Friday Fare is a round up of my “best of” when it comes to Internet links that I’ve read this week. Enjoy!
There were a couple things I read that got elevated to “Post-It” status on my desk this week. Sure, I had to unearth said Post-It from my desktop, but these items were important enough for me to remember and post for your reading enjoyment. 🙂
First is this post called Slow Berkshires from Alana Chernila at “Eating from the Ground Up.” Ms. Chernila is known for her incredible recipes and their reflection of the “farm to table” movement and while this post is a departure from the typical fare of her blog, it is in line with the aesthetic of her recipes – local, organic, intentional. The post is a reflection of the hike that Chernila and her husband took from one end of the Berkshires to the other. And while I know that such a jaunt is a few years from my present life (hel-lo, mother of toddlers!), it is something that’s on my bucket list.
The other three things I jotted down are a little more random … one of them is down below in “Listening,” while the other two are food related. 1) If you have an abundance of cucumbers right now from your garden or CSA, make these pickles. Now. 2) I’m kind of obsessed by the concept of turning zucchini into noodles. It seems like a travesty, but it sounds like a tasty one to try …
BUT THIS IS NOT A COOKING BLOG. Now to the articles that enriched me as a reader and writer this week …
I grew up in the Midwest and I was reared on the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. (Do not get my mom started about the side trips I begged to go on during our bi-annual trip to South Dakota where I would seek out random LIW-related sites.) So this literary mystery about whether or not Pa Ingalls brought a heaping helping of vigilante justice to some serial killers was interesting (even if unlikely). Side note – I still need to read “Pioneer Girl.”
Here’s another bandwagon I’m late for: Ann Rule. Turns out that one of my FB author friends was real-life friends with the late author so upon Ms. Rule’s death, I found myself reading a lot about this amazing ex-journalist, turned author. And while it seems that everyone and their mother has a Ted Bundy story in the Midwest, I need to get my hands on “The Stranger Beside Me.”
Finally – Facebook, it’s ability to stalk me via whatever “feels” I’m having and its targeted ad suggestions should squick me out, but I tune out ads as handily as I ignore whining children. However, I’ve noted that FB thinks I should take James Patterson’s “Master Class” for writers that is offered online. Luckily, another writer did that for me. Joyce Maynard’s piece is light on the snark and her conclusion is surprising …
***
Here are the other mediums that have been inspiring me:
Listening to: One of my coworkers texted me an article the other day about the television debut of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. I’m in love. Jimmy Fallon said that their music is pure barroom soul and he’s not too far off the mark. NPR is currently streaming their upcoming album. I have a sense that this album is going to find it’s way into my home soon. And hopefully, my children won’t start running around singing “S.O.B.”
Reading: Just finished “Winter Garden” by Kristin Hannah. I’m still processing this one … it was an incredible read and it’s the kind of book that an aspiring writer can learn a lot from …
Fiction Update:
This was the scene at Casa de My Kitchen Table the other night … I unearthed the folders that had the notes for my “resort story” and I started to page through them. I was surprised to see how much I had written (I apparently went on a jag with this project in October 2012 through February 2013 … my eldest son would have been three months through eight months old during that time … no wonder I barely remember anything!) and even more thrilled to discover it wasn’t total shit! Woo for some postpartum progress!
Happy Friday, friends!
michellekubitz 