Convos Behind the Counter
What We’re Talking About
As you may have heard in the Bubbles and Books podcast, a new favorite sweatshirt of mine says “sorry for having great tits and correct opinions”. My husband bought it for my birthday after I became obsessed when I saw the store on TikTok—Got Funny Merch. Ellyn was immediately enamored with it and wanted to buy the same one. When I was showing the shop to Bookseller Jess, she discovered the Silly Songs with Larry shirt pictured below and bought it too. Got Funny Merch has all sorts of slightly off-kilter and maybe-inappropriate designs that are sure to make you raise an eyebrow, if not laugh out loud directly. I highly encourage everyone to give his store a look through, if not for his hilarious shirts, then also for his pro-Roe line of merchandise.
What We’re Watching
While many of us are still enjoying the train wreck that is Bachelor in Paradise, the new belle of the reality-TV-dating-show ball is season 3 of Love is Blind. The first season of Love is Blind calls to mind the early stages of lockdown and the pandemic, when everyone was watching Tiger King, downloading Tik Tok for the first time, making dalgona coffee, and picking up all sorts of new crafts and languages (only to be later abandoned).
While Lauren and Cameron were the guiding stars of the first season, season 2 failed to create any lasting marriages (spoilers: the couples who did get engaged in season 2 both announced they’d be divorcing over the summer). Season 3, set in Dallas, Texas, has at least one promising couple (the next Lauren and Cameron ) and bunch of men who love being way out of line. You can watch this with us on Netflix.
For more true love stories even wilder than Love is Blind and one fictional “first comes marriage, then comes love” tale, check out these recommendations.
What We’re Listening To
Like almost everyone else in the world, many of us here at Dog-Eared Books have been devouring Taylor Swift’s latest album Midnights. In my opinion, (and it is just mine, dear readers. Everyone who has an opinion about this album at the store has a different one. Amanda, for example, is not the hugest fan) the album has a few stand out tracks, but many of them have very similar tones. Nevertheless, it is a delight. Some of my favorite tracks are “Anti-Hero”, “Karma”, “Mastermind”, and “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”. I early await “Hits Different” to hit Spotify, but until then, I’ll keep this album in my rotation (however, 1989 will remain my favorite).
What We’re Reading
The Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach
One of the least intimidating cookbooks ever, this has rapidly become a go-to for both Emily and I. In one week, the two of us have tried over six different recipes. While Emily is a vegetarian, I am not. But the magic of the book is that the food is just good whether or not you typically have meat on your plate. Rosenstrach and her family wanted to try to only eat meat on the weekends to lessen their environmental impact (among other things), and between that and rising grocery costs, I thought it couldn’t hurt to shift away from the recipes I usually cooked.Some of our favorite recipes (so far!) are the migas tacos, weekend enchiladas, and their kale salad. Best yet, the farroto (farro cooked like risotto) with roasted butternut squash and crispy sage leaves, which my husband declared the best thing I’ve ever made.
Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
One day, the life of a tea-monk is forever upended by the appearance of a robot with the intention to check in on humanity. Monk and Robot head out together and end up learning more about the world than either expected. With an enormous heart and characters I’d die for this book made me believe that hope is real and true and should be fought for. Booksellers Jess and Emily also loved this title for its warm aura and endlessly optimistic characters. Sweet but never saccharine, brief but bursting with story, this is one of our favorites of the year.
What are the things you’ve been enjoying lately? What TV has caught your eye? What books can you not stop reading? Let us know in the comments below!
