Rachel

I feel a little bit like...when you've been watching a matinee at the movie theater and you walk out into the sunshine after the credits have rolled, and realize how entirely you've been inhabiting some other world. I loved the characters and all their relationships and their banter — how real and likeable and flawed and human they were, even and especially when they became evidently unreliable and mysterious to each other and themselves. I loved the unfolding of every mystery. I loved the setting and the atmosphere, and how sometimes there felt like something else lurking around the corner. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who might read it, so I guess I've just resolved to report back to you about this book very vaguely and sounding a little bit like Harry Styles at a press junket talking about “a movie, like a real movie type of movie.”

Vintage Adair. Since the first book in this series wasn't my favorite, I skipped reading the rest of them. Recently though, I've been craving some unknown-to-me Adair, and the rest of this series was what was available. All the typical Adair stuff is here – the small town charm, the meddling town elders, lovable main characters who are trying to protect their wounded hearts but also take risks to live their lives to the fullest and be the best versions of themselves. I mean... what else is there?

I am a Chrissy Teigen fan, through and through. I was skeptical about her cookbook, but when I came across some of her recipes in an issue of Cherry Bombe, I had to try them. I made every recipe that was previewed in Cherry Bombe - they were each insanely delicious and incredibly easy to make. I eventually went out and picked up the cookbook and was not disappointed. The recipes are all approachable and super simple, and Teigen's introductions to each are funny and informative. If you're looking for healthy recipes, take your search elsewhere. Her mac and cheese recipe is tasty and rich, and is also a 13” x 9” golden brick of dairy. I highly recommend her recipes for pork-stuffed cucumber soup, lettuce wraps, and sweet and salty coconut rice. An added bonus are all the glam photos of her and John Legend dressed for a red-carpet affair and eating things like chicken wings.

I just...how is this SO GOOD. I think about Outlander all the time. I don't even know what I'm thinking about it. It's just there, an undercurrent in my consciousness. Maybe I'm just thinking about their love all the time. I DON'T KNOW. Jamie and Claire just make me SO HAPPY. I would love to write about the rich historical detail and textures, and the meta discussions about lengthy texts that go all in on detail, and I would love to write about the weird moments Claire has where she says things to her daughter like, “Try not to get fat” or her weird theory about short men versus tall men. However, this is the only “review” of Outlander I'm capable of writing right now, and I'm not sorry about it.

As a new mom, there is so much in here that I related to and so much that made me laugh out loud because it was so familiar. Though there are some universal truths here, there's a lot that's extremely privileged (employing night nurses for several months while also employing a day time nanny... I mean, seriously, in this economy??) that I had to really take with a grain of salt. While I really liked a lot of this book, I wish it had explored the hero's journey a bit deeper rather than turning away from  opportunities for more serious reflection.