Hello! I feel like this month the newsletter is a bit brief, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! Are you ready for summer to be over? I am not!
Food!
Roasted Ratatouille is a delicious, if not super authentic, summer recipe! I mixed in some freshly cooked large lima beans, topped with mozzarella and it was a very good decision. Also great tossed with pasta, or smeared on toasted bread!
Easy snack or lunch or side dish: Tomatoes are so good right now and as a kid I remember my mom slicing up tomatoes, sprinkle some salt and lots of pepper, and swiping the slices through a pile of mayonnaise. It may sound weird, but think of how delicious a BLT is and try it. I guarantee it's delicious. For me this is a super nostalgic dish! If mayo isn't your jam, I think ricotta or whipped feta and a drizzle of olive oil would be an elevated version. If you want a little more substance, maybe some marinated lentils or chickpeas? Or let this be your sign to make a BLT with those good summer tomatoes!
Books/TV/Movies!
Firstly, in book news: You can peruse all my favorite books (from this month and previous months) here on my bookshop.org storefront!! https://bookshop.org/shop/michelleflook
I am still working my way through adding a lot of my previous favorites, but the most recent ones are there, organized by fiction and non-fiction. Bookmark this link and buy all your books through here! Instead of linking to individual books, I will just include the link to my storefront going forward! Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent is the best novel I read in August. It is not an easy read, very uncomfortable, upsetting, brutal, and sad, but once the story sucked me in I couldn’t put it down. Thanks to my amazing sis-in-law for the recommendation!
The Night of the Gun: A Reporter Investigates the Darkest Story of His Life. His Own. by David Carr is the best Audiobook I listened to in August. I listened to and loved his daughter’s memoir back in March and really was not let down by this memoir. It’s an interesting take on the addiction/recovery memoir, as David was a reporter, and interviewed almost everyone he has ever known to fact-check his own history and memories. He also went thru cancer, and was a single father. I really enjoyed David’s candor and dark humor, and it was interesting to hear his story after having read his daughter Erin’s memoir.
Becoming Duchess Goldblatt by Anonymous is a really interesting memoir and the audiobook is wonderful. Duchess Goldblatt was a fictional character that ran a Twitter account, and this is a memoir of the person behind it. The author is never revealed, J Cameron Mitchell reads as the voice of Duchess, herself, and Lyle Lovett also lends his voice to the audio book. Definitely a unique story and I enjoyed it very much.
Poker Face on PeacockTV is a show that Matthew and I both really enjoyed! We started it a while back then took a break after the first few episodes which were all kind of the same formula, but the rest of the season changed things up and amped up the stories a bit, making the rest of the season fly by! Definitely a fun show, and I will definitely watch the second season!
Twisted Metal on PeacockTV is a ridiculous show based on an old 90s video game I never played. I thought I would hate this show, but it was silly, entertaining, and fun.
Projects!
I don’t have anything to share in this section just yet, but I have been working on some things. Maybe in September I’ll have a lot to share here! Here is a little sneak peek of planning for a new quilt:
Miscellaneous!
Swimply! It’s like airbnb but for pools!!! They also have rental tennis/pickleball/basketball courts, and other types of spaces that they are keep adding all the time! I went to two Swimply pool spots in August and both were glorious.
Matthew and I went to a Hot Ones party! Ate all the hot sauce, and survived Da Bomb! No photos of this, but it was a really fun evening.
Went out on a boat that my friends have, and it was so wonderful! Again, no photos, but trust me, it was great!!
Had a fancy dinner with some cute friends and actually did get a photo!
Remi!
Princess Remi celebrated National Dog Day at Matthew’s Grandma’s house. It took her three tries to jump up on this bed, but she did it! Hi Barb!
Goodbye, until next month!
xoM
OMG I need to make that ratatouille STAT!!! And you don't have to tell me twice about a tomato sammy!! Also, just downloaded The Night of the Gun. This sure was jam packed with goodness for being "brief" (your words! ;) ). Always look forward to these, I think I have some catching up to do!
I made the roasted ratatouille a couple weeks back, and it’s so good! I saved some to freeze and already want to defrost and eat it.