Get lost in a book, not the woods
Other places worth hanging: diner booths, libraries, and late dinners
Hi friends,
This weekend, we had some fun chats on Instagram about God of the Woods, which I inhaled in under 24 hours. I love the feeling of getting lost in a book and have no desire to get lost in the woods (my favorite nature is close to the ocean). I need to dive into Liz Moore’s full back catalog, I’m currently on hold for Long Bright River. Please share here any book recommendations in the comments.
Next up, I’m reading The Coin and I’m excited to read 2 Girls 1 Book
and conversation afterwards. I’m rewatching Younger right now (such a time capsule of the peak Twitter era) and a recent plotline involved a techy investor speculating about the end of books. One of the few encouraging trends from recent years is the growth of independent bookstores and finding more spaces to discuss reading. I spent an hour at the library yesterday (which was open on a Sunday thanks to everyone protesting Eric Adams budget cuts) and honestly, every time I go, I get so excited about the concepts of libraries, nerdy as that is. Having free public spaces to be, read, learn, or relax is radical.Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
Since Lizzi was in town, we had a family dinner on Monday. My parents made sour cream and onion dip to start, from the mix and served with potato chips. For dinner, we had
squash toasts (so good) and vegetarian cassoulet with breadcrumbs. They also made Dan Pelosi’s winter kale salad from his book (it’s a salad with toppings for all four seasons, so far we’ve made 3/4 and they’re all great). Winter’s version features blue cheese and roasted cauliflower. And for dessert, chocolate peanut butter cup cookies, also from Deb. It was a lovely end to the long weekend.
The next day, I ate leftovers from my parents and made a jalapeño cheddar grilled cheese (it looked very bad since I used random nubs of bread from the freezer but it was so good).
Later in the week, Leah, Lizzi and I got to cook dinner together and watch Traitors. We always make some version of pasta with vegetables and white beans and I brought olives and baguette for us to snack on while we cooked. This time, the veggies were mushroom, garlic, cherry tomatoes, and spinach and we stirred in some pesto, lemon zest, and pecorino at the end.
I made a scallion pancake egg burrito on Friday night (needed to fuel up for reading) with cheddar, spinach, onion, chili crisp and scrambled eggs.
For lunches last week, I batched a kale salad with roasted delicata squash, cheddar, chickpeas, and pumpkin seeds. I brought a jar of dressing to the office which was very convenient. I also made more granola and didn’t burn it this time, using
’s recipe.Something to order:
I went to a drinks event with Substack at the historic Fraunces Tavern all the way downtown and it was so nice to meet and see some other writers and members of the Substack team. Writing is so solitary and seeing everyone away from their computers is a nice break.
After the happy hour, I had book club near Union Square. We met at Friend of a Farmer, which was perfect for a meeting—the upstairs part is fairly quiet. We split a bunch of items and they were so kind to us, putting my bacon free crostini on separate plate. Get the fries and grain bowl if you go!
I spent the weekend bopping around, seeing Lizzi, Tilden, and Erica for coffee and enjoying the 40+ degree weather, which felt very warm. I stopped into Davey’s on Sunday afternoon for an ice cream, which may have been overkill but felt right.
On Saturday, Dale and I got a late dinner at Tabaré in Williamsburg, which is the coziest Uruguayan spot. I become such a study abroad girl when I go anywhere Uruguayan or Argentinian even though it was a long time ago. We had empanadas and I got a mushroom sandwich and Dale got steak and we had wine from Uruguay. I love a restaurant that feels like going somewhere.
Alicia and I caught up in a booth at Court Square Diner where we split a veggie omelette and a short stack of pancakes, because we need sweet and savory. Booth seating is the best seating.
Something to read:
A fun food x film crossover from
: 12 writers on 12 meals in 12 different moviesI was so honored when
and from reached out to get some wise advice from my mom. The other entries are great too.A necessary read from Rachel Miller: where to get news in 2025.
A great rec from
, “Order your cookies from these trans girl scouts. I got emotional reading their bios. They talk about loving geometry and wanting to use this money for donations to their local animal shelter. Protect trans kids at all costs “ Her whole newsletter, is great this week, she wrote about growing up in Texas and how her views on abortion shifted over time.I need to try the green sauce San Francisco pizzerias are making
Torrey Peters moved to Colombia and wrote a great Grub Street Diet
A Bachelorette, a Ballroom Dancer and a ‘Traitor’ Walk Into a Bar. I love Gabby Windey.
shared A Defiant Celebration of Black History MonthRemembering pizza icon Patsy Grimaldi
Rihanna cover story!! She says she’s in the studio!
A very helpful episode of Vibe Check about how the current administration is approaching LGBT issues and what we can all do
I love looking at what people wear on the subway and this subway rat series from
is very funAll my tips and highlights from Sri Lanka
Have a good week! I can’t believe February is almost over.
xo, Abigail
All the linked articles you shared are 🤌🤌🤌. I really enjoyed the movie/meal Substack and and here for any and all Gabby Windey content.
Also rewatching younger! It’s filmed in my old neighborhood and it makes me miss my younger years!