A Medley

What I've been reading, and some words for you if you're in a middle space

Happy Thursday, friends. We are home from our last trip of the year, and while we are so grateful to have been able to visit the places and people we did this summer, we are also incredibly thankful not to have to pack another suitcase for a while!

Today’s letter includes an announcement about our Substack Fall Book Club selection, followed by reviews of the books I read this past month. And at the end of this letter, I wrote some words about middle-space seasons, those times when you sense a shift coming, but you’re still caught between stillness and movement.

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✨Fall Book Club News

Our Substack Fall Book Club is officially starting, and we’ll be reading A Map to Paradise¹ by New York Times bestselling author Susan Meissner. Here’s the Amazon description:

“1956, Malibu, California: Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation.

Then one early morning Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone?

As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own. But it’s a fragile pact and one little spark could send it all up in smoke…”

Doesn’t that sound intriguing?! I’m planning to start reading it this week, and I’ll send details about our Zoom discussion in a later letter.

✨Our Substack Book Club is one of the benefits for paid subscribers. If you are currently a free subscriber and would like to join us, you will need to upgrade your membership. You can do that right here:

And as always—if at any time money is an obstacle to your joining our paid community, please message me, and I’ll work it out. No questions asked 🤍

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What I’ve Been Reading 📚

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve not yet read any of John Green’s young adult fiction, although I’ve heard great things about The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down. But when I saw this book of Green’s essays on Kindle sale, I picked it up.

I love reading essays by writers who pay close attention to the world around them, and I found John Green to be one such writer. In each of his essays, Green describes his personal experience with an aspect of our world, and rates each on a five-star scale. I found myself truly engaged as I read, wondering how he’d rate Canada Geese, for example, or the game of Monopoly, or the Internet (!). I rated each one myself as I read, and often—not always—our ratings matched.

My favorite essays were “Kentucky Bluegrass”, “Wintry Mix”, and “Our Capacity for Wonder.”

Words I’m Remembering:

“You can’t see the future coming—not the terrors, for sure, but you also can’t see the wonders that are coming, the moments of light-soaked joy that await each of us...this will end, and the light-soaked days are coming.”

And also, this one:

“Almost everything turns out to be interesting if you pay the right kind of attention to it.”^⁠

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the story of Dominic and his three children, who live on the fictional remote island of Shearwater, between Tasmania and Antarctica. They discover a woman—Rowan—washed ashore on the rocks of the island, bruised and broken. As she heals under their care, the family soon realizes that her arrival is not as random as they had originally believed. Now, each person must be guarded in how much they share, both about the inner workings of the island, and about themselves.

I’m pretty sure Wild Dark Shore will end up being one of my favorite reads of 2025. With its perfect title, gorgeous cover, and stunning writing, this book and its characters will stay with me for a long time.

Charlotte McConaghy has written two other books that I’m looking forward to reading: Once There Were Wolves and Migrations.

Words I’m Remembering:

“…everything—everything—burns if it’s hot enough.”

Real Americans by Rachel Khong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another five-star read! It’s always fun when I read two excellent books in a row. Real Americans is the story of Lily, a quiet, unpaid intern at a company in New York City. Matthew is her exact opposite—extroverted and wealthy—and an heir to an enormous pharmaceutical conglomerate. I hesitate to share more of the plot because of potential spoilers, so I’ll simply encourage you to read this captivating novel, told in three distinct voices. It is a thoughtful examination of race and class, morals and medicine, and forgiveness.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Samantha works as an elementary school librarian and loves to wear bright clothes and funny socks. Duncan, the school principal, is fond of all things related to discipline, rules, and safety. Samantha and Duncan worked together previously, at a different school, and Samantha remembers that there, Duncan was different. More fun, less stodgy. But she doesn’t know what changed—or why.

This is a story of bravery in love and in life, about healing and restoration—and about chasing after joy even in a world that feels frightening. Timely, isn’t it?

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors, and while this book is not my favorite of hers (Happiness for Beginners holds that distinction!) I really enjoyed it.

I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen: And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me Happy (Small Habits and Mindset Shifts to Find Contentment and Joy in Life) by Kate Strickler ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is Kate Strickler’s first book. In it, she describes her struggles with comparison, especially on social media, where she has spent more than 10 years of her professional life. Each of the ten chapters is an exploration of a lie that she has believed—about her relationships, about money, and yes, even about her kitchen—as well as how she is systematically working to dismantle each lie. Each chapter ends with an affirmation, a first-person declaration that the reader might claim for herself. Strickler also includes a list of questions related to the topic of each chapter; these would be great journaling prompts.

I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority in giving this book a mere three stars. While I appreciate how open the author is about her ongoing struggles with comparison, something in her tone rubbed me the wrong way. I also found the essays to be choppy—I lost the thread of several essays because she jumps from one topic to the next without context or transition.

Words I’m Remembering:

“…I was putting my body through emotions it had no reason to be feeling. Like putting myself through vigorous drills for a sport I do not even play, I was an Olympic athlete in anxiety, and the training was grueling.”

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When four-year-old Ruthie from the Mi’kmaq tribe of Nova Scotia vanishes from a blueberry field in rural Maine, her family is left shattered. The tragedy affects this little girl’s parents and her siblings in different ways, linking them for decades in their sorrow. As I mentioned in my review of Real Americans above, sharing more of the plot points would give too much away. So instead, I’ll just say this: I highly recommend this debut novel, an exploration of how we cope with grief and keep fighting for hope. It is excellent.

Words I’m Remembering:

“I think there is something to be said for salt air. I know we have it in Maine, but I believe that getting away from what you know, getting lost in the cold, northern salt air, is good for the soul.”

On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, & Getting Old by Parker J. Palmer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In this book of essays, author Parker J. Palmer reflects on taking aging seriously and walking through the aging process with grace. At the time he wrote this book, Palmer was in his early eighties, determined to lean into life, and not away from it. He exhorts all of us, regardless of our age, to keep reaching out to the world. At the same time, he reminds us to make space for reflection and soul care. Making space for both is a lesson I’m continuing to learn.

Parker J. Palmer is a kind writer—I love his sense of humor and self-deprecating tone. I especially resonated with the second section of this book, entitled “Young & Old: The Dance of the Generations”—Palmer’s words made me thankful for the young women I’ve mentored over the years, and reminded me of all that I have learned from each of them. And if you’re a writer, I think you’ll love the section called “Work & Vocation: Writing a Life”.

Words I’m Remembering:

“Enough.” Said on the right occasion, that word can safeguard the soul, and saying it comes more easily with age. These days I say “enough” without hesitation to anything that’s not life-giving…”

And also,

“Spend time in the natural world, as much time as you can. Nature constantly reminds me that everything has a place, that nothing need be excluded. That “mess” on the forest floor—like the messes in my own life— has an amazing integrity and harmony to it.”

Stories Our Scars Tell: Hope, Healing, and Honesty about the Wounds We Carry by Brittany Tinsley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In her debut book, author Brittany Tinsley invites her readers into the story of her journey to heal from self-harm. Her book is divided into three sections. The first, “Questions We Ask”, explores how both asking and answering questions are in themselves part of the healing process. The second section, “Words We Long To Hear”, was especially meaningful to me as a coach, a mentor, and a parent. And the third section, “Places We Heal”, reminds us that we cannot heal alone.

Brittany is a dear friend of mine, and she is an honest and skilled writer. She’s gifted in sitting with others in that middle space, the space between hurt and healing, and helping us hold onto hope.

Words I’m Remembering:

“When everything around us is on fire, we don’t have to let ourselves burn. We don’t have to sit back and watch everything go up in flames, inhaling the smoke to annihilate ourselves faster. If it’s already too late, if the flames are already towering around you, you don’t have to figure it out alone. The world is full of people carrying water.”

I was able to attend Brittany’s book signing at Barnes and Noble in Allen, TX, a few weeks ago. We don’t get to see each other enough in person, so this was a treat! 😊

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…and some thoughts from the trail 🥾

Several of the books I read this month held themes of healing and growth—threads that connected to a reflection I’ve been carrying about middle-space seasons.

I’m writing to you today from a middle space, a pause between knowing that something needs to change and not yet knowing what.

I can’t change what I can’t name. So instead, I start small.

This morning, I looked for places to create some space in my day…some breathing room, some thinking time. I looked at today’s schedule and decided to cancel three appointments. I realize you might not be able to clear space in the same way I did, but maybe there’s another kind of pause you can create—just enough for a few quiet minutes, or a full, deep breath.

I promised myself I wouldn’t fill that time I’d gained back by opening my planner and tackling my to-do list. Instead, I curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee and stayed there, quietly, for a while. And then for a while longer.

I texted a friend, and then I journaled.

I went for a slow walk when I needed to stretch my legs, and later, I napped when my eyes grew heavy.

And then, I began writing these words for you.

Nothing big really changed today. But I wasn’t looking for a big change. I only needed a bit of space.

I trust I’m not alone in this middle-ness. Maybe you’re here, too? I’ve been here before, so I’ll share a few reminders with you about seasons like these.

First, you might be feeling like there are lots of questions but few answers. The answers are there, though. It might take time for them to emerge, but they will. Slowing down—taking time to think and breathe—helps me every time.

Second, this season, like every season, is just that—a season. And seasons are temporary. A season begins, and it ends, allowing a new season to begin. Remembering this always settles my head and my heart.

And finally, there is always something to learn—about ourselves, about others, about our communities—during a middle season. I have an idea about what this season is teaching me, so I’m carrying that with me as I move through this season.

Have a great rest of your week, friends. I’m grateful for you—thank you for reading my words, and for sharing them with your people.

Pausing with you,
Deb

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