The bad are the few, but often they shout louder than the many.
Don't mistake silence for weakness.
Welcome to The Simple Things, a newsletter inspired by one of my favorite Oscar Wilde quotes. This is a reminder to celebrate soup season with a warm bowl of your favorite and that hobbies are good because they give you the freedom to be bad at something (but eventually you’ll get better!).
Today’s titular quote is from a book I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I finished. More on that below.
I tend to ramble, so you might have to expand this email to avoid missing anything. If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please let me know by hitting the heart button or subscribing!
I just spent an indecent amount of time crying in the shower only to continue sobbing on my bed with snot dripping off my chin, because I just finished reading Chris Whittaker’s All the Colors of the Dark. This novel is without a doubt my most favorite read of the year and I’ve already started rereading it. There were bumps in the beginning, like how the awkwardly parts of the text read because the author seems to hate commas. Which I now think is done on purpose not to annoy me, but to make the narrative feel breathless and urgent. This is an incredibly rich tapestry: characters so vivid they seem to walk off the page, an odyssey that would either make Homer proud or call a IP lawyer, a true crime plot that would appeal to any MFM Murderino, a love story that will sit with you and sink into your bones. You’ll laugh. You’ll most certainly cry. You’ll be reminded of America’s history — at least the last 50 years, how far we’ve come and how we’ve regressed. Most importantly, it’s a testament to the connections we make with the people we cross paths with. What we owe each other and how to love, entirely and absolutely.
Election day has come and gone, and I don’t have anything to add to what hasn’t already been said by people smarter than me that you haven’t already read a million times over. Not that you asked, but I gave myself a week to eat and drink my feelings and now I’m making a plan: I’m gonna get real friendly with my representatives, both at the federal and state level, because they signed up to serve the people and I’m fixin’ to serve some hell for the causes I care about. For my mental health’s sake, I’ve put a limit on how long I can use Instagram so I’m not always doom scrolling. UPDATE: Honestly don’t miss it all that much! I’m rearranging my coins to directing them to some of my favorite nonprofits so they can continue to do the lord’s work. I’m choosing not to engage with people who want to play devil’s advocate, because it’s almost never done with good intentions and only fools actually believe the devil needs an advocate. Ring ring. Lucifer called, he said he’s fine and to leave him alone. Fuck you very much.
I hope to expand my plans and my heart because the margins are filling up. People and stories are slipping through the cracks and it’s up to us to catch them. To bear witness.
“Art is making something no-one asked for—not because they didn’t need it, but because they didn’t know they needed it until you made it, until it helped them breathe and dream and find a way forward. It’s part of a map that shows us how we get out of this place. Keep going. Do your part.” [via Youngna Park’s post]
A gentler way of life sounds pretty good right now. This wallpaper designer used to live the high roller lifestyle before trading it in for something simpler: a houseboat on a quiet canal in Amsterdam, rich with design and time spent with family. [NYT Gift Link]
Gift Guide season is upon us, especially if you subscribe to a bajillion Substacks like I do. I really loved
’s gift guide, “Someone with good taste loves you”, especially her stair tote suggestion. While I can’t justify spending $400+ on the one made by Underwater Weaving Studio, it has inspired me to find some on Etsy like this vintage handwoven one and a more modern-looking cotton one.
The only thing stopping me from getting this fleece for Scotty is that I don’t have his neck-to-tail measurement to figure out his size. [Wagwear]
Actress Melissa George bought and restored a French manor in Provence. “This is a woman’s home. If a man walks in, I want him to feel like a guest” is the most amazing creative brief I’ve ever laid eyes on. [NYT Gift Link]
Ghibli lullabies to lower your cortisol levels.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach was a funny and life-affirming novel (Jenna Bush Hager is really killing it with the book picks). Content warnings: infertility, suicidal ideation.
I also read How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang which had great chemistry and steamy scenes. It leaned a bit emo for me because I get frustrated with characters who can’t get out of their own way. I get it, it creates tension and drama but also JUST SMUSH AND HAVE YOUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER GODDAMMIT. Content warnings: death of a sibling, self harm.
A rechargeable seat cushion that you can use to warm your bum no matter where you go. [Mylle Shop]
Wow. The pleats on this kilt took my breath away and the cut of this dress knocked me right over. The prices for both almost killed me. [Old Stone Trade]
Tits up,
G
That stair tote is such a good find!! Love your pick.
I also read How to End a Love Story, and Iiked it a lot (and the author does great work all ground, excited for her to adapt some of the Emily Henry books to film) but felt like the last act of the story was strangely drawn out? And there were some story threads throughout that never got tied up and I later wondered why they were included. I was mostly okay with the delayed gratification in the romance but those parts left me feeling like I was missing something.