21 Comments

I read Leaving and then met Roxana on a garden tour. I asked her about the end and she told me it was Warren's decision. She said a lot of people were really angry with the ending!

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The ending really took me by surprise! It actually slid from my mind, because it felt so separate in some ways from the rest of the story.

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Oh man I absolutely relate to the popcorn brain. Definitely need to find some ways to turn the heat down on that a bit!

And Adam and Evie's looks SOOOO good!! Very exciting!

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Right? Popcorn brain is wild. I have been setting app limits on my phone, but they are all too easy to circumvent... And thank you! I hope people like Adam & Evie's story :)

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I just put lots of your book recommendations on hold! Thanks. I am always happy to see your Wallflower Chats in my inbox.

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Oh yay! Let me know what you think of them. <3

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What a joy to find your newsletter in my email this morning! I can relate so well to the dilemmas you are facing, particularly popcorn brain! I enjoy your reading recommendations-- it seems that we have similar reading tastes. Have you read The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer? Its pub date is July 16. I'm really looking forward to Adam and Evie this fall!

Wishing you joy this summer.

Melinda

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Aw, thanks, Melinda! This is really lovely. And yes! I had a chance to blurb Meg's THE LOST STORY and it's just magical. Have you read it? I can't wait for the world to experience it! All the joy to you.

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Yes, I had a chance to read the ARC and have been gushing about it ever since. I have The Wishing Game on my TBR shelf and am looking forward to that, as well.

Have a wonderful weekend.

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So happy to see your name pop into my inbox, Thao! And I love your recommendations; you read broadly across genres so I always enjoy discovering new titles through you!

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Aw, thanks, Michelle! And thanks for taking time to leave the note!

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Oh my. The way you describe popcorn brain is so accurate. It’s driving me crazy.

Did I say it’s driving me crazy? 😳

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We are all popped out!

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The popcorn brain is exhausting! I'm almost done with The Artist's Way and I think that has helped refocus my creativity, but it's an everyday struggle. I'm also listening to Anne Bogel's Don't Overthink It, which is giving me some helpful strategies - you know, for when that same piece popcorn is stuck in my teeth.

Congrats on Adam and Evie! I'm looking forward to reading! Wishing you the best in finding the quiet, and enjoying summer!

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Thanks for these resources. Anne Bogel is such a gift! And thank you for the congrats. Have a wonderful summer too!

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i just finished banyan moon! so good! thank you for a great read!

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So kind, Meegan! I'm really happy you enjoyed it!

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I was so excited to see a post from you! Very happy to have you drop in and say hello. FWIW, I don't think you waste anyone's time with this newsletter. It's very thoughtful and genuine, and I appreciate that it doesn't feel sales-y or curated in a cookie cutter way. I get the need to consider your family's privacy with regard to what you write, and you're smart to be measured about it. I do hope you'll continue to write here, but you need to do what's best for you.

I feel you on the popcorn brain concept. It's sort of equally horrifying and wonderful to put a name to that behavior because at least you can recognize it and then make an effort to curb it. I have been trying to do the same.

The ending to Leaving took me by surprise! I had a feeling it was going to go there, but not until the last 50 pages or so, maybe even less. I appreciated that it wasn't a lightning fast read!

Congrats on the romance novel—that sounds like a fun read!

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Kate! Thank you so much. I definitely have nothing to sell (except my books, I guess), so it's easy not to be curated, ha! And it seems like we're all resonating with the popcorn brain. I try to tell myself it's okay not to be constantly stimulated all the time—bored, even! But easier said than done, of course.

Yes! I was just talking with another commenter about how my mind sort of sliced the ending away from the rest of LEAVING because it was such a shock.

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I love your recommendations! Thank you so much for sharing. I also enjoyed “small mercies” by Dennis lehane and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julie Armfield

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Thanks for sharing your recommendations! I now have some more open tabs and will try to decide which to read first ;-)

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