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A few non-crucial things I’m enjoying these days:

1. Anything-you-have coconut curry soup.  We have this Pinch of Yum recipe on repeat at my house. It’s super simple comfort food for cold nights, and the whole family loves it. (Also on repeat: Melissa Joulwan’s golden cauliflower soup. Lately I’ve been whipping up a double batch twice a week.)

2. Brown booties. My first shoe purchase in over a year, and also the first heels I’ve worn on a regular basis in years. I like ’em.

3. This interview with Kate Beckinsale. It’s so good, and surprising, and would you believe I still haven’t seen Love & Friendship? The actress says everyone should watch it twice. (Psst—I linked to the paid video so you could read the intro, but I listen to the free audio podcast.)

4. The West Wing. Will and I have been completely absorbed by this old tv series the past few months. We keep joking that we need to finish the show so we can start getting stuff done again, but it’s only half in jest! As I type this, we have 154 episodes down, 2 to go. (We are of course pairing this with The West Wing Weekly.)

5. Grapefruit. File under cheap thrills: winter fruits for 20 cents each.

6. Colour Pop lipstick is not like any lipstick I’ve ever used. I started with the Foxy sampler, and am especially fond of Clueless and More Better.

7. The podcast! I didn’t set out to make January a killer month for What Should I Read Next but it’s sure working out that way! This week’s episode is with my husband—an interview I’ve wanted to do since the show began. Last week’s with Melissa Joulwan was fantastic. (I mean, she owns 19 copies of Jane Eyre. 19!! ) Next week we’re having a special anniversary episode about what I should read next. And later this month we’re sharing interviews with a bunch of different readers about how they track their reading.

(To stay tuned to What Should I Read Next news, sign up here.)

8. Decaf coffee. When I said in the newsletter that decaf was something that did NOT work for me in 2016, you all responded with so many amazing decaf suggestions! I’m compiling them and making it my mission to try as many as possible in 2017. But before I even wrote about it, Will found a subscription box that has a decaf option and gave me a membership for Christmas. (It’s MistoBox; save $10 with the code 2PAL.) My local coffee is good, but I’ve so enjoyed being able to try new-to-me decaf again.

Have you found anything you’re especially loving lately? I’d love to hear about it in comments. 

33 comments

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  1. Rooibos tea! We had a South African friend stay with my family over the holidays, and she introduced us to the best tea ever. This is coming from a girl who previously would say she hates tea. But Rooibos with a little honey and milk is silky smooth. Apparently there are lots of health benefits, too. It’s saving my life this January. (Oh, and it’s caffeine free).

  2. Lori McKee says:

    My (I guess it’s “our” but I keep stealing it) new sherpa throw blanket! Not sure of the brand name but I think that’s what it is – Sherpa. SUPER Soft and cozy for cold winter TV viewing. A friend said this was a much stolen gift at her office grab bag (you know the game where you can pick an unwrapped gift or steal from someone who’s already opened theirs?), and the morning after the grab bag party, her manager came in with sherpa blankets for everyone!

    Here’s one brand. https://www.amazon.com/Life-Comfort-Ultimate-Sherpa-Throw/dp/B014X5E4C2

  3. Girl, if you love colorpop you have GOT to try lipsense! Totally blows colorpop out of the water. You can search it on YouTube.. there are a ton of videos that show how great it is. Come check it out on my group page.. bonus: you’d be supporting this homeschooling mama of 4 🙂 Facebook.com/groups/acelips

  4. Amy says:

    My daughter got me hooked on colour pop too this winter! And I hate lipstick!! What amazes me is that it looks completely different from one person to the next. We’ve tried to go all natural and organic skin wise, have been doing it with food for years and it finally dawned on me that our skin is our biggest organ! I LOVE Follain! They research their products so carefully and I’m astounded at what’s allowed in US products compared to Europe! Colour pop and eye liner is where I stray!

  5. I meant to tell you earlier in the week that I rediscovered the easy Thai soup recipe you posted here years ago. Made it a few days ago. Yum! Sign me up for any soup, but one that has coconut milk and curry is a huge winner in my book. I’ve just printed these new ones. Thanks!!

  6. Leah F says:

    I listen to two podcasts with some regularity: What Should I Read Next, and The West Wing Weekly. My husband and I watched TWW when it aired, and have now re-watched it at least 3 or 4 times. It is excellent, and I am so glad you are enjoying it!

  7. Victoria says:

    I felt meh after watching love & friendship. It was neither one thing nor another. Not enough to be a satire but too much to be a drama. Beckinsale (and Chloe sevigny) were good in it though.
    My anti-anxiety meds forbid grapefruit, no idea why.
    Supplier cut off our broadband with no notice and it’s a nightmare getting it reconnected! Hot water bottles and wine are seeing me through.

  8. Laura says:

    I thought Love and Friendship was really funny, showing off a darker humor than her other works. The lead character is certainly not likeable, as in her other stories, but makes Austen all the more interesting to me (even if it isn’t my favorite). What else would she have created had she lived longer?

  9. Niki Deutsch says:

    What I am loving is pinning numerous cleaning charts and clean house methods. I don’t know why. It’s not like I’m actually going to do any of it! Speaking of pinning, I literally just pinned the recipe for the golden cauliflower soup and I am so glad to hear from you that it’s a good one! Another thing I’m enjoying lately is Hoopla through the city library. Five downloads per month. I’ve been listening to audio while I paint, which has been great! I normally don’t listen to audio books, but find I really enjoy it. Have a great day!

  10. Leigh says:

    The West Wing: best TV show, ever. My husband and I were huge WW fans during it’s original run. Afterwards, before his death six years ago, we would watch it on DVD together, many evenings three or four episodes back to back. It never got old. And I still pull out favorite episodes to watch when I have lots of laundry to fold, or papers to sort. What I still find so interesting is that we were and I still am very much right leaning conservatives but we love the characters on the show, who were definitely not right wing! Shows how excellent the writing and acting were.

    What I’m loving right now? Fresh roses, a dozen for $9.99 at the grocery store, with a full seven day bloom guarantee!

  11. Jamie says:

    Three random thoughts:
    1. The end of January is strawberry season here…looking forward to HUGE flats of fresh berries. YUM!!!
    2. Will totally try that cauliflower soup soon. Looks yummy (LOVE coconut milk in soup).
    3. My husband started watching Brooklyn 99, which is a ridiculous comedy about a police force in New York. I glance up every now and then while I read at night and have to admit it’s growing on me.

  12. Marlizette says:

    Two things that I’m loving lately:

    1. Instagram. I love the fact that it’s only photos and I’ve started following lots of travelers who post photos of beautiful places around the globe. Facebook can get so negative, so Instagram feels like a heavenly escape lately.
    2. Streaming a new radio station in the UK that I’ve discovered recently. The music is so great and it makes me reminisce about the two years I spent living there.

    I’m also excited to start a new year with all the possibilities it holds.

  13. I’m stupidly excited that you’ve been watching The West Wing. My husband Dave and I did that when we were finishing Well Fed 2, and it was such a comforting thing to work on the book all day, then check in with our “friends” in the West Wing.

    So happy the Golden Cauliflower Soup is keeping you warm these days. I made a batch of Gingered Zucchini Soup yesterday, and it. is. awesome. I need ALL THE VEGGIES right now… too much travel and treat food 😉

  14. Taryn says:

    One thing I’m loving this month is our donation to Public TV: if you give more than $5/mo for a year, you are automatically subscribed to Passport, which gives you access to full episodes of Great British Baking Show, Chef’s Life, This Old House (I can’t help it, I love it), and specials like the Hamilton doc. It’s sooooo awesome, and we can watch on the PBS app on our Roku TV.

  15. Sarah says:

    If you enjoy the West Wing, try Madam Secretary when you are done (if you aren’t already watching). Tea Leoni is fantastic and the issues are very current. Worth watching, for sure!

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