram (I’m not sure how I was directed her way) and was immediately captivated. I placed her memoir, Here After, on hold at the library, and when it came in, I devoured it in one sitting. It’s the story of how one morning, Amy’s 32-year-old husband Kurtis left to run a half-marathon with Amy’s family and died during the run. It’s an exquisitely written book about grief, about time, and about love. I related to how Amy described her relationship with Kurtis; he is described as someone who is full of life and helped Amy experience self-love and self-acceptance, which can be challenging if that’s not something that comes naturally — I feel similarly about my own marriage. My spouse is full of light and silliness, which is a good antidote to my own seriousness and focused perfectionism. Reading books about the loss of a spouse is always agonizing, and when it is about people who are young and just starting their lives, it’s excruciating. I had tears streaming down my face for most of the book. And yet, the way Lin writes it is so precise, so spare, so unflinching, and yet so without drama or flowery metaphors or anything that would mask or soften the pain that it makes it propulsive in a way that you want to keep reading and following along with her. Her prose is incredible, and she is so careful about the scenes she chooses to include to give the reader a sense of who Kurtis was and who she was before and after. It’s a magnificent read. The subject matter is heart-wrenching, but the work is incredible.
You can also find Amy’s Substack here.
Writing
I’m deep into a first draft — or what Matt Bell calls “an exploratory draft” — of a novel. I’ve never written a novel before, and yet, it feels fun and pleasant. Is it good? Not yet! But I have a fleshed-out idea of who these characters are and a baggy idea of where the plot will go. I’ve been aiming to get 2000+ words down per day, and so far, it feels enjoyable.
I DNFed The Art Of Fiction by John Gardner, which is something I rarely do. I talk a lot about how other people should quit books they don’t like; however, I rarely do it. But, it felt stodgy and rich in old white man talk about what “real writing” is like, and I’d had enough.
Instead, I picked up Matt Bell’s Refuse To Be Done and I am finding it so useful and pleasant to read. In short, Bell guides writers through a process of writing what he calls an “exploratory” draft of their novel, and then gives tips for rewriting (or heavily editing) two more versions, with specific tasks to complete with each draft to bring your book closer to being finished. I’m not done with the book yet, but I am excited to read it every day, which makes me excited to sit down with my project.
Matt also has a generous, wonderful Substack here, with great writing exercises and other writing encouragement.
Ranting
This is an extremely whiney, first-world, stupid rant, AND YET: as a certified Sally Rooney superfan (what Brandon Taylor calls a “Rooney Toon”), I just want to say that I am deeply sad that I have no way of getting an Intermezzo ARC (of which I am aware) and that the galley bragging on the Internet may kill me. I’m supposed to wait two and a half more months?! HOW?! WHY?! People keep posting their galleys, and I feel so jealous that I might actually explode. FSG Books, Sally, anyone: HELP ME. I will read it and post reviews and plant myself on Instagram and do whatever bidding needs doing.
Recommending
I have a serious case of Silly Little Beverage Disease and am obsessed with these glass cups I bought a year and a half ago. Despite someone living in my home having a serious case of the Dropsies, they've held up well (all SIX are in tact a year and a half later — a record I have surely just jinxed!). They’re the perfect size for making an iced coffee, pouring a crispy Diet Coke over ice (and adding a True Lime packet for peak perfection), putting iced tea in, or making my new favorite beverages in: Seedlip Mocktails (hello delicious No-jitos and non-alcoholic Ranch Water!). The lid makes it easy for me to bring my iced coffee in the car, too, which I appreciate.
They’re also on sale for $19 on Amazon right now. Six glasses for $19? Come on.
Going to buy both of the books you recommended here asap! They sound wonderful. 🩷
How are we making NA Ranch Water?! Is it just topo Chico & a true lime?!