Coffee Break #003: The November Issue
The monthly dispatch on romanticizing your life, including my favorite seasonal recipes, new books releasing this month, playlists for the perfect vibe, and more.
Dear Friend,
Hello and happy November! It’s gearing up to be a busy month, what with the typical holiday downward spiral, our first Fifteen Minute Book Club, and First Draft November (more on that later). If I had to choose a second favorite month after October, fittingly enough, November would probably be my pick. Depending on the year and the weather patterns, it’s still mostly fall, though it is definitely a colder, grayer, more melancholy month.
I also think Thanksgiving is probably my second favorite holiday after Halloween, simply because I love all the food that is traditionally served, and it’s so much lower-stakes than Christmas. Speaking of, I’m in absolutely no rush to get into the holiday spirit just yet. Though I do love the glow of a Christmas tree softly twinkling away on a rainy afternoon. In my mind, it is 100% fall until the first snow and at that point, all bets are off. Looking at my weather app, I’m in no danger of that any time soon, so I’ll keep sipping my pumpkin spice lattes and enjoying apple season a bit longer.
To Do List
Donate to or volunteer at a food bank. As of my writing this, SNAP benefits are set to expire for around 42 million Americans November 1st. Even if something changes in the next few days, it’s unlikely that many people would get their benefits on time. It’s absolutely despicable that our society has failed so many people in such a way. If you have the means, find a food pantry near you and either volunteer your time or donate money or non-perishables. Learn more about the situation here.
Start Christmas shopping early. I don’t want to think about it yet either, but I promise it will make your life so much less stressful. I always make a list in Notion of everyone I intend to buy presents for, including things like Secret Santa and neighbor gifts and such. That way it’s all in one place and I can see exactly what I still need to get. I’m also a big fan of saving things throughout the year that I see that make me think of a friend or family member.
Read some poetry. Something about November always makes me feel introspective and, okay, a little sad the way that October doesn’t. Probably because in the Midwest, November is colder, darker, and rainier than October. The vibrant colored foliage has long since dropped to the ground and the vibe has turned to what we in my house like to call “wet brown.” Anyways, something about that always feels melancholy and poetic. May I suggest some Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath, or Louise Glück?
Host a Friendsgiving dinner. Now that my close friends are spread out all over the country, I really miss our annual Friendsgiving dinners that we had in college and immediately after. Decorating, dressing up, making classic comfort food dishes, and spending a lovely time with friends was always so fun. Maybe I’ll put together a Friendsgiving hosting guide later this month!
Make an autumnal simmer pot. Cranberries, rosemary, citrus, and spices? Sign me up. Get a big pot, add a bunch of spices and set it to simmer for a delicious smelling home. This recipe from the Midwest Nice blog has the perfect platonic recipe for a late autumn/early winter simmer pot.
Don’t rush the holidays. I know, I know, it’s about that time, and every store has had their holiday stuff out since mid-October, but please, I’m begging you, slow down and enjoy the season and don’t rush ahead to the holidays. The last several years, by the time it actually hits Christmas, I’m so exhausted and sick of it all that it barely feels enjoyable. I’m determined to savor it this year, to find that magic again, and not get so wrapped up in the frantic consumption and capitalism of it all.
Bookshelf
Reading updates, new releases, and more news from the stacks.
Writing Update
Okay… here goes nothing… deep breath: I am writing a book.
It feels very scary for me to say that publicly. My whole life, I’ve never wanted to tell anyone what I was working on until it was done AND I knew it was successful, for fear of being judged or ridiculed, especially if whatever I was working on didn’t end up coming to fruition.
But as I’ve been following more and more bookish people, I’ve seen how many of them are so open about their writing processes. It’s inspiring and it’s fun and I ALSO know that my fear of failure after announcing something publicly will probably keep my accountable and on track to work on this book. Is that healthy? Probably not. Is it effective? Oh yeah.
So in the spirit of , aka the NaNoWriMo substitute I’m subscribing to this month, I thought I’d share just a tiny bit about what I’m working and share my progress as we go through the month (and beyond!).
I originally got the idea for this story and started writing it a decade ago. It was my project for NaNoWriMo 2015, which I did not get very far with (to be fair, it was a very busy year for me what with working and finishing college and all that).
The idea has been following me around, never quite leaving my head, this entire time. Finally a few months ago, I dug out my old draft and read over it. There was a lot that didn’t hold up, but the bones were there and I was having a lot of ideas. I scrapped most of what I had written, changed a lot of the intended plot points around, and suddenly I was looking at the outline of a novel I could actually see myself writing.
I don’t really want to give away the whole plot yet because I’m shy and superstitious, but the vibes are this:
Set in the mid-2000s at a college campus in New England
Ghosts
Monster of the week
Small town secrets
If Nora Ephron wrote a dark-ish academia modern gothic rom-com
In fact, this note from September was a sneaky mini-moodboard for the project:
Anyways. That’s it for now. Please send me all the good vibes as I continue smashing out this first draft, NaNoWriMo style.
On My Shelf
First and foremost this month, I’ll be re-reading Heart the Lover by Lily King for our book club! I devoured it in a single sitting last month, but I’m excited to read it more closely and thoughtfully.
A few more books I hope to tackle this month:
Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson
Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews
It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard (eARC)
The Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski (eARC)
November New Releases
November 4th
Bread of Angels by Patti Smith
Other People’s Fun by Harriet Lane
The Weekend Crashers by Jamie Brenner
Lightbreakers by Aja Gabel
The Dinner Party by Viola Van de Sandt
November 11th
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister
The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes
November 18th
And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens
The Pelican Child by Joy Williams
Menu
November to me means two things: soup recipes and cranberry everything (not at the same time). I am fully shifting into soup mode and already thinking of all the recipes I want to try (though I am currently craving broccoli cheddar soup something fierce.)
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks
Drinks
Playlists
First and foremost, not a playlist per se, but Florence + the Machine’s new album is absolutely amazing.
Spotify’s Front Porch playlist is the perfect blend of folksy and melancholy, imo.
Speaking of, Spotify’s yearning playlist is another good one for staring out the bus window pretending you’re the main character in an indie coming of age movie.
Another cozy and slightly less sad playlist is Stay in Bed.
The Your Favorite Coffeehouse playlist is what I used to listen to in college when I was working on NaNoWriMo so I’m pulling it out of the archives for First Draft November.
And juuuuust in case you do want to listen to some Christmas songs (no judgment) my favorite choice is the Indie Christmas playlist on Spotify.
If you enjoy reading Parenthetical (thank you!!!) and want to show your support for my work:
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Can’t wait to read your book, it will be great!!
A book! A book!!! I'm so excited for you! I can't wait to hear more about it.