The August Edit

My words in Elle magazine, mini dew electrolytes, sleepovers as an adult, and five really good books.

Aug 30, 2024

The Monthly Edits are a casual curation of my consumptions from the past few weeks including: great reads, delicious eats, fun finds, and personal meanderings. Buon appetito!

visited friends with the cutest babies, hiked a few hills, and enjoyed as much fresh fruit as possible. By the last week of August, I’m usually feeling a bit melancholic—like an ending, a goodbye, or the Sunday night of summer is upon me. But this year I feel content with the earlier evenings and extra layers that accompany these last few days before September inspires us all to return to our routines.

As some of you may remember, back in January I selected the word ease for 2024. Somewhere along my recent internet travels, I came across this quote: “Ease begets ease while effort makes more effort.” - Unknown. It’s funny how little reminders present themselves in unsuspecting places. In many ways, I know I still have a lot of practice ahead of me. In other ways, I have been learning to release my grip and August was a month that allowed me to learn more naturally into ease. I attended the markets each week, caught up on things around the house, and really grounded into my days. I drank the drops of sunshine I needed and feel at peace with a summer well spent. My next challenge will be continuing this practice once August comes to a close.

Alright, here’s how the month went:

A little glimpse at the neighbours garden. Such a magical spot!

I grew up in a small town called Shawnigan Lake. Sometimes when we go up island, I like to pass through just to drive the familiar streets. A few weeks ago, I took Scott to a secret swimming spot. Our bathing suits were in the back seat, packed for a weekend up island, so we changed in the car and cooled off with a refreshing lake dip. That’s the one thing I love about not having a/c in the car—the spontaneous stops for a quick swim!
We had a few weekend sleepovers this summer with friends who live out of town. Graduating from camping in our own backyard to camping in the big open field on our friend’s property (pictured at the top). What an upgrade! A field of sheep and frolicking bunnies, both covered in dew, greeted us in the morning before we lazily walked to their house for fresh coffee and birthday cake. Sleepovers as an adult are really sweet. There’s something sincere about making breakfast together that feels different, more intimate, than dinner. It was really nice to be included in their daily routines.

Speaking of daily routines—sometimes a small refresher makes a big difference (especially for those of us with few calendar events). I recently bought a new cleanser. Nothing fancy, just a Wholefoods purchase—and it put a juicy citrus pep in my morning skincare step. 🍊 Hot Tip: massage your cleanser into your skin, leaving it on your face while you brush your teeth (cleansers need this extra time on your skin to reach max efficacy!).

Hello, Elle!

I’m so excited to share this recent article in ELLE Magazine!! I had a wonderful chat with writer and editor
Aemilia Madden
about the luxuries of sitting down with a book, how I select my next read, and our thoughts on the inspiration behind this summer’s literary obsession. I feel very grateful to be quoted several times throughout the article and have lots to say on this topic. Let’s continue the conversation—if you have a read through this piece, please let me know what you think.

This hat is everything.
Mini Dew electrolytes are my jam right now.
Hello cashmere v-neck season.
Cute table lamp.
Laura Jackson’s late summer hosting tips are unmatched!
I very much enjoyed Lily Collins’ home tour.
The most beautiful glassware ever made.
Manuka honey lip balm + balmy summer perfume.
How a Frenchman stole two billion worth of art.
Priceless wisdom from a 96 year old.
Bad Sisters season two is coming!

This month in reading:

The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore. This book was everywhere so I had to pick up a copy. Told through multiple characters across two decades, I was hooked through all 476 pages. A literary mystery drama set at Camp Emerson in the lush Adirondack forest. Two children, both from the prestigious Van Laar family, go missing fourteen years apart. Loved the summer camp vibes, secrecy, twists, and second chances. It could have been a tad shorter, and one part of the plot was disheartening, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time. Loved the ending and highly recommend!
Bunny by Mona Awad. If you’ve read this, we need to talk. I picked this up because it was labelled as “weird girl lit” and I thought that sounded cool. A darkly satirical fever dream that follows a scholarship student who is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort—a clique of unbearable rich girls who call each other Bunny. It’s mild horror, incredible dialogue, psychological fantasy, and a book I won’t forget—weird was an understatement. I gave it five stars and will likely read it again. Bloody brilliant.
Slowing by Rachel Schwartzmann. This book is designed to savour—made up of fifty-two captivating essays, meditations, and prompts—it gently guides readers to discover the pleasures of slow living. I like the idea of reading one per week and gradually integrating these lessons into a year of renewal. I ended up enjoying Schwartzmann’s writing so much that I read it cover-to-cover. It’s a book I’ll keep close by and continuously reference, especially her journal prompts. I was very generously gifted an advance copy—the release date for Slowing is September 17th! ✨

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. I listened to this one on audiobook which was the best choice—getting to hear Zauner pronounce all the delicious Korean words was amazing! This memoir covers Zauner’s experience growing up Korean American, losing a mother, and creating her own identity. It was both heartbreaking and beautiful—a very vulnerable piece of work that brought up a lot of emotions for me. If you enjoy Korean food, she describes years worth of meals in such detail that I almost felt like I was sitting at the table with her. A wonderful story of grief and success, highly recommend.
Mr. Salary by Sally Rooney. This (very short) story offers a taste of Rooney’s writing about a one sided relationship on the brink of the inevitable. Like many people, I also wish there were more pages to read. One reviewer summed up my thoughts quite nicely: “Maybe if I offered to help Sally out, do her chores and stuff, to free up more time, she would make this into a full length novel.”

Grapes and yellow plums are having their moment in the backyard.

Birthday cake for breakfast + snow leopard melons.

Thanks for sticking around while I took some extra time off this month. It was so nice to spend the days outside, connect with friends, and…read (I’m not a quick reader so five books clocked a lot of hours). I’m looking forward to jumping back in with a few fun articles in September and connecting further with this community.

I hope August was everything you needed it to be. Thank you so much for reading and as always, I would love to hear from you!