Winter 2021 Reads

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RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE – Casey McQuiston
This might be my favorite book of the year. It was so good. When I wasn’t reading it, I wished I was reading it. I also think I had a dream about it last night. Anyways.

Alex is the first son of the United States, his mom the first woman president ever. He’s smart, handsome, part Mexican, and has the perfect plan for his future in politics. His one downfall is His Royal Highness Henry Prince of England: Alex has never liked him, hated him, even. After a cold conversation and a misunderstanding at Prince Philip’s royal wedding, they create a huge scene and threaten the reelection of Alex’s mom.

To save face with the media, Alex and Henry are forced to pretend they are friends. And of course, while they’re pretending, they fall in love. A love that is so tender, honest, sweet and true, and also… forbidden. So they see each other in secret. They take care of each other’s hearts, write emails to each other until they can see each other again. The growth and emotion of their relationship is one of the best I’ve ever read.

There was so much nuance written into each character. Unapologetic Alex, his protective and smart older sister June, their forever bestie Nora, along with Henry and his band of characters, are never only one thing. I felt like I knew each character, and wanted to be friends with them to get to know them even more.

LOVELIGHT FARMS – B.K. Borison
I loved this book! It had the perfect amount of Christmas whimsy, best friends, small town shenanigans and a sweet, sweet romance. Stella asks her best friend of 9 years, Luka, to be her fake boyfriend to win an Instagram contest. She needs this to go well, as the prize money will help her Christmas tree farm stay in business. I’ve read the fake relationship plot a few times and this was definitely one of the best. Since they started out as best friends, it really all just was a sweet and romantic situation. Luke is really a dreamboat, maybe the best book boyfriend I’ve ever read.

THE GUEST LIST – Lucy Foley
An eerie, moody, truly thrilling and unexpected read. Definitely one of my faves this year.

Power couple Jules and Will are getting married on a remote island with intense weather and rumors of ghosts. Their closest guests arrive the night before, battered and wet from the voyage on the sea, to start the celebrations. Festivities begin, spirits are high, the alcohol flows freely. The men morph back into their rowdy boyhood selves. There is a way about the island that makes people feel like they need to prove themselves. Makes people feel powerful. Makes people feel small.

Over the course of the weekend, some guests are celebrating, and some begin to learn that the people you thought you knew, aren’t always who you think they are. To say that I GASPED when it all came together. Still thinking and overthinking 24 hours later. It took a while before I could start a new book!

Napa Trip 2021

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Nate and I snuck out of town for 4 days in November. to one of our favorite spots, Napa Valley wine country. First time on a plane since January 2020, first time away from home for more than a night since January 2020. WOW. The feels.

I had gotten a quick tip from a friend who had been there a month before us that every winery was requiring reservations to visit. Some of them do anyways, even in precedented times, but in unprecedented times, they all did. So we called the hotel concierge and honestly, they did all the work for us. Booked wineries, booked restaurant reservations…. and yes, it was a little stifling for me knowing that there was no room for spontaneity, but I kept a clear head and it all worked out.

We arrived Thursday evening, got settled in our room, and then set out for Shadowbox. It was on a side road of downtown Napa, with couches on the sidewalk set up in a nice way. It was loud because of the nearby Main Street, but not annoying. Each wine was paired with gourmet savory chips – Hawaiian sea salt, Gouda, ribeye flavors – which are made in super small batches and hand-picked by the winemaker (who was the one serving us). We took home a chardonnay that was light and bright.

Our first stop on Friday was Model bakery in downtown Napa for an egg sandwich, after which we headed off to Inglenook. It was a lovely spot with pretty terraces and a large fountain in front of the huge stone building. We sat inside cellar-type room with a gorgeous glass/mosaic wall mural (still not sure what it was made if, but cool nonetheless). We had a bit of an awkward/over talkative host, but other than that, it was a good experience. They even checked our vax cards (the only place to do it). We bought a Cabernet, which was our 2nd favorite… our very favorite one was too expensive haha.

Then we hit up Heitz, which had unexpected farm vibes, and sheep welcoming us in. Our host brought us a glass of chardonnay upon parking, and then led us up to the tasting room on the second floor of the main barrel room. The space had nice tables, a big barn door and cool arched window. Our host was friendly, and even gave us an extra pour of the expensive cab. We brought home the 2015 cabernet.

Last on Friday was AlphaOmega, which we first visited in 2019. It was busier than last time, but still a relaxing experience in their large outdoor space near the fountains. We also saw the best sunset of the trip here. We brought a bottle home last time, so we didn’t get anything this time.

Started Saturday super strong with another egg sandwich from Model, and then a pretty drive to Tres Sabores. The garden/backyard vibes were immaculate, and it was overall just super gorgeous. We sat with the vineyards right in front of us and enjoyed the sunshine. It’s a woman-owned operation and all the staff are women as well. It was fun because the sheep and dogs were just hanging around, so we walked around in between pours and enjoyed the ambiance. Annnnndddd, we became club members 🙂 Our first club!!

Then we visited Bell. We had a tour and walked through the barrel room to learn a bit about their process. For the tasting we sat on patio, with the vineyard nearby. Honestly, it was kind of generic, and whenever I try to remember it, I have to really think about it. But we had a very friendly host who told us all about his origami hobby 🙂 And we bought a Merlot to take home.

Sunday began with a delicious brunch at Petit Soleil, UGH SO GOOD. And then went to Robert Sinsky winery. It was fancy, a little dressed up, but still felt laid back. We were sitting in a fig grove, and could see lemon trees and a ton of different flowers around us. It had a decent view, too. The wine was paired with a plate of fancy finger food made in-house by their chef. Got a bottle of Orgia and Pinot to take home.

After that, we had a reservation at Cade, which was wayyyy up the mountain, a twisty drive! It felt exclusive, but still comfortable. The main building had clean lines & cool design, like mid-century with a minimal nature look. Great view of valley and personable host who answered a lot of general wine country questions for us.

Our last winery visit was Peju. They outside was cool and had French castle vibes, but the tasting was inside and ended up being my least fave vibe. We sat on uncomfy stools and there were lots of fruit flies. But the host upgraded us to reserve wines because it was the end of the day, so that was cool. We got a unique red/white blend for home. We ended up having the hotel ship our 10 bottles home to us which was super easy and convenient to do!

Overall we had a great trip, much-needed for sure. It was weird to have to schedule everything, but we ended up doing most of what we wanted to do. And on top of the great wine, we ate a LOT of great food (shout out to Gott’s Roadside for the fish tacos thank you amen).

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Fall 2021 Book Faves

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THE CHELSEA GIRLS: Fiona Davis
This historical fiction chronicles the friendship of two creative women, Maxine and Hazel, through the McCarthy era in 1950s American history. Hazel is a struggling theater actor who discovers her passion for playwriting, and Maxine is a bold, yet mysterious, actress. They meet while on tour with the USO during WW2 and their friendship blossoms. They spend time apart after the war, but meet again, both moving into the Chelsea Hotel. I enjoyed how the Chelsea Hotel was it’s own character, strong and beautiful. This book was really interesting and well researched. The twists and turns that Hazel and Maxine’s friendship took over the course of the book kept me reading and hoping for the best for them. There were men that got in the way, stabs in the back, and so many secrets. It ended on a somber note, but it felt honest to the time period. This was my second Fiona Davis read and I am a big fan.

THE EX HEX: Erin Sterling
I enjoyed this spooky season romance. Vivi is a timid witch, who puts a seemingly-innocent curse on Rhys, because he left town and broke her heart. She didn’t think it was a real curse, though, until he returns to town 9 years later and things start going haywire. They, along with Vivi’s aunt and cousin, have to figure out how to remove the curse before the town goes up in flames. Of course, Vivi and Rhys’ romance rekindles (and gets pretty hot) as the book goes on. The setting had very *spooky Stars Hollow* vibes, which I loved. I liked the relationships between Vivi and her aunt and her cousin. I appreciate that the plot of “9 years apart” gave Vivi and Rhys time to become their own people, but 9 years just seems like a daaang long time to still be caught up about an ex, especially since the initial relationship was only for 3 months. But it worked out in the end, and there’s no denying they had a passionate connection.

YOU HAVE A MATCH: Emma Lord
This book had such a great feeling, like it kept me warm while I was reading it. It was very wholesome and just a great read. Abby takes a DNA test for a school project and finds out she has an exact match sister, Savannah, who lives close by. They set up a plan to go to summer camp together, to get to know each other and to figure out why Savvy was adopted. I love a good summer camp setting, and though she resisted them at first, the friendships Abby made there were deep and meaningful. There was just enough – but not too much, or unrealistic – teen drama. Abby and Leo’s friendship was so sweet and wholesome. It all wrapped up really nicely!

Less than 48 hours in NYC

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Nate and I took a super short trip to NYC last week. It was our first pandemonium trip sans kiddo (and only third trip since January 2020), so it was nice to get away and have some time to explore and eat good food. We saw Waitress on Broadway, which was incredible! New York is so busy and big and full of life. We also went to the MoMA, and I’m planning to share a separate post about that!

Things – September

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It’s a warm day in September and I have things, updates, thoughts. To share with this little corner of the world. No one technically listens, but it helps me remember.

SCHOOL/THREE:
My little tiny baby human started PRESCHOOL last week. He loved it. Loved the crafts. Loved story time. I am so happy. He turns three in two weeks. Exactly half his life has been in weird Covid-world and that part makes me sad, but he makes me so happy. But real talk, time really does fly during a global pandemic/always.

ART:
I released a new art series a few weeks ago and it’s gotten a lot of wonderful support. I have so many big dreams and plans for my art career, and it feels good to have people acknowledge that what I do brings them joy. Speaking of art, I have two pieces hanging in the Natick Library Gallery until the end of October!

PLANTS:
I was a plant mom pre-pandemic, but I was a CRAZY plant mom mid-pandemic. At one point in time I had upwards of 50 plants in my care. After some recent simplifying (aka giving some to my sister, and some to the local Buy Nothing group) I now have 35 lovely plants hanging out with us, making our house more homey and full of life.

Thanks for listening to September Things!

Stephanie