I went upstairs to get my glasses. I came downstairs with two books and no glasses. This is peak Kimberly. (I’m nearsighted so I don’t need the glasses to read.)

Finished reading: New Adult by Timothy Janovsky 📚

Like if 13 Going on 30 was instead 23 Going on 30. Timothy Janovsky’s characters make me so happy, they’re so heart-full. Also lots of good stuff about keeping comedy in its proper place in your life rather than letting it become an all-consuming obsession.

<img src=“https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/17595/2024/1000002085-01.jpeg" width=“600” height=“600” alt=“A book titled ‘New Adult’ by Timothy Janovsky is centrally placed on a textured fabric surface, surrounded by colorful tarot cards and small heart-shaped stones. The book cover is adorned with illustrations of young adults engaged in various activities and has stars scattered around. The image features a quote from the New York Times praising the novel as “witty, playful, heartbreaking, and intensely poetic”. The overall mood of the image is whimsical and colorful, evoking a sense of curiosity.">

People of the Internet who wear scents from small businesses, what do you do when your signature scent is discontinued? I have a bottle of Whisper Sisters Goth Club ‘89 and when it runs out, I won’t be able to get a new one.

Finished reading: A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña 📚

A lovely, slightly spicy romance. This one resonates a lot because one of the main characters is an oldest sibling who feels responsible for everything.

Finished reading: A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña 📚

Super sweet and a little steamy romance.

I was in Baltimore for just over 24 hours for a conference but I did find time for just a bit of goth literary tourism.

A plaque on a brick wall outside the Baltimore Edgar Allan Poe house, marking it as a National Historic Landmark honoring Poe for his literary achievements.

Sorry to have missed the Micro.blog analog meetup! My sense of timing is a bit discombobulated due to conference travel and changes to it. See y’all next month!

Want to read: Grove Hollow Metamorphosis: A 1980s Gothic Paranormal Romance Novel by Shelby Nicole McFadden 📚

Probably going to buy this one but I’ve told myself I have to finish one of the books I own before I may.

Finished reading: In the Case of Heartbreak by Courtney Kae 📚

Highest of recommendations here. This book is a cute romance but it’s also healing to read.

📚🗨️

You are not a burden… You are a blessing.

Just Courtney Kae still wrecking me with In the Case of Heartbreak, that’s all.

📚🗨️

Your feelings are valid and important no matter how they make me feel… you aren’t responsible for my response.

Read this in Courtney Kae’s In the Case of Heartbreak last night and then wept uncontrollably for a while. Is this what a trauma response feels like?

🗨️

Get a group of people around you that you love, and that love you… Give them an idea that has enough empty space in it that they can make it their own. When you get it back, it’ll be better than you ever thought possible.

Jim Henson, quoted in this article about Miss Piggy’s creator’s home

Ah hiding in the bathroom to get a little quiet, my old friend.

Kinda sad today’s idea gardens post from Austin Kleon is one of the paid ones because I want everyone to be able to check it out. For similar vibes, try his blog’s gardening tag and Mo Willems’s idea gardens Instagram post.

Finished reading: Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Stringfield 📚

Full review coming later, but I loved this confection of a YA romance from Ravynn K. Stringfield, my creative nonfiction for academics teacher. A Francophile Black American girl falling in love with Paris and a cute Parisian. Highly recommend.

Finished reading: The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond 📚

I thought this was going to be a romance book with a heist, but I was mistaken. It’s a heist book with a romance! It’s beautifully done. Full review coming soon. The Frame-Up releases February 13. Pre-order it now!

Friends of the Internet, timelines move too fast for where my head is at right now. I’m not abandoning them but I hope you know that if something big comes up and I don’t weight in, it’s 99% likely it’s because I didn’t see it, not because I’m staying silent on purpose.

🍿 Watched Heartburn.

This one is written by Nora Ephron & directed by Mike Nichols, and it’s mostly very sad.

But the cries it made me cry were mostly happy cries because Meryl Streep’s character clearly loved her kids so much and I love my kid so much, too.

🍿 Watched The Intern.

Another Nancy Meyers film. I really liked this. It made me cry. I think it was a little tricky because it seemed both to critique and support Anne Hathaway’s character’s intensity as an overnight CEO, but I guess that’s a good approach, not moralistic.

🍿 Watched It’s Complicated. Happy to have watched. It seemed to me mostly to be about how a manbaby doesn’t want to contribute to his new family and tries to get his ex-wife to take care of him now that she’s an empty nester and won’t need his help. Spoiler: it doesn’t work.

If you like analog tools, you probably want to sign up for @cygnoir’s analog meetup.

🔖 I’m genuinely thrilled for the Gen Zers and others who have the energy for a weekly everything shower, but this chronically ill Xennial is pretty sure it would use up all of her spoons.

🎮 Finished The Legend of Zelda (NES).

A classic, of course. I’ve never been able to get very far before, but I played it with Nintendo Switch Online and made liberal use of suspend points (aka save states) and walkthroughs. I had fun and finished both quests.

Finished reading: Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky 📚

Another delightful romance given to us by Timothy Janovsky, whose little details feel so calculated to please me. This time: The Great Movie Ride (RIP) figures in a key scene.

High pain day today.