Weekly Journal #3

We had a great evening in Charleston last weekend and I even snapped this photo at Blue Bicycle Books.

What I'm reading:
Sticking to my Century of Books Challenge is getting harder by the day, mostly because of so many new releases!  First, The Dutch House, by one of my most favorite authors and then this article highlighting even more coming attractions.  If you're a fellow Ann Patchett fan, you may also be delighted to know that you can read the first 12 pages of her new novel, The Dutch House, for free here.

What I'm listening to:
I love Sarah Mackenzie and her Read Aloud Revival Podcast.  She always leaves me inspired to read more with my kids and she does it with zero guilt.  In fact, she takes away a lot of my worries by assuring me that just because my boys love graphic novels or Diary of Wimpy Kid books doesn't mean that we are doing something wrong.  Clearly, I loved the Baby Sitter's Club series and still managed to read lots of "quality literature" too.  This is a great podcast to start with!

What I'm watching:

Nate Bargatze.  We ended our anniversary weekend with a quick trip uptown to see Nate at Knight Theater as part of Charlotte's Comedy Week. His self deprecating style would tell you otherwise, but we think he's genius.  I think being a stand-up comic must be a lot like being an author, and like a good author he tells his stories with some great turns of phrase. I fell hard for him during his Netflix debut on "The Standups" when he recounted his day at the Cape Fear Serpentarium when the crocodile escaped.  Nate describes a snake feeding exhibit where a python is in a cage made of chicken wire fencing with holes "that can really only be described as being slightly larger than snake sized." Still kicking myself for not getting a "Hammit Season" or "Iced Coffee Whip Cream" tee.

What I'm up to:

About to get my music bingo on at Coaltrane's.