Hi ,

Today feels like a day for a little lightness. I hope this email finds you personally well, even if the world isn't following suit.

Last year I really doubled down on reading, and I think quite a few of you did, too. About halfway through the year I realized I was reading approximately a book a week, so I retroactively set the goal to read 52 books in the year. I made it by the skin of my teeth (no thanks to re-reading the epically long series that is Outlander), coming in with exactly 52 books.

The absolute highlight of my book year was The House on the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, and its sequel. It's a super cute fantasy with a stickler government employee going to inspect a house for magically-inclined orphans, and it couldn't have been any more delightful. Maybe it's because I have a 6-year-old, but the kids in the book made me laugh out loud. No one else I've spoken to actually liked this book, though (one said not enough murder happened, and the other thought it was too self-deprecating and juvenile) but you can't please everybody!

Unfortunately, my 2026 reading has been a little lacklustre. I'm trying, but nothing is capturing my attention at the moment. I read The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, which was fine but I was too worried for the characters, Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley, which was just a depressing depiction of the reality of two working parents without a support network, and All The Gold Stars by Rainesford Stauffer, a non-fiction I was looking forward to but the thesis felt really forced. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid was fun, though.

So it has been podcasts and the Olympics that have me captivated right now.

I can highly recommend Ezra Klein's episode about social gatherings with Priya Parker.  (If you don't have a New York Times subscription, listen soon while it's still free.) I read Priya's book years ago called The Art of Gathering and it has been top of mind for me ever since. And yet I've seldom taken the leap as she suggests to have a "disputable purpose" for my gatherings outside of a business context. This was such a good reminder that we're in charge of making our gatherings great. I also loved their discussion on why we should stop thinking so much about "me" and start thinking more about "we". Enjoy!

I'm also really loving the show Normal Gossip, where the host Rachelle Hampton tells submitted stories about crazy things that happened to people. She is a stellar storyteller, and the Jan 14 episode called Is It A Crime? had me seriously laughing out loud.

What are you doing when you're not working these days? I'm avoiding the news (mostly because I don't want Olympic spoilers, tbh), trying to spend more time with friends, and enjoying lots of kid and dog cuddles every chance I get.

Before I sign off, I have a small ask of some of you. My friend Daniela is currently doing some research so she can support mothers in staying connected to themselves as motherhood transforms them. For this, she created a short questionnaire for mothers who sense that their child/children is/are here to teach them something. Mothers who feel that motherhood isn’t just changing their life, but is a deeply personal, spiritual and transformative journey that’s cracking open old patterns, beliefs and identities. If that sounds like you or someone you know, she would really appreciate hearing from you.

The questionnaire takes about ten minutes to complete. You can access it here: https://form.typeform.com/to/v5qRo8Ol