Coming to you from Providence
Happy Friday, friend. This morning, I’m coming to you from beautiful, sunny, art-filled Providence, Rhode Island.
We’re here for just one night on a college tour of the Rhode Island School of Design for my high school senior. And after just a few hours exploring the city yesterday afternoon, I’ve already found a restaurant with food and ambiance I adore, streets of shops I could lose myself in for whole weekends at a time, and the swoonworthiest of bookshops.
Also, in all of our travels, we’ve never spent time here before. It’s gorgeous. I’m loving it. And I’m not-so-secretly hoping my kiddo is going to love RISD when he gets into his tour today because I’d love to come back — a lot.
Of course, I had to purchase at least a little something at said swoonworthy bookshop. So I picked up a debut novel by Laura Dickerman called Hot Desk. I know literally nothing about it. I bought it for three little reasons — the cover is gorgeous, the blurb is good, and I love, love, love buying debut novels.
“Aren’t you already reading at least five books right now?” they said. “Isn’t your TBR stack more than a little out of control?” they said. “Aren’t you so swamped at work that you probably should be working more rather than reading anything at all right now?” they said. (They being the voices in my head, of course.)
Yes, but one can never be reading too many books at once, especially when one has the chance to buy an author’s debut novel and not just support their work but also have the chance to discover a new fave. Yes, but a TBR stack is a more-the-merrier place to be. Yes, but work is work, and a girl has to read.
So I bought it.
And last night, I read the first 17 pages before bed instead of picking up the Joan Didion I brought to read in the hotel because I’ve been absolutely obsessed with it since I found it last weekend on my used bookshop shopping adventure.
I think it’s gonna be good.
I’ll let you know.
I also bought a second Joan Didion (Let Me Tell You What I Mean) because it was just $8.98, and that seemed like a sign I should buy it. Especially since The Year of Magical Thinking is giving me the feeling I might just lose myself in her work now that I’ve finally dipped my toe in the Didion waters.
If you’ve read any of those, let me know.
I’m off to paint a little more of this town today — and read a lot more of all the books tonight. Wherever you are today, however this message finds you, I hope you find good stuff all around you — and I hope to see you back here next Friday morning.
💛
Celeste
