Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Writing is about expressing yourself, creating art, making sense of the world, or sharing information and ideas.

It's also all about the money, honey.

A lot of us have dreamed, longingly, of making a living with the keyboard. Most of us haven't figured out how to do it. Do you even know where to start or what to expect to earn? That's where Scratch comes in. 

What to Watch October 2021

Autumn leaves may soon be slowly drifting down in the crisp October air, but streaming options are coming in hot, baby! There are a few biggies: Dune is finally coming to HBO Max! Black Widow is finally included with the Disney Plus subscription! Curb Your Enthusiasm returns! Below Deck Season 9 and new series Winter House (the flip side of Summer House) hit Bravo! The options are better than chocolate (OK, that's hyperbole, but you get where I'm going).

As always, I've compiled a list of my top picks for shows and movies coming soon, and I'm sharing it here along with links to everything coming to those streaming services so you can add your own selections. Most of what I've collected is on streaming, but a few shows can be found on good old-fashioned network TV. And away we go! 

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I got the email my hold for this book was ready on OverDrive, I almost suspended it for another month or so. I have many other things to read, and I'd forgotten this might be coming soon. But it was a hot new release, and I decided to go ahead and dive in while there's still ample discussion of it so that the whole internet could be my book club, bouncing reactions around like so many book-geek pinballs pinging off each other.

I'm so glad I did. I've been struggling for a while now to maintain focus when reading, there's just too much craziness from the world and my own life poking holes in my concentration. Sometimes I don't have a problem, and other times I set the book aside and binge-watch reality TV (damn you, Peacock, and your backlog of Below Deck seasons!). I'm getting through far fewer books than I did just a few years ago, and I need something to really grab me and pull me in. Beautiful World, Where Are You did just that. 

Links I'm Loving

Glass phoenix at Missouri Botanical Garden

Many cool books, shows, podcasts, albums and articles have roped me in lately. Here are a few recommendations of things I think you'll enjoy:

• Have you seen the LuLaRich docuseries? It's fascinating, and this interview is the perfect companion piece: What Got Left Out of LuLaRich.
  
  
• Listen (or read) about pop culture picks for this fall including upcoming books, music, shows and movies from the gang at the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast.
  
  
• My new favorite show is Only Murders in the Building. Here's a look at why it's so fab. 

The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This novel is complex and breathtaking. It's simply a masterpiece.

It spans two eras, the story interwoven between modern scholars in London researching a peer of sorts who centuries earlier conducted her own forbidden scholarship. The story and the words Rachel Kadish so carefully chose to tell it is beautiful and engrossing.

I can't imagine the amount of work it would take to craft this novel, never mind the writing skills! It required a deep dive into the world of London in the 1660s, as well as the lives of Portuguese Jews who fled The Inquisition to Amsterdam, some of them eventually landing in London. Then a very deep dive into scholarship surrounding both history and philosophy. 

What to Watch September 2021

New fall shows are dropping like leaves, and I'm here to rake 'em up, y'all! The list of shows arriving in September is longer than that giant penis cake Kevin made on Below Deck! (Side note: yes, I discovered Below Deck this summer and am bingeing so hard I actually dream about the show.)

Some highlights on the way include new seasons of Sex Education, What We Do in the Shadows, The Morning Show, and The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. New fare like Scenes from a Marriage, LuLaRich, Foundation and Ultra City Smiths (finally landing on regular AMC after a run on AMC+) are just a taste of what we can look forward to as summer slowly drifts into fall in September.