The Basics. #18: Let's catch up!
A reading and watching check-in, winter must haves and a few things that caught my eye.
Hi friends! I’m happy to be back in your inboxes with good reads, binge worthy tv shows, cold weather must haves and a few things that caught my eye.
Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and settle in for some basics worth your time.
xoxo Basic B
Life lately…
I attended my first author event of the year and it was for a book that didn’t quite work for me. I’m still taking it all in but will return and share some thoughts and insight soon.
A reading update…
I’m currently making my way through The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins and finding it very applicable to every day life. I love having a physical copy that I can bookmark, underline and reference back to. This theory is so basic but life changing.
***NEWS FLASH *** I’m still processing the plagiarism accusations and hope we can gain some clarity from Mel Robbins in regards to the inspiration behind the LET THEM THEORY and its origination. I’m frustrated and disappointed that it’s tainted something that I was finding helpful in my life. I find it very surprising that this is just now coming to the attention of readers but it has given me much to reflect on as a content creator as well as an avid consumer of all forms of media. Discourse is always welcome in the comments.***
I’m hoping to read one more February release so I have a handful to share in my preview episode next week. My mood has been all over the place so we shall see where I land.
Since my last check-in I have read four books and enjoyed them all. More on those soon but I’ll leave you with a synopsis for each.
The Fall Risk: A Short Story by Abby Jimenez (March 1st)
Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a funny and improbably romantic short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer.
It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao (Available now)
A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical journey when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike and enchanting fantasy novel.
On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.
Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it.
Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice—by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds.
But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own—and risk making a choice that she will never be able to take back.
Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks (February 4th)
A heartrending and beautiful memoir of sudden loss and a journey to peace, from the bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Horse
Many cultural and religious traditions expect those who are grieving to step away from the world. In contemporary life, we are more often met with red tape and to-do lists. This is exactly what happened to Geraldine Brooks when her partner of more than three decades, Tony Horwitz – just sixty years old and, to her knowledge, vigorous and healthy – collapsed and died on a Washington, D. C. sidewalk.
After spending their early years together in conflict zones as foreign correspondents, Geraldine and Tony settled down to raise two boys on Martha’s Vineyard. The life they built was one of meaningful work, good humor, and tenderness, as they spent their days writing and their evenings cooking family dinners or watching the sun set with friends at Lambert’s Cove. But all of this came to an abrupt end when, on Memorial Day 2019, Geraldine received the phone call we all dread. The demands were immediate and many. Without space to grieve, the sudden loss became a yawning gulf.
Three years later, she booked a flight to a remote island off the coast of Australia with the intention of finally giving herself the time to mourn. In a shack on a pristine, rugged coast she often went days without seeing another person. There, she pondered the varied ways those of other cultures grieve, such as the people of Australia's First Nations, the Balinese, and the Iranian Shiites, and what rituals of her own might help to rebuild a life around the void of Tony's death.
A spare and profoundly moving memoir that joins the classics of the genre, Memorial Days is a portrait of a larger-than-life man and a timeless love between souls that exquisitely captures the joy, agony, and mystery of life.
Claire, Darling by Callie Kuzumi (March 11th)
In the aftermath of a shocking breakup, a woman's desperate quest for answers ignites a psychological inferno that will consume her past, present, and future in this hair-raising debut from an exciting new voice in suspense . . .
She’s been ghosted. But she won’t be forgotten.
Claire is excited to drop off a surprise workday lunch for her fiancé, Noah. It’s their anniversary, after all. But when the receptionist tells her that no one with Noah's name works there, Claire thinks there must be a mistake.
Noah isn't picking up her calls. Her texts go unanswered. It turns out Noah has a different life . . . one with a beautiful girlfriend, a beautiful house. Claire was never really in the picture.
Desperate to unpack all of Noah’s lies, Claire plunges into a nightmarish journey of obsession that submerges her deeper into the murky waters of her own past—a past dominated by a manipulative mother who shattered her sense of self.
Will Claire break free from the ghosts that haunt her? Or will they become more costly than any of Noah's lies?
Currently watching…
Southern Charm - Season 10 (Bravo)
Did you know?!?! New addition, Sally Carson, is from Clayton Echard's season of the Bachelor. I haven’t watched The Bachelor in years but I find that interesting. Girl is looking for more time in the spotlight.
Anyone else ready to see Taylor go bye bye? I really wish she would settle down with a sweet guy but alas she’s with Gaston. I smell trouble brewing for those two.
It will also be interesting to watch Craig and Paige since we’re now aware that they’ve broken up.
Shrinking - Season 2 (Apple TV)
The addition of Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent from Ted Lasso) is casting magic. I had doubts that a second season could top its first but I am eating my words. This show is GOLD!! Do not miss this gem that will make you feel all the dang feels.
Silo - Season 2 (Apple TV)
I had no idea that the series was based on a book! I also have a love hate relationship with cliffhanger endings. Anyone else? Good news though, the show has been renewed for two more seasons. Season four will be its last.
Cold weather MUST haves…
With temperatures dropping everywhere (snow in Houston!!) we could all use a few things to keep us warm and cozy.
Skinfix Barrier - I have very dry skin in the winter and this works like a charm. Worth every single penny and will absolutely be a repeat buy each winter.
Bomba Gripper Slipper Booties - Easy to slip on, cute as can be and warm and toasty. I live in slippers in the winter and these are the ones I grab for the most.
Harley and Sons Tea - I specifically love the decaf hot cinnamon flavor for an after dinner treat.
Half Baked Harvest Butter-Roasted Tomato Soup - This recipe is specific to the cookbook so it can’t be found online. You won’t regret buying a copy of her cookbook as her recipes are so simple but delicious. This tomato soup is on regular rotation and I serve it with a brie and apple grilled cheese. YUM!!
A few things that caught my eye…
Justin Baldoni releases raw footage with Blake Lively on set
Colleen Hoover deletes IG amongst It Ends with US drama
Actor Matt Bomer narrates A Little Life celebrating 10 years
Riley Keough - Call Her Daddy Episode
Ashley and Tyler (Love is Blind) call it quits
Trending…
this week on Instagram was “vibes I bring to the function”. I had some fun putting together a collage and I wanted to share it with those that may not know me as well here on Substack. Do we share anything in common? Do you think we would vibe well together at a function?
Until next time, friends. Take care of yourselves.
xoxo Basic B
Vibes at the function is super fun! and I didn't know Tyler and Ashley broke up:(
I liked Shrinking s02 better than the firs one!