Lunch Notes | Chili & Busting Out of a Reading Rut.
A fall lunch for the beginnings of fall here, how to bust out of a reading slump, and a fall simple syrup recipe to add to your coffee. Welcome back to Lunch Notes!
Welcome to Lunch Notes.
Lunch Notes is born out of a desire to use my daily lunch break better. I hope that this feels like a note that someone tucked into your lunchbox. Or like a class newsletter tucked in your cubby that a cringy keener kid made for you.1
In today’s issue, we have…
The fall lunch I prepped for my week, despite it being fake fall in Alberta (although the day I’m writing this, it’s a grey, cool gloomy day outside — so maybe my fall lunch brought this on!)
Tips and tricks to bust you out of a reading slump (all the while hoping they work for me)
Lil treasures from the last bit!
It’s another long one, so reading in the Substack app or expanding the email in your browser will mean you see everything included here.
Without further ado - welcome to Lunch Notes. 🧡
This week’s lunch may be a weird choice given that it’s the last week of August but fall is already starting here in Edmonton, so it was time to bust out chilli.
Lauren and I talked over this past weekend about how we hate eating the same meal on repeat. But chilli somehow bypasses that hatred for me. It also helps that if I know I won’t get to it all, I can freeze it for an easy fall meal down the road.
You probably have your own well-honed chilli recipe, so I won’t go into that. The key for me is using this meal as a way to shovel cheese and sour cream into my body with tortilla chips. Honestly, that’s what I’m trying to do for most meals.
Batching this meal also makes for an easy lunch break on weeks when I’ve got a jam packed meeting schedule — I can pop this in the microwave for about three minutes (this is specific but I do a minute, thirty seconds; stir; then another minute, thirty seconds) and have it ready to eat quick quick!
It’s the Reading Rut.
I’ve reading 918 books in the last seven years. That’s an average of 131 books every year. If you ask me for book recommendations, you’re getting a note with personalized recommendations — a minimum of five recommendations will be on the list, but probably it will be more like ten; more if you’ve asked me for romance recommendations.
I love reading! But this year, I just… haven’t found a rhythm with reading. No routines, no regular reading habits, very few library trips and wanders. When a book is ready for me on Libby, I think, “Okay, but what one is the easiest for me to read?" and “I guess I’ll read this one.” Not the mindset I love when it comes to my reading!
So I’m ready to declare: I’m in a reading slump, AND I’m ready to not be in a reading slump.
Today’s lunch note is three fold. It’s my…
Eight tips on how to get out of a reading slump
My five fall reading goals — all aimed at reintegrating the joy of reading back into my life.
A high level peek at ten of my favourite books from the past eight years of reading
How to Get out of a Reading Slump:
So you’re in a slump. For me, that looks like reading a bunch of 3ish star books in a row, having no excitement to pick up a new book, only reading the same kind of books (for me: romances), and doing everything in my power to avoid reading at all.
I’ve slumped before and I’m sure I’ll slump again — but here are 8 tried and true tips from me on busting out of your reading slump.
Reread an old favourite: A controversial one to start off with because I know some people do not like re-reading when there are so many other good books out there! But falling back into a series with characters you love is a perfect way to re-build the muscle of “I like reading and reading is good!”
Change up the format: If you tend to be an e-book reader, maybe it’s time to switch to a physical book. If you’re all in on physical books, maybe pick up an audiobook while you’re doing your chores. I’m using Spotify’s audiobook feature to re-read Abby Jimenez’s books while I chores around the house, and I’m loving it.
Finish a book, start a book: When I was at my reading prime, this was an autopilot reflex for me. When I finished a book, I always had the next one ready. It left no room for decision fatigue or talking myself out of reading. I don’t do formal monthly TBRs but I should always have an idea of what’s the next book I want to enthusiastically pick up.
Deep dive into a series: An easy way to finish a book and start a book immediately? Get into a series! Even better if it’s a series with a lot of books already out so you’re not waiting for the next one. You’ll know which book to choose next, and there’s something about sinking deep into a group of characters that is fun. I read the majority of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series in the mid-summer to early fall of 2019, and it was one of my favourite reading experiences.
Switch up the genre: If you’ve only been reading one type of genre and the slump is coming on, I take that as a signal to go try to read a different type of book. I’ve been reading romance almost exclusively this year, so I know it’s time for me to hit a non-fiction read or a literary fiction read (I miss them!)
Create good reading experiences: Pick a favourite chair to sit in. Make a special playlist. Whip up your favourite drink at home. Throw your phone into the nearest pond, lake, or ocean. Pick a day to have a little readathon. Whatever you do — just commit to reminding yourself that you like reading and reading is good.
Commit a time of day and a length of time to reading: Sometimes, you just need to decide that for a season, you’ll read for 25 minutes in the morning. Or 25 minutes after work. Or maybe 25 minutes is too long. Any which way… just pick. So many of these slump busting techniques are moreso about building back up the reading muscle — and deciding, “This is when and for how long I will do this.”
Talk to others about books: I never leave conversations with book people thinking, “Eh, I guess I don’t want to read.” No, I always leave wanting to go hug my favourite books and thank them. If you are slumping, maybe it’s a sign to go ask a few trusted people about the best book they’ve read recently (or put a box up on your Instagram stories! I did this the other day and got to joyfully scroll through so many people’s favourite reads from the last few years — many that lined up with my favourites and a few new reads to chase down).
My Fall Reading Goals: Breaking the Slump.
Morning and post-work reading: For the next few months, I’m trying to get into the habit of doing 15-25 minutes of reading first thing in the morning and again after work. It’s partially to get me into the habit that my work and volunteer work does not need to be everything to me, it’s partially to replace the way my phone once again calls to me like a siren.
Five Star Fall Quest: I’m compiling a list of 25 books I want to read from September 1 - November 11 (when I consider Christmas preparations to begin), and I’m putting them on a bingo board. Bonus: I think these could all be five star book contenders, often in genres I haven’t been reading as much this year. It’s eleven books that I own and want to read, nine books I can get from the library, and five books I’d like to re-read. The list is very niche to me and my interests, but you can take a peek at it here!
Reading for work: There are some books I’d really like to read for work that I’ve been putting off. I just want to try to add 15-25 minutes of reading into my workday and see if that makes a difference.
Commit to one different library visit every month: When we moved in 2022, the library became a bit out of the way and now isn’t something I head to often. But I miss my library wanders. In September, October, and November, I want to go visit three different libraries in Edmonton.
Save for a Kobo of my own: I lost my Kobo on a work trip earlier this year and have been borrowing Dave’s. The new Kobos call to me with their pretty COLOUR! And I want to prioritize getting my Kobo back in my grubby little reading hands.
Favourite Books from the Past Eight Years:
If you’re looking for a little inspiration to make your own five star fall list, here are my favourite reads from 2016 - 2023! (And wow, ANOTHER slump busting tip: deep dive into what you’ve liked in the past for reading and go find more books like that.)
2016: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak // Set against the backdrop of Nazi Germany in World War II, the story is narrated by Death itself. (I love a unique narrator and this is done in such a haunting way.) It follows a young girl's journey through the war where she discovers the power of words. Always a book that makes me cry.
2017: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman // Meet Ove, a curmudgeonly widower. He has no use for anyone, but when new neighbours move in next door, his world is changed. It’s charming, it’s funny, it ALSO made me cry (a theme here) and is so nostalgic as the first Backman book I read.
2018: A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza // This debut novel explores the family life of an Indian-American Muslim family, alternating between past and present. As the family gathers for a wedding, long-buried secrets and tensions rise to the surface, revealing the complex bonds that both unite and divide them. Sometimes when I want to cry, I just read the last 75 pages of this book. Beautiful reflections on family. When I first read it, I said it was like if This is Us followed an Indian-American Muslim family. But this read aged better.
2019: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb // In this meaningful memoir, therapist Lori Gottlieb takes us behind the scenes of her practice – and her own life as a therapist going to therapy. With humour and compassion, she explores the human condition through her patients' stories and her own journey as both therapist and patient. Cried when I’ve read it (and re-read it!) — I got so emotionally invetsed in some of these characters stories.
2020: Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah // In this thought-provoking work, Soong-Chan Rah examines the overlooked book of Lamentations and its relevance to contemporary Christianity… in such an in-depth manner. This book offers a compelling call for Christians to engage more deeply with the practice of lament and its potential for spiritual and social transformation. I wish more books existed like this one!
2020: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi // The book starts in 18th century Ghana, and then traces the descendants of two half-sisters born back then. Their stories weave and intersect. Each of the descendant’s stories is it’s own mini-vingette, and I found myself gasping with the way Gyasi writes. It’s why Transcendent Kingdom is on my book bingo board — to read more of her incredible writing.
2021: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green // John Green turns his sharp eye and wit to reviewing different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale. From the QWERTY keyboard to sunsets to Auld Lang Syne, Green's essays are funny and thoughtful. I both cried and laughed out loud reading this book in public. I love his insights on how we navigate meaning in our contemporary world.
2022: Book Lovers by Emily Henry // I can’t read this book without crying for 100 pages of it. Cutthroat literary agent Nora Stephens agrees to a sisters' getaway in a small town, only to keep running into brooding editor Charlie Lastra. I love how this book took the Hallmark romance tropes and turned them on their head… and I love how, in classic Henry fashion, she writes for those of us who have spun around, trying to fix everything for everyone.
2022: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin // Spanning three decades, this novel follows the complex relationship between two friends who bond over their love of video games. I love the way Zevin used different creative writing techniques to tell this story. I also wanted to call everyone I’ve ever been friends with but fell out of touch with and apologize.
2023: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano // Sister novels always cut deep. Especially one like this — a modern day Little Women reimagining. When William Waters meets the vibrant Julia Padavano in college, he's drawn into the warmth of her close-knit family. As their relationship deepens, long-buried secrets threaten to unravel the bonds between the Padavano sisters. I loved this by Ann Napolitano, and now need to prioritize reading her backlist.
In the Lunch Box is a collection of treasures in my life from the last few weeks - media I’ve consumed, products I’m loving, things I can’t get enough of… in a condensed, digestible, aesthetic format (I hope).
My Film Camera: Last summer, I went to a thrift-store half off sale & picked up this lil Minolta film camera. Maybe I feel it more because I've had it for a year or because I just dropped off two rolls of film to get developed. But it’s become one of my favourite ways to document my life. I love the way the photos turn out - how I have to live with the face and lighting I get (I can’t play around with the live photo to get a different face or better lighting), how grainy they are, how they document the moment. I want to do a full day in the life that’s just documented on film - but maybe that’s a fall project.
Every Single Album: Hosted by Nora Princiotti and Nathan Hubbard, this podcast walks through all things music. I started listening to it because they were walking through Every Single Album of Taylor Swift before the Fearless re-record. I was fixated on how in depth they discussed music - and now it’s one of my favourite companions on a walk with Pip. They did a whole Pop Girl Spring / Summer breakdown of albums that came out this year, and I loved walking through their thoughts and takes. Highly recommend!
Bri Mckoy’s Pumpkin Honey Simple Syrup: It’s quickly turning to fall where I am, and that means my pumpkin drinks are calling. I love making a batch of this simple syrup and putting it in with my favourite vanilla oat cream. A sweet coffee treat for the fall weather.
I hope this was a nice little break away from whatever you have on your plate - whether you’re reading on a work break, your lunch break, or with your coffee on Friday morning. Thanks for reading the most I’ve written about reading in forever.
If you have ideas for future Lunch Notes topics or things you’d like to see me write about here, please let me know and I’ll add them in to my (chaotic) content calendar.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy your lunch!
I can own it, fine. Yes, I did this. I’ve always been who I’ve always been.
The Anthropocene Reviewed might honestly be my favorite book of all time. John Green knows how to make me weep.
cheese + sour cream 4ever