What are you looking forward to?

This is the Kos newsletter: warm email notes from a friend. Finding the simple joy in parenthood, bodies, spirituality, creativity, and beauty. Sound like your jam? Subscribe below for weekly notes.

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the comments and messages last week about my new (very old) house. It was really fun to share it with you. Keep an eye out for future essays, written with love, for This Old House.

Oh yeah! A giant tree branch fell on our car. It was crazy. We had just gotten home from the beach on Labor Day when we heard what sounded like all of our recycling/trash/compost cans falling over. Nope, just a 100 lb branch fell through our back window and onto the street. We are all good—car will be fine. We have insurance. Just one of those weird moments where you realize what a close call it was.

What are 5 things you’re looking forward to?

In general, in life, all the things.

This is the headspace I keep trying to grasp hold of with so many unknowns. I feel jumpy as I go from one call or interview or email to the next. So here are 5 things I’m looking forward to right now:

5 Things I’m looking forward to

1. Trick-or-Treating with my kids (specifically the last few minutes before stepping outside, when costumes are all askew and everybody’s busting with excitement).

2. A haircut next week with my kooky stylist.

3. My oldest’s birthday party with friends. (It’ll have passed by the time you read this.)

4. Movie Night. We always do ‘movie night’ on Friday nights, usually with pizza. It’s the perfect exhale at the end of the week.

5. Silo. Keen and I are watching it together. Can’t stop watching!

6. Bonus Thing: Saturday morning extra long walk while Keenan makes Kodiak Cakes. Also, The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise.

I feel better already. What are you looking forward to?

Books Lately

Trade Off by Sandie Jones - a page-turner, British English, all about tabloids in England. Kind of silly but fun.

The Everlasting Meal Cookbook by Tamar Adler - everything I believe about food and cooking and how I want to cook is in this book!! essay to come. If you’re a scrappy, slightly chaotic, super practical home cook like me, this is for you. Just released and it feels like serendipity I checked it out.

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro - still listening to the audiobook. really got into it about half way through. thx for the rec, Catherine! CW: child loss

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman - romcom but I needed more. But still fun.

A Sport and a Pastime by James by James Salter - Didn’t get the hype I’ve read about but it may just be going over my head.

Harry Potter Book 5 - Still reading aloud to the boys in companion to the newish Harry Potter game on Playstation which is so magical. We need to get to Harry Potter World in the next couple of years.

Books coming up on my Libby app and on my Holds shelf:

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino, The Guest by Emma Cline, and Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

What are reading? I’m going to compile all of the books I’ve read this year into a comprehensive list like I did last year in 2021. Will share around November/early December so keep an eye out for that. You can see my 2021 list here.

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