The world is a vampire. Perhaps you’ve heard! But as doomerism serves none of us, I’ve been looking for the sunny side—if only to rustle up energy for the fights ahead. This being Lit Hub, we’re accustomed to getting our jollies from books. But today, dear reader, the brief expands.
Going forward, every other Friday—or Monday, on particularly low-morale weeks—we’re gonna send you off with a few things that have gotten us through this week. The books, yes—but also the meals, movies, vibes, and interactions. The Anthropocene may be a-death-rattlin’, but while we’re here we have to get our kicks in where we can.
So here’s your inaugural list of what’s getting the Lit Hub staff through this week.
Emily Temple recommends an indie audiobook purveyor: the Libro.fm app.
Oliver Scialdone is here for two things. Last night’s well-attended emergency rally to release the imprisoned Mahmoud Kahlil, and the “10/10” Harley Quinn season finale. Related: if anyone has recommendations for another show to fill the gap left by Ms. Quinn, our DMs are open.
Dan Sheehan: “My little one has gotten really into Lego and Calico Critters, and so I have gotten really into Lego and Calico Critters. Tremendously soothing activities in a blood pressure-raising time.”
James Folta would like you all to know that “English muffins are pretty easy to make at home.” Check out this recipe from King Arthur, king of flours.
Drew Broussard was taken with “the very ephemeral experience of seeing the first buds starting to pop out on the trees in my yard, the truest sign that we made it through another winter and that life always returns!!” He’d also like you to check out this amazing new song, written by his very own sister.
Editor-in-chief Jonny Diamond has been living off gathering IRL. “We’ve been going to community soup night at the local bar/cidery. Every Thursday they host a local charity/org to fundraise by cooking a bunch of soup and soliciting donations, but also serving free soup to whoever wants some. It’s a big old goofy party full of all possible kinds of people. Eating soup.”
And I got through this week with help from the author Patrick Nathan’s regularly excellent newsletter, Entertainment, Weakly. In a recent rousing essay, Nathan considers how the building blocks of narrative are easily repurposed to serve empire. (But you know, in a cool, readable way.)
I also owe grace to Younger, television’s goofiest-ever rendering of both the publishing industry and Brooklyn. Smoothbrain smiles, all the way down.
Happy weekend, friends. May your week ahead include grounding group action, great listens and reads, and some tiny little treats.
