From the Briarpatch
From the Briarpatch Podcast
Monthly Digest: June
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Monthly Digest: June

Where we look back on the things we are RWLC (reading, watching, listening and cooking).
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Welcome to our Monthly Digest, where we recap a month’s worth of books, podcasts, recipes and more. One of our monthly staples is our Dear Bestie/Besty column. We are answering your calls for advice as a mini podcast once a month. If you have a Dear Bestie/Besty question, you can share, anonymously, with us here.


Reading

BKS: I managed to finish a handful of books this month, even though I had a bit of a lull in my reading in the middle of June.

  1. First up was The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers. Ashley is the host of the Crime Junkie podcast, and this thriller was so good. I DID NOT see the twists (there are multiple) coming and I loved that for me.

  2. I read my first Ali Hazelwood, Problematic Summer Romance, and it was a fun romp through Sicily. It is SPIIICY so you’ve been warned.

  3. Jessie Rosen’s The Heirloom was in my opinion, an underrated gem from last year. I was thrilled to be sent a copy of All The Signs, her latest book. In it, Dr. Leah Lockhart goes on a journey to disprove her own astrology and discovers new truths about herself and her life. I was rooting for Leah the whole way and I think you will be too—I really loved this one!

  4. Lastly, I read Big Dumb Eyes by Nate Bargatze. I love Nate’s comedy and this memoir was a fun read—although I think there is something about him that is funnier to watch than listen to.

KNW: In between picking up needlepoint again and trying to survive the last few weeks of school (saving my soapbox on school in the middle of June in NC for another day), I managed to slip back into a good reading rhythm.

  1. I read Nikki Erlick’s newest novel, The Poppy Fields and enjoyed it. Not sure I liked it as much as The Measure, but it kept my attention and it’s another great ‘what would you do?’ discussion topic around grief.

  2. Don’t let the ‘90s Fabio cover discourage you from reading The Favorites. I listened to it (the audio is a delight) and I loved it so much, I’ve recommended it to nearly everyone I’ve seen in the last few weeks.

  3. I also listened to Annabel Monaghan’s It’s a Love Story Predictable? Yes. Classic? Yes. I thought it was a perfectly sweet summer love story.

  4. I started All’s Fair in Love & Pickleball but haven’t finished. Leaving my rating and feedback out until I’m done but it’s a classic ‘enemies to lovers’ trope.

PS: In case you missed it, we did a full ‘reading’ series in June and it’s full of everything from our favorite kids books to our full rundown of books on our Summer TBR list. If you’ve wanted to jump back into reading and aren’t really sure where to start, our ‘tips and tricks’ episode is free for everyone!


Watching

BKS: Some favorite shows are returning and our queue is filling up! Somebody Feed Phil is back for season 8 and we’ve watched Amsterdam, Tbilisi, Las Vegas, and Basque Country so far. I’m back watching Gilded Age which I adore. Also Luke and I are back on our Mission Impossible mission, if you will, to watch all the movies. Currently working through MI:3, a little bit each night. Speaking of famous movie series, we started watching the OG Star Wars with the kids and need to finish the end of Return of the Jedi so we can move on to the prequels. The Bear is back and we have watched 2 episodes so far. GAH, that show packs such a punch in such a short amount of time.

KNW: A friend recommended Sirens with the note that it was ‘campy with impeccable fashion’ and I promptly binged the whole season in less than 48 hours. Then I jumped into The Waterfront because it’s set on the coast of NC. It’s not my typical watch, as it’s a ‘crime/gory’ show, which means I’m watching parts of it through closed eyes. It’s loosely based on a true story of drug smuggling off the Carolina coast in the 1980s. We’re temporary Discovery+ members because it’s the only place that has the back seasons of Kids Baking Championship, which is our family show of choice this summer. I would be remiss not to acknowledge the summer shift from cartoons to real people shows as we have also watched High School Musical for the first time, and immediately queued up HSM2.


Listening

Executive decision to leave ‘audio’ books in the ‘reading’ section, we’re choosing to define listening as podcasts or other auditory content consumed.

BKS: I am an SJP stan forever and always, so imagine my delight when she was on a recent episode of Call Her Daddy. I loved this conversation and it kept me company on our flight to Louisville this month.

KNW: In addition to the Spyology Squad podcast (episodes out M/W/F), my little people have loved creating and adding songs to our Hype Summer 25 playlist. I also co-sign the CHDxSJP episode recommendation and will also add the episode Alex did with Mariska Hargitay. I have Mariska’s new documentary film on my list of things to watch in July.


Cooking

I have made exactly zero new recipes in June. I am not sure I cooked an actual full meal since swim team started but 10/10 recommend batch grilling on Sunday night for a fridge full of good protein for the week. We throw it on salads, over pasta, and eat it cold. -KNW

A quick look at the things we made this month. Sadie used Meghan’s shortbread cookie mix and even though a few got over baked (oops!), they were delicious. Caroline Chambers’ Lemon Basil Pasta from her newsletter WTC was exceptional and full of my personal favorite flavors. If you don’t have a paid subscription to Caroline’s newsletter, her Chicken Tacos recipe is free for everyone and you should make it and trust the process. I made these and they were so good. I’m now seeing this cooking method everywhere, all over social. Lastly one of my most praised meals this month was a very simple, semi-homemade Chicken Caesar Salad. Freshly chopped romaine, pre-made dressing, grated Parmesan, crushed salt-and-vinegar chips on top. A winner for everyone but the 4-year-old tiny king. -BKS


In case you’re new around here, we do one of these emails every month and have a nice little archive now. Linking past issues here for you if you want to check them out: Jan, Feb, Mar, April, May

Thanks for hanging out with us in this little corner of the internet. We love it so much and hope you do too. Happy July!

Love,

Kristin + Betsy

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