September 12, 2025, 12:10pm
The first nice thing this week is an institutional birthday.
Thanks to the attentive ministrations of our dear Drew Broussard, it’s officially been one year since we launched The Lit Hub Podcast! (“And I didn’t acknowledge it at all in the episode because I locked it before I realized and don’t have time to go fix it.” —Drew)
Our host with the most is grateful for every guest, supporter, and listener. We at Lit Hub are grateful for Drew. With warmth and wit, he’s stewarded us through the publisher’s marketplace, “anticipation season“, and a Nancy Drew convention. We can’t wait to hear where he’ll take us next, and hope you’ll keep tuning in to find out.
The rest of us are strolling into fall with an eye to earthly delights. It’s the simple things keeping us going this week—fresh air, card games, local heroes, and sweet treats.
Jessie Gaynor’s kid has gotten into playing Uno, and she is delighted to report to any adults who may have forgotten that “Uno still rules.”
In other good competition news, Molly Odintz’s old high school pal Jimmy Talarico is running for Texas Senate, on a workers’ rights platform. This seminarian and former public school teacher has “led the fight against the billionaire mega-donors and puppet politicians who have taken over Texas.” So Lone Star voters, check him out.
In nice news from the interior, Emily Temple has been going on hour long morning walks, and “can recommend.”
Another flaneur, James Folta, has been spending some happy hours with the latest issue of the New York Review of Architecture. “Such great, fun, and smart writing, plus it’s worker owned and cooperatively run,” says this staffer. And though its pages may favor Bauhaus nerds, James assures us that you don’t necessarily have to be into architecture to get something out of every “gorgeous” issue.
And Olivia Rutigliano had an epic ice cream sundae for two (but de facto, for one). “Get a load of this: three scoops of ice cream (vanilla, brownie batter, and cookie batter) with whipped cream and hot fudge, over a bed of fudge-soaked brownie pieces.” I’m listening, Seattle. “And a cherry, but whose favorite part is that.”
My happy thing this week was a day at the movies. With the above-mentioned James Folta(!), I, Brittany Allen, attended a screening of The Summer Book, Charlie McDowell’s faithful adaptation of the beloved Tove Jansson novel.
Jansson’s Summer Book is about as perfect as novels get—a slim, specific coming-of-age story. The screen treatment brings us Glenn Close in fine Scandinavian grandmother form, a lot of sweeping island vistas, and a very scrappy young actor named Emily Matthews.
The Summer Book is in limited release starting this Friday in some cities, and should fall under a Kanopy near you not long after. It’s a lovely film to mark the end of summer with. Just be sure to pair it with the source, for sauce.
Wishing you an easy start to fall. May you celebrate a little something every day.