3: June 29-July 4, 2021

At the start of this week, Naomi turned three weeks old. She became a little fussier, a little more fretful. At the end of the week, some kind of growth spurt - she nursed constantly, but in fits and starts, hard for either of us to get a rhythm going. At the same time, she started to be awake and alert more. Niko and I stare into her face making silly expressions for very long periods of time. It's true that we've fallen in love; every day, a little deeper.

• Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman (3.5)

• It took a little while for the book’s voice/schtick to grow on me, but then I was all in. Fun plot that also, surprise surprise, made me cry. This book is about a hostage crisis and...love in various forms.  

• Paper Towns, by John Green (YA 3)

• Surprisingly funny and sweet YA novel. (Thanks to cousin Loren for the rec!) 

• Lactivate! A User’s Guide to Breastfeeding, by Chrisie Rosenthal and Jill Krause 

• A very useful, straightforward, mini guide to the basics of breastfeeding, “troubleshooting,” and pumping. I literally read it cover to cover (it’s a short one)

• A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson (2.5)

• I’d read most of this book already, many years ago, but it was a pleasant re-read. I have a Thing for thru-hiking memoirs (similar but different from my Thing for Agatha Christie mysteries.) Bryson is really funny and I really enjoyed reading about his and Katz’s experiences on the trail; I rankle at the broad brush he paints the National Park Service and US Forest Service with though, and generally so much of the book just feels so very much that it’s written by a Grumpy White Man of a Certain Age (...because it is.) 

• Four Seasons in Rome, by Anthony Doerr (3.75) 

• Doerr found out, the day his wife gave birth to their twin boys, that he’d been awarded a fellowship that meant moving to Rome for a year. This is a memoir about that year, Rome, parenting twins, art, beauty, and Pliny the Elder. It’s gorgeously written.

Favorite of the week: