Featuring my vintage lace tablecloth.

Intermezzo: Liked but didn’t love. Firmly in between her last book (hated it) and Normal People (loved it). Wolf Hall: This was a major “hole” in books I had not read from the NYTimes 100 best books of the last century list. It was a good book, but not for me. I’m not that interested in a fictionalized Tudor England, so I’m probably done with the Cromwell books. God of the Woods: Really liked. Beautiful writing and a propulsive plot. Sequel: It was fine, but not nearly as good as The Plot. Last Devil to Die: I accidentally skipped one book in this series but still loved. A fun, murder mystery.

I recently made this recipe, and I loved it. Easy, filling, delicious, and uses mostly ingredients I already had. Also, Clare De Boer’s Substack is fantastic.

Fall in New England is magic.

Swan Song: It is funny that my first Elin Hilderbrand book on Nantucket was her last. The story was good and took me back to the island. It didn’t make me feel like I needed to read her other 26(!) books about Nantucket however. Same As It Ever Was: I’ve read several books this year about motherhood and how the time with young children is so challenging. This was no where near the top of that category. Just fine. Black Dudley: A fun, classic British murder mystery that takes place in a country estate. Cliffs: Surprised at all the press for this one, because I did not enjoy it. Felt like a slog, story wasn’t that compelling, and tried to do too much. Wives Like Us: A frothy story about rich wives in the British countryside that I devoured in a few days. Definitely not great literature, but a great escape nonetheless.

Malin + Goetz face mask – fun to use face mask that bubbles up in a few minutes. I used in place of cleanser at night. Probably wouldn’t buy again though due to price. Shani Darden retinol – my current favorite retinol. Not too drying on my skin. Decalt toner – love it for keeping blackheads and pimples at bay. However, the website is very annoying and it shows out of stock a lot. Westman Atelier contour stick – this is a travel size and it broke within 1 month of buying it. At this price, will definitely never repurchase. Glossier milky jelly cleanser – one of my favorite Glossier products. Does a great job of taking off your makeup and is reasonably priced. Iconic blurring primer – I don’t wear enough foundation to justify this. Plus the dropper is a bit annoying. Native deodorant – my old standby for natural deodorant, until I switched to Glossier. Milbon hair detangler mist – I get this from my hair salon. Milbon is an amazing Japanese brand with reasonably priced products that are effective. I use this when I get out of the shower before I brush my wet hair. I have already repurchased.

I made this on a rainy Saturday, and it tasted like a marriage between nachos and chili. The flavors were delicious, but not too heavy. I can’t wait to make again.

My new-to-me favorite antique store on Cape Cod is Gatherings at Home in Dennis. The store has a small, but wonderfully curated selection and very fair prices. It feels like walking into a chic coastal grandmother’s home.

This was my haul. The french lace table cloth is stunning.

It has been 9 years since my first trip to Cape Cod, and my packing has become better but somehow much more involved (I blame the toddler). The weather on this trip was all over the place, so I packed shorts and pants, long sleeves and short sleeves, and a sweater. I ended wearing just about everything.

Pictured left to right, top to bottom: Brown pants, green skirt, navy top, “travel” case with socks and underwear, 3 tees (all different sleeve lengths for versatility), sweater, athletic shorts and tees, brown flats, bathing suit and coverup, and white slides. I wore leggings, a tee, an hoodie, and sneakers on the drive, and carried a navy tote.

I used the Amy Smilovic “flat packing method” which was very easy and did a good job of minimizing wrinkles. I also threw in my mini straw bag at the last minute, and was so glad I did.

This was a veryyyyy good batch of books. Leaving: very sad, very beautiful story of a rekindled love. Sandwich: love any story that centers the Cape. I wanted to spend even more time with this family. James: Gorgeous, thoughtful retelling of Jim’s story from Huckleberry Finn. Husband & Lovers: Just what I wanted for a fun, but still really good, summer read. Teddy: Same. Great writing, good story, not too serious.