The August Edit
If you’re a new reader, the monthly edit is a brain dump of everything I consumed (or consumed me) during the month. This newsletter is filled with recommendations that I hope will add value to your life.
What I Read
I’ll post a complete monthly reading recap in a few days. The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain was a standout. The expected publication date is September 24th, so I’ll remind you to check it out before then! I’ve given up on my rereading challenge for the time being. I’m such a mood reader and have lots of advance digital review copies I’m currently prioritizing. I will definitely circle back to the remaining books in the coming months but August was a no-go for rereading.
The article What is The Blue Mindset from The Good Trade has me missing life on the coast while inspiring me to spend more time near the river at home.
’s Summer for the Books newsletter made me think about being flexible with my TBR list and how to lean into my children’s reading preferences. offered some great tips for deciding when to pass books along.I saved
’s list of 40 Chapter Book read alouds and this glimpse into a screen-free summer routine from .The Watch List
The Olympics took up most of my TV time at the beginning of this month and I have to be honest, I miss waking up and watching sailing, surfing, and equestrian events!
I’m still making my way through the second season of Maestro in Blue while adding to my to-watch list daily. High up on my list are the new seasons of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Emily in Paris, Only Murders in the Building and the latest Netflix show Kaos, a mythological dark-comedy starring Jeff Goldblum as Zeus.
Tunes
My husband and I were planning to go to the Marcus King Family Reunion music festival but when we finally saw the set times and our must-see artists weren’t finishing up until 11:30 p.m. on a Sunday night, we decided we were too old to have our family out past 2 a.m. and realistically be on time to work and school the next day. It’s a bummer but I think the show organizers missed the mark with their target audience. There was an opportunity to have the whole thing start a bit earlier or be a Friday night/Saturday event.
My daughter’s birthday party was Taylor Swift themed so of course I’ve been listening to her music again. There was a moment when I was driving in the car trying to sing along to The Tortured Poets Department where I questioned if I ever listened to The Anthology. So many of the songs didn’t sound familiar until they got to the catchy TikTok portion of the chorus so I think I need to have it on in the background more! I haven’t given the album much attention since it first released back in April.
Jack White, Khalid, Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Orville Peck, Tones and I, beabadoobee, Foster the People, sixten, Hozier, Post Malone, Sabrina Carpenter, and more all had new music drop in August so there’s no shortage of tunes to bop around to this month! If you’re looking to add to my kid song recs, there’s a new album from Miss Katy Sings called Just the Way You Are with some great tunes about feelings.
Purchases + Wish List
I fell victim to my first TikTok shop purchase, a 3-in-1 desk charger for my iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch to keep at work. This was a big month for tech in general. I bought a new laptop to write this newsletter during one of the back-to-school sales and two refurbished iPads for the kids.
I added this reading journal and this pouch set to my bookish wish list. My younger sister says these clogs are the it-girl shoes for fall.
Organization + Cleaning
Whew. Parties are a lot of work! I enjoyed hosting family and friends for my daughter’s birthday but the amount of organization and cleaning we always seem to have to do at the last minute can be daunting. It was worth it to have a clean house for a few hours.
Yummy Bites
I’ll just come right out and say it. I miss cooking elaborate recipes. I miss cooking from a cookbook. I miss cooking food that I want to eat. Right now we’re in a season of saving and catering to the tastes of two picky-ish little eaters and it’s not as fun as it used to be to cook for two. This recipe for Spicy Korean Gochujang Beef Noodles looks incredible. I’m also craving scallops and some authentic Pad Thai.
Highs + Lows
Because we didn’t go to the music festival, we were able to spend the night with my sister-in-law’s family instead. The next morning we traveled to see a close friend and visit the Book Warehouse Outlet Sale. There’s a huge warehouse in Easley, SC where they open one weekend a month to the public and sell palettes of books for 70% off. I went last summer and was able to stock up on small games and puzzles to give as birthday gifts for my kids’ friends throughout the year.
Growing up I always wanted to join the Girl Scouts but we lived pretty far out in the suburbs and I was involved in other afterschool activities. Both of my parents were scouts so I’m thrilled to be joining a troop with my daughter. We’re still trying to find her “thing”. With asthma, sports are hard, though she’s very active. Our first troop meeting will be sometime next month. Making friends as a mom is hard so I’m hoping it’s beneficial for both of us to get out in the community and make those connections.
I surpassed 400 followers on Substack! I’m so grateful for everyone who chooses to read and interact with my writing. If you’re new here, I’d love for you to check out some of my popular newsletters from this year’s archives.
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Congratulations on hitting 400 and what a month you've had! Can I come live your life for a weekend? You seem to have such fun things planned!
Congratulations on your Substack achievement, Kuleigh!