It’s been a while since our last recommendations, but our gifted guest blogger Sarah Hughes has made it worth the wait. Boy are these a treat!

Annie Dillard

{ some party from unexpectedtales }

With The Maytrees, Dillard manages to write a book that is not about love and death, but TOTALLY IS.  I don’t want to write a book review of this particular book, but I want to recommend Dillard, because I lost my breath reading her prose. I’m in phase where I’m feeling particularly disenchanted, and Annie begs you to stop being like that.  Seriously.  It made me love Cape Cod while I was there, even though it was raining atrociously and I hated all the tourists who made the lines to get clam chowder long.

Giving your stuff away for free

{ the couch in the street by Jessica Gardner }

This is a post about karma.  I don’t really believe in karma, so let’s call it physics.  Some law of matter says that there is a finite amount of matter in the universe.  It cannot decrease or increase; it simply changes.  I feel that way about stuff.  There is always the same amount of secondhand, curbside furniture in the universe, and it is your responsibility to give and take with balance.  If you try to make money from things you did not purchase, that is like trying to circumvent the laws of physics.  Or karma.  They seem really similar.

Grüner Veltliner

{ hang me out to dry by Jena Ardell }

I know white wine season is almost over, but give this one a shot.  I really like the Höpler vineyard, which I had at a local restaurant and couldn’t stop mentioning every time I had a sip.  You can find them in the German wine section. They’re pretty reasonably priced, and they are the wine equivalent to granny smith apples, fresh laundry, and clean air.

Making your own sushi

{ Hippo Sushi by Koala Joe }

We’re about 5 years late on this. It’s as easy as people say and gives me an excuse to eat pickled ginger by the jarful. I’m gonna go and try to predict more trends now.