What Happens in the Galapagos Stays in the Galapagos

Or does it?  That's the question in Jodi Picoult's Wish You Were Here.  A book, by the way, that I initially wished I weren't reading.  It was my mom's book club pick.  And she's a fan of serious books, so.  Here's the premise:  

Diana O'Toole is a twenty-nine-year-old New Yorker waiting for her surgeon boyfriend Finn to pop the question.  Already the darling of Sotheby's, her career is on track, and she's itching to get on with her meticulously-mapped ten-year-plan.  She craves stability because her famous photographer mother was never around.  Diana and Finn are all set to go on a romantic vacation to the Galapagos when COVID paralyzes the city.  As a front-line worker, Finn has to stay.  But he urges Diana to go.       

As I ventured deeper into Diana's struggles in the ghost town that is the pandemic Galapagos, I wasn't sure how much I could take.  Diana's luggage is lost.  She has no place to stay, almost no money, and doesn't speak the language.  She even narrowly misses eating a poisoned apple before a stranger stops her.  Yet most depressing of all are Finn's emails.  He goes into excruciating detail describing patients on ventilators, his 72-hour shifts, and feeling hopeless.  It's the stuff of nightmares and catapulted me right back to the beginning of the pandemic and all its uncertainties.    

But then the stranger and his family take Diana in.  She begins to relax and appreciate the beauty of the island, even rediscovering her passion for creating art instead of just selling it.  (Not that there isn't heavy stuff still going on; the stranger's daughter self harms.)  Before long, Diana's frenzied life in Manhattan seems like a distant memory, a realization that Picoult illustrates through this simple but telling line:

"Busy is a euphemism for being so focused on what you don't have that you never notice what you do." (172)

So, yeah, like Diana, ahem, adapting to the Galapagos, I was getting used to this book.  

And then something totally unexpected happened, throwing me for a loop.  It made me make the leap from merely tolerating the book to enjoying it.           

And . . . that's where I'll stop.  Except to say this:

Thanks, Mom, for getting me to open my mind to life's sometimes poorly wrapped curveballs and mysteries.  

That said, it's my turn to pick the next book -- and this time we're reading a rom com. 

Riding the Wardrobe Wave

Dress: So, Kohl's; Shoes: Jessica Simpson, DSW

Bag: H&M; Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy

Barrettes: The Tote Trove

Surf Pretty Necklace

Top: Simply Vera, Kohl's; Dress: Minuet, Modcloth

Bag: Worthington, JCPenney; Ring: PinkBopp

Cherry Grit Necklace

Shoes: Unlisted, Marshalls

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Skirt: Nine West, Kohl's

Bag: Merona, Target; Scarves: A.C. Moore

I'm going to keep this one short.

Some people have no problem hopping atop a surfboard.  Even the thought of doing that terrifies me.  But I'm the first in line when it comes to wearing a quintuple of surfboards around my neck.

I guess that's my super power. 😏🌊

Engineering Excitement: The Better to Hear You With

When I heard that Ali Hazelwood wrote a collection of rom com short fiction, I thought, how is she going to cram all that will-they-won't-they tension into a hundred words?  Because that's the average length of each novella.  But -- spoiler alert! -- the trio of tales in Loathe to Love You delivers all the slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance of a full-length novel without the pesky backslide into conflict.  Three engineer besties battle the patriarchy -- and themselves -- to find bliss with their nerds in shining armor.  As with every Hazelwood heartthrob, these dudes are no poindexters, boasting, along with mega-brains, brawn.  Better yet, they aren't afraid to use their most important body parts of all: their ears.  Because there are few things more seductive than a man who actually listens.  

What more can a modern woman want?

New Shoes and an Unlikely Muse

Top: Self Esteem, Macy's; Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's; Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Mermaid Mix Necklace

Headband: INC, Macy's; Sunglasses: Nordstrom Rack

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Dress: Nine West, Kohl's; Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

Pop Palette Necklace

Barrettes: Wild Fable, Target

Bag: Delia's, Dolls Kill

Top: Marshalls; Skirt: H&M; Bag: Betsey Johnson, Dolls Kill

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Brigantine beach shop; Barrettes: The Tote Trove

Unique Unakite Necklace

When (most) men hear Madden, they think football.  But when (most) women hear it, they think shoes -- Steve Madden shoes!  Here I'm wearing two pairs that I scored for just fifteen dollars each from -- where else? -- Kohl's.  Even if they're not Steve Madden per se, but Madden Girl, which is the brand's younger and, yes, cheaper line.  I own two pairs of actual Steve Maddens and eight pairs of Madden Girls.  Sure, I could've swapped some of the girls for an extra Steve or two and saved closet space.  But I want to buy fewer shoes about as much as I want to grow up, which is to say not at all.  So discount kid kicks it is.

In other news, I made some more jewelry, including another embellished bauble called the Unique Unakite Necklace.  I never heard of the semi-precious unakite before gluing candy discs and a pineapple to its muted surface.  Doing so felt a little decadent and certainly not what Mother Nature intended.

Then again, she also never intended for me to hoard wear plastic shoes.

Panhandle Scandal

Vacations mean Mary Kay Andrews.  After all, you may recall that last spring in Cape May I picked up Sunset Beach.  And I enjoyed it so much that during last month's trip to Ocean City, I bought Hello, Summer.  Of course, I didn't get around to reading it until last week.  But then, anywhere you can disappear into a book counts as a vacation -- at least in my book, hehe.   

As with its predecessor, Hello, Summer's deceptively tranquil cover harbors a whodunit.  And although its vibe isn't quite cozy, I found it to be comforting.  Ace reporter Conley Hawkins plays career Russian roulette and loses, landing back at her family's small-town Florida weekly.  She's had enough of The Silver Bay Beacon, as well as her new boss-slash-sister, when she and boy-next-door Sean "Skelly" Kelly stumble upon the body of a congressman.  Investigating the good ol' boy's death becomes Conley's raison d'etre, and soon she's writing for NBC and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as well as The Beacon.  But Silver Bay has a lot to say about that.  Big sis Grayson wishes Conley would keep her eyes on her own paper, her grandmother is one fainting spell away from the hospital, and Skelly, although supportive, worries that his charms are no match for a hot story.  Will Conley be able to have it all?  Or will she lose it all looking for answers?  

Andrews entertains with intrigue and wit as she helps us find out.       

Front Porch Pics and Bigfoot Tricks

 Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Party City; Colonel Cutie Necklace

Top: Candie's, Kohl's Skirt: Modcloth

Top: Rebellious One, Macy's; Skirt: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney; Sandals: Katy Perry Collection;  Bag: Elizabeth and James, Kohl's

Cuddly Critters Necklace

Hair clips: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Sunglasses: Michaels

Dress: Lily Rose, Kohl's; Sandals: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Nautical Nourishment Necklace

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Boscov's

Sandals: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Skirt: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney; Bag: XOXO, Ross

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

If there's no place like home, then there's there's no place for pictures quite like the front porch.  So that's where I am in all four outfits here.  We've got florals and palm trees and even Bigfoot -- even if I thought he was a monkey when I was making the Cuddly Critters Necklace.  It wasn't until I flipped the charm and saw "SASQUATCHIN" on the back that I realized I was in the presence of greatness.  Of course, Satchy's tutu-wearing companion of a fox may have something to say about that.  

Never let anyone (not even Bigfoot) tell you that a beast can't be a ballerina.

A Rainbow Lens of Odds and Ends

Sign: Hobby Lobby

Flipflops: Katy Perry Collection.  From Nordstrom Rack, Zulily, Amazon, and Macy's.

Kleenex: Target

Photographing my favorite things, whether they be a too-cool-for-school sign, a rainbow of Katy Perry flipflops, or a box of Kleenex that arrived in an adorable cherry print instead of boring faux marble, always makes me so happy.  

Which isn't something you usually hear about a trifecta ending in tissues. 😏

Lake Break: Second Chance Romance Edition

Carley Fortune's Meet Me at the Lake is a love story as sweet as its cover art's strawberry sky.  Ten years ago, fresh-out-of-college Fern Brookbanks and Will Baxter met and spent one magical day in Toronto.  Will's an overalls-and-pink-shoelaces-wearing artist, and Fern's a thrift shop-enshrouded music snob.  Their random meanderings through parks and bars read like a rain-misted indie flick. They tell each other everything, their chemistry crackling against the clock.  Their bond is electric yet tender, ignited by the kind of jaded innocence that burns only when you're in your early twenties.  So when it ends, it's bittersweet, with Fern and Will planning to meet at Fern's family's resort in a year.  They go their separate ways, but Fern never forgets Will.  On the appointed day, she dons an inside-joke green bathing suit and waits for him on the dock.  But Will never comes.

Now in her early thirties, Fern is back at the lake.  Her charismatic mother has died in a car accident, and she's dealing with her grief as she learns how to run the resort.  Her first love of an ex-boyfriend works there too, making everything even more complicated.  Then a man in a suit checks in, and her world cracks open.  Because it's Will.

The plot goes back and forth between the present and that day in Toronto, which as a fan of flashbacks, I love.  Maybe it's because I'm a reminiscer myself, but I think that glimpses into the past give stories depth.  I enjoyed reading about young Fern and Will so much that I was sometimes disappointed to return to the present!  That said, thirtysomething Fern weathers her own unique emotional landscape, getting to know her mother all over again by reading her diaries.  And when Will arrives, he carries more baggage than his suitcase suggests.  As the two reconnect, they learn how much they've changed -- and how much they haven't.  Because somewhere deep down beneath the years and the pain, they're still those two kids in Toronto.            

So if someone asks you to meet them at the lake, make sure you show up!  

Or don't.  

Great romances sometimes bloom best in trouble.      

Painting the Patriarchy Pink: This Barbie is a Blogger

Tee: Kohl's

I finally saw Barbie yesterday, and it was every bit as fabulous as I expected.  The clothes, the colors, the dance routines.  But also, the message.  Because if there's one thing that director Greta Gerwig makes clear, it's that being a woman is complicated.  To paraphrase America Ferrera's Gloria, all we really want at the end of the day is to "wear a flattering top and feel okay."  Yet sometimes the world -- and more to the point, the patriarchy -- makes that more difficult than it should be.  So it's no wonder that Barbie -- both the "stereotypical" one played to perfection by Margot Robbie and all the others who share the same name -- would rather stay in Barbie Land where women are always in power and cellulite is a myth, than venture out into the real world only to be arrested for rollerblading.

It's no surprise that it's Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) who convinces Stereotypical Barbie to hang with the humans.  After all, it doesn't get much more real than having a toddler yank your hair out by the roots and tattoo your face with Jem-style graffiti.  McKinnon kooks it up brilliantly, pouring every ounce of SNL alien abductee energy into channeling the discarded doll.  As for her aesthetic, it's excellently edgy, a kind of warped candy cute.  Her outfit and house are my favorite. 

But this isn't about Weird Barbie.  It's about Stereotypical Barbie.  And what she learns is what we all learn at some point -- that things aren't always perfect.   Also, that sometimes it's better to have an Allan (Michael Cera) than a Ken (Ryan Gosling).  Finally, not to trust men in charge. (I'm looking at you, shades-of-Mugatu Mattel CEO Will Ferrell.)  Yet however imperfect, it's still okay.  Because being human is a beautiful mess, and the only way to clean it up is to muss your hair and snag your stockings.  Authenticity is better than plastic.  

And that, Barbie girls, is nothing to toy with.

Leisurely Reading and Unchecked Force Feeding: Just Another Unsolved Mystery

Our last book club pick was my sister's, and she chose Jesse Q. Sutanto's Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.  Before you ask, "Vera Wong?  Isn't that a little close to Vera Wang?", yes, yes it is.  Because the Vera in this semi-cozy mystery calls her teashop Vera Wang's World-Famous Teahouse in hopes that the fashion designer's name will lure customers.  Which should give you an idea of just the kind of kooky, kickass character we're dealing with.  Indeed, not-so-little-old-lady (she's only sixty!) Vera is never the same after she finds a dead body in her teashop.  But not because she's traumatized.  Oh, no.  Because she's intent on finding the killer, much to the dismay of the police and the four suspects she's cunningly identified.  Still, no one says no to Vera, whether she's spearheading a crime investigation or pushing yet another helping of cod with black fungus to ward off constipation (that's not me being funny but an example straight from the book).  

Nevertheless, the four suspects -- Julia, Oliver, Riki, and Sana -- can't help but admit that Vera has improved their lives.  Because even as she grills them about their whereabouts on that fateful night, she pushes them to move past their personal fears and take the world by the fish balls.  To say she becomes loveable may be going too far -- she's too tough for such a soft word -- but she does emerge as wise and even empathetic, seeing each of her new friends clearly enough to administer the tough love they need.  

Now, in terms of the actual mystery, I found it pretty compelling.  But my sister figured it out, and my mom mostly figured it out.  Needless to say, I didn't figure it out at all.  My mom says this is because I'm "a leisurely reader who likes to be surprised."  Which sounds like a nice way of saying that I lack the cognitive skills to decipher whodunit.  Then again, my mom hopped online to look up the logistics of what went down plot-wise, which to me sounded just plain exhausting.  So I guess I do like reading to be restful, going along for the fictional ride. 

Finally, this has little to do with what I just said, but here's my favorite quote from the book:

"It's her own fault.  She'd been so eager to make a name for herself.  This is the problem with creative people; their self-image is divided into two parts -- one thinks that they're a genius who will one day create a masterpiece of such breathtaking brilliance that it will still be discussed with reverence hundreds of years later; the other part thinks they are trash raccoons rooting around in the dark and coming up with nothing but more trash.  There is no in-between.  It's either "super genius" or "trash raccoon," and somehow these parts coexist within the head of one very tortured artist." (165-166)    

I don't think there's a creative person alive who doesn't relate to this.

Which is, now that I think of it, one of the reasons I need so much rest. 📘😏 

Sock Hop Props and Second Shots

Top: So, Kohl's; Skirt: Modcloth; Bag: Francesca's; Shoes: Katy Perry

Sweetheart Stripe Necklace

Top: JCPenney; Skirt and belt: Marshalls; Shoes: Nine West, Kohl's; Bag: Amazon

Be Your Own Unicorn Necklace

Top and skirt: Candie's, Kohl's; Shoes: Katy Perry, Amazon

Space Case Necklace

Top, bag, shoes, and bow: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Skirt: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

Girl Smiley Necklace

Fashion-wise, the '80s are a lot like the '50s.  Both feature clean lines, candy colors, and a bent toward excess and fantasy.  Which are, of course, all things that I love, as shown by this Grease-meets-Saved by the Bell aesthetic.  

Speaking of which, there are few places more fabulously '50s than Lindy Hops.  Last week, the husband and I made our first trip back since the pandemic, so I wanted to take some pics.  Still, I felt a little silly, posing among the people purely there for the ice cream.  But the husband said, "You have to own it," which helped me to relax.  And I'm glad I did because nerves come and go, but photos are forever.        

Now if only I could find a burger joint like The Max and relax all over again in leg warmers.