≫ What I'm into (September 2016 edition)

Joining my friend Leigh Kramer to share what I’m into these days.

September has thrown me for a loop. It’s been a great month, but wow has it been crazy. All summer, and now into fall, we’ve been in a cycle of getting ready to leave town/leaving town/recovering from being gone, and then doing it all again.

We’ve also gotten back into the school groove (more or less) with homework and ball games and the related new routine.

It’s been fun, but it’s been nuts!

Nashville

Early this month I spent a long weekend in Nashville with 5 amazing women, working. It was amazing to me both how much I got done, and how much fun it was.

I wondered if it would be worth it to spend all that time in the car just so I could do something I usually do at home and the answer was an emphatic YES. I just read Deep Work by Cal Newport—it’s a book I can’t stop thinking about—and he would call this the strategy of the “grand gesture.” I’m a believer now.

I also got to stop at Parnassus Books on the way down which was, of course, awesome.

Savannah

I told you a little about Savannah in my September What I Learned post, but it’s worth repeating: this city is amazing! And I’m so thankful our event hotel was smack in the middle of the action. We had pockets of time to explore on foot, and while I definitely need to get back one day to be more of a tourist, I was at least able to get a feel for the city.

The whole experience was wonderful. I so enjoyed getting to meet so many of you there (thank you for coming!). And I met so many wonderful authors, and saw friends again, and I brought home SO MANY BOOKS.

(33, to be exact. And I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or bad thing that when I checked my bag Delta told me I had 18 pounds to spare before I had to pay overages. On the one hand, it’s good to exercise restraint. But on the other, I could have brought home more books!)

What I’m reading

I always have plenty to read but after SIBA the situation has gotten a little bit out of control. (Photo to prove it, above.) I’m excited about so many titles that will be hitting the shelves in the next six months.

I’m also working my way through quite a few of these 20 books everyone will be talking about this fall. And diving in to re-read Ann Patchett’s Commonwealth, our MMD Book Club pick for October.

What I’m watching

For once, I actually have tv to report on!

Will and I started This Is Us. Great premier, can’t wait to see where they go with it. (Hot tip: when your writer friends tell you to watch a show, watch the show. They know a good premise when they see one.)

The Blacklist is finally back with season 4. The writers got a little lost with season 3, but the finale was promising and the season opener wasn’t terrible.

And Will and I finally, finally started The West Wing. It’s our first time through—anything I should know?

All writers, all the time

Or at least that’s what September has felt like these past few weeks! First SIBA, then good stuff at home.

Sebastian Junger came through town for a great author event. (That’s the Kentucky Author Forum, and if you’re in the Louisville area I can’t say enough nice things about it.) Joe Klein interviewed him about his new book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, and he was fascinating, in a few ways I expected and many more I didn’t.

I was planning on road-tripping it up to Cincinnati last weekend to hear Amor Towles talk about his new novel A Gentleman in Moscow. I loved the book, and I’ve heard from a few of you who have gotten to see him in other book tour cities that he is fantastic in person, but I was a lot busy and a little sick and missed it. If you’ve seen him on tour please tell me all about it!

And finally, it’s Idea Festival time in Louisville, and yesterday I got to hear Alan Lightman, author of a little book I’m quite fond of, talk about the intersection of the science and the humanities.

I hope your September has been lovely. What were YOU into this month?