Dream vacations & summer reading
While on vacation last week, my boyfriend, his family and I started a conversation about dream vacations and destinations that we've always wanted to visit. I began imaginary planning trips abroad to Iceland or journeys to the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. In the meantime, I'll settle for taking some vacations via the movies. Here's a love letter to dream vacations and escapes via the silver screen:
Before venturing too far abroad, a spot on my travel bucket list is Prince Edward Island in Canada. I first learned of this destination thanks to the Anne of Green Gables series. I'm excited to one day head north and see the red-sand beaches and Gulf of St. Lawrence with my own eyes, but for now I'll settle for re-watching the movies.
On a more tropical note, as a kid, I had visions of traveling to the Bahamas, thanks to the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson movie Holiday in the Sun. The movie was pretty much filled with advertising for the many perks of staying at the Atlantis Hotel -- which is supposedly stocked with water slides, easy access to dolphins and located in close proximity to the beach. The film also involves a weird subplot about stolen artifacts and getting arrested! So we'll just skip that part of the movie in real life.
In The Holiday, Amanda and Iris decide to do a home exchange program and switch houses during the Christmas season. Iris travels to Los Angeles and stays in Amanda's luxury house, while Amanda heads to Iris' cute cottage in Surrey. It's adorable (especially in the snow!!) and provides the perfect escape from city life.
If you want a fun escape, watch Under the Tuscan Sun and take a trip through Tuscany with Diane Lane (Frances). Devastated after her recent divorce, Frances decides to leave the country and impulsively purchases a villa in the town of Cortona.
And finally, if you didn't get enough Mamma Mia! in last week's newsletter, I'm back again to discuss the beautiful blue waters in Greece. The first movie was filmed on Skopelos, but I was shocked to find out that most of the second one was shot on Vis in Croatia. While this apparently has caused a lot of controversy, I could not tell the difference in venue after viewing both movies. Either way, sitting by the water in Croatia or Greece on holiday sounds great to me.
Haven't You Heard?
One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is to lounge around with a good book. Whether I'm sitting poolside, oceanside or curled up in my bed, the company of a great novel is key. This summer and last summer, I came across a couple of especially enjoyable reads. None of these are too heavy, so they mix perfectly with the summer sun, but they're also filled with great writing so you don't feel like you're getting too frothy. If you're looking for a good book to enjoy this month, check out some of these options.
Last summer, I discovered the magic of Emma Straub, when I read Modern Lovers. The book tells the story of two couples and their children, all living near each other in Brooklyn. Most of the novel takes place in the summertime, making it a good read for the month of August. Modern Lovers focuses on Andrew, Elizabeth and their son Harry, and Zoe, Jane and their daughter Ruby. As the adults work out their own relationship and friendship complications, Ruby and Harry form a bond and begin to explore a relationship as well. I so admire Emma's writing style and found myself pouring over every page. If you haven't also read Emma Straub's The Vacationers, I would also recommend it. While the set-up and general flow of both books are surprisingly similar, I still enjoyed each one. If you're trying to choose between the two, Modern Lovers has the edge for me. I also just found out that Emma owns a bookstore in Brooklyn, and I'm adding that to the top of my NYC to-do list on my next visit.
If you're looking for something a little more intense (one of my friends referred to it as an intelligent beach read), check out Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere. Set in Shaker Heights, Ohio (which is apparently a real place, where Celeste lived!), it tells the story of a wealthy, suburban family (the Richardsons) whose lives are disrupted when Mia and her daughter, Pearl, show up in town. As Mia and Pearl explore the possibility of leaving behind their nomadic lifestyle and staying put in one place, Mrs. Richardson fights harder to regain control over everything around her, including a custody battle between her friend and Mia's coworker.
On a much lighter note, I read Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date (in no way associated with the Debra Messing movie), thanks to a book cover blurb from Roxane Gay. She describes it as a "charming, warm, sexy gem of a novel," and boy is she right. With her stamp of approval, I binge-read this romcom in one day. It's the charming story of Alexa and Drew, who randomly meet in an elevator. Drew begs Alexa to come with to his ex's wedding, after his date cancels at the last minute. She does and the romance begins! But this story goes above and beyond the cookie-cutter romcom mold and tackles real issues, like interracial dating and body insecurities. After finishing the book, I found myself scouring the internet for similar smart, romcom reads and was thrilled to discover that Jasmine's next book comes out in the fall.
Required Reading
I often shy away from randomly talking to strangers. In some circumstances, that's a good thing. Starting a conversation with your Lyft driver can be risky, as you then have to finish out the ride with someone who might take the talk in an uncomfortable direction. But in others, having a nice chat with someone you don't know can brighten up your day. The Chicago Tribune's Mary Schmich wrote a column about her surprising interaction with a Whole Foods cashier, after he asked her, "Do you have a story for me?"
