Recs 122: New Ann Patchett, pool mom season, and a comedyThe weekly roundup of things to read, watch, doHappy Friday! We're in what I've now dubbed “pool mom season” and it runs every weekend from now until September. I love this season. There's the coconutty smell of sunscreen sticks, fresh watermelon slices and sticky juice running down arms, one or two meltdowns thwarted by the promise of popsicles, and scooting our lounge chairs every half hour to chase the shade as the sun moves across the horizon. Fourteen weekends of lounging, lazing, and letting the kids get their wiggles out while I get lost in a leisurely book. Speaking of pools and good books, Pool House by Mary H.K. Choi was just released this week and the cover called to me at the bookstore. More on this below in today’s letter… If you’re in need of more summer reads, we recently shared a list of 12 unexpected summer reads, thanks to some fabulous Downtime guest contributors, so be sure to check that out. Okay, onto this week’s recs… A tender, big-hearted new releaseThis week I finished Whistler from beloved author Ann Patchett. This was one of the most anticipated releases of the year for me and it did not disappoint. I read and loved Patchett’s The Dutch House and Tom Lake, so I had high expectations for this one. I think I loved it more than Tom Lake?? Whistler is about a woman named Daphne, a 53-year-old schoolteacher who takes a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art one day with her husband. After a while, they notice an older gentleman following them. Her husband decides to confront the old man, and the puzzle pi |