Friends, I’m extra yappy and excited today, so the email version of the newsletter will likely be truncated. For the best experience, try clicking through to a browser or reading in the Substack app.
Today’s good mood is brought to you by the lingering high of Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors, which happened in Winston-Salem over the weekend.
If you’ve somehow missed me yelling about this event in the past: it’s the biggest annual book festival in the Carolinas and it’s always incredible. The first year I attended, in 2019, I got to meet Mary Laura Philpot and Becky Chambers. This time, I fell in love with Lily King and Virginia Evans, whose panel was a pure delight, and I laughed so many times during the conversation between Tor authors John Scalzi, Maddie Martinez, Nghi Vo, and Annalee Newitz. Plus, I spent the majority of the day wandering with my friend Kait, ate some delicious tater tots from Fresh AF’s food truck, and helped break down the book sales tent at the end of the afternoon.1 I’m so grateful for all the hard work and logistical gymnastics that go into planning this dream of a weekend and I feel incredibly lucky to live right here where it takes place!
Read this week
Well, at long last, the metaphorical beast is slain—this week I finished Eclipse and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, and with that I’ve successfully made it through the entire Twilight series. Only two decades late!
In discussing the first half of the saga last Monday, I mentioned enjoying New Moon more than Twilight due to the second book’s shift away from Edward, whose interactions with Bella I find completely insufferable.2 Well, I was back to rolling my eyes in Eclipse when Edward shows back up in full force and finds himself vying for Bella’s time and affection in a love triangle with her now best friend Jacob—the amount of snarling, grumbling, and growling is off the charts from all parties involved.
As someone with a circulation disorder who is often chilly, I just couldn’t wrap my head around Bella’s continued obsession with Edward. This man’s body is smooth and cold, possibly made of literal stone (unclear). Who is trying to snuggle with this? Who wants to make out with hard lips? When we juxtapose him with Jacob, soft and warm and sometimes an actual oversized pupper, how is there even a choice to make here?? I do not get it. I also truly hated all of the bro-off moments in Eclipse where Edward and Jacob seem to care more about performing their protectiveness of Bella than listening to her wishes and acting in her best interest.
Breaking Dawn swings back toward bearable when Edward again takes less of a central role. Bella has definitively chosen him, which I guess is her right,3 so we don’t have to deal with quite as much “I love you more,” “no I love you more” back and forth.4 This final installment also introduces a newly cemented family, and a baby, and an imminent threat involving the Volturi and scads of other vampire side characters, so there is enough going on to slightly dilute the Edward-and-Bella of it all. Plot-wise, I might have enjoyed this one the most of the whole series—it’s a toss-up between Breaking Dawn and New Moon.
What I will say, in no uncertain terms, is that the final book is too. damn. long. There’s a lot happening, yes, but seven hundred fifty-six pages?? Stephenie. Respectfully, you are not Brandon Sanderson.
I do believe we could have shaved at least fifty pages off of every book in the series, but this last one in particular, even in paperback form, was giving me hand cramps and pissing me off.
And still, wow, I truly did it. What a time capsule. What a ride. Thanks for going along on this journey with me.
What about you? Have you read the series? Did you experience it while it was a phenomenon or dip into it after the fact? Do you hold it tenderly as a piece of nostalgia from your youth, roll your eyes at the whole thing, or do both of those things simultaneously? Are you team Edward or team Jacob? Please hit me with your takes! Bonus points if you whisper them through your teeth.5
If you purchase a book through the bookshop.org affiliate links in this post, I may earn a small percentage commission. This is an easy way to support my work at no additional cost, and I appreciate it very much—thank you! ♥︎
Seen and heard this week
I ran out of time to include it last Monday, but y’all, I need to talk about Cats (2019). More specifically: “…what?”
There is so much to address in this surreal nightmare of a film. I don’t know where to begin; with the horror of CGI-rendered fur layered on the shape of a human body? or the confusingly inconsistent size scale of the cat-people over the course of their cursed journey? or what about the songs, whose nonsense lyrics and complete lack of consistent rhyme and catchy melody render them fully forgettable?
Other questions I have include (but are in no way limited to):
Why are these cats so unsettlingly horny?
Did we need a new character who wasn’t in the Broadway show to be awkwardly added as an audience stand-in?
Are sir Ian McKellen and dame Judi Dench okay? What dark sorcery made them stoop to this level?
Did this film need to be made? Rewinding… did this musical need to be made? Is Andrew Lloyd Webber okay?
Sadly no, I fear Where are the butt holes?
What is going on with James Cordon here, like in general?
Is this what hell is like?
Plot??
My favorite character was Jennifer Hudson’s, who is old and raggedy and outcast but has the best song and is the least visually horrifying of the whole crew. I also loved (and laughed harder than I should have at) Jason Derulo’s vocal descant part in “Mr. Mistoffelees,” from 3:56 to about 4:30 in this video:
If you must watch Cats, make sure to do it with friends so you have some sort of tether to reality should you feel yourself slipping. A small amount of your substance of choice would not go amiss either, though the experience itself might leave you feeling sufficiently unmoored even if entered into fully sober. Go with god.
On the polar opposite end of the musical spectrum, wow, turns out KPop Demon Hunters (2025) is a thematically accessible and sonically catchy DELIGHT. Who knew??6 I honestly don’t have much to say beyond that it’s fast-paced, fun, and full of upbeat songs that will immediately burrow into your brain. And the story—who among us can resist a character’s longing for belonging, and gradual emotional coming-to-terms with who they are, flaws and all? NOT I. There’s a lot of substance here but it still goes down like candy. I’ll be rewatching it in the future for sure.
Jordan and I saw Rilo Kiley in Raleigh last Wednesday (with Mountain Goats opening, a true win-win)! The show was at an amphitheater, the weather was just perfect, and we had a distant yet unobstructed view from our blanket in the grass. What a trip down memory lane. They played so many hits and even some deep cuts from the albums I know best (More Adventurous, Take Offs and Landings, The Execution of All Things, Under the Black Light). One of my favorite moments was during “With Arms Outstretched,” when Jenny Lewis dropped out on the last chorus and the whole crowd finished the song together.
And, as I’d hoped based on the fact that this was the “Sometimes When You’re On You’re Really F*cking On” Tour, I finally got to hear my favorite song of theirs live! I simply can’t listen to or think about or discuss “A Better Son/Daughter” without getting emotional; it just resonates so hard. I’ve already written about it in depth, so if you missed that post, I’ll just direct you here:
And finally, I am so excited to tell you that Francis of Delirium has a new single out! It’s called “Little Black Dress” and it’s upbeat and catchy and it features excellent vocal harmonies. Plus, the music video is set at a carnival! You are so welcome for this autumnal-ass mood boost:
I reeeeeally hope this means another full-length album is on the way, because as long-time readers might remember, I was completely smitten with Lighthouse last year. But I found out about that one a little too late and missed the tour for it—this time, if they come back to the States, I WILL BE READY.
Haiku round-up
Haiku is a poetic form that originated in Japan, containing seventeen syllables in a five-seven-five pattern. At the beginning of 2024, I started writing one every day, and while traditional examples include thematic reference to the seasons, mine tend to be a bit more all over the place. Here are this week’s efforts—enjoy!
Monday, September 22
To those who would drain my blood, real or symbolic: stay the hell away.
Tuesday, September 23
Hiding feels easy until suddenly it’s not Show off your patterns
Wednesday, September 24
Sun-warmed elephant lumbering into a pond submerged and splashing
Thursday, September 25
That rare moment when nothing demands attention beyond quiet rest
Friday, September 26
The source is right here, gaze open and unswerving, to receive my thanks
Saturday, September 27
A day to gather and revel in the chaos that feels like a home
Sunday, September 28
Slow moving, slow sips the day oozing like honey poured into hot tea
Until next time
In order to make it to the Rilo Kiley show on time that evening, I had to go with Jordan to his job on Wednesday morning so we could leave straight from there—which means I had the whole day to wander the zoo on my own. I got to witness some joyful moments, including both an elephant and a grizzly bear cooling off in a body of water, a gorgeous moth landing on my shoulder in the butterfly house, the lions snoozing together like oversized house cats under the giant tree in their habitat, and one of the gorillas sitting right next to the viewing window and gazing inquisitively into my face. But one of the best parts of being there was simply walking the expansive grounds,7 and the photo above shows my favorite section of the path where it leads from the Africa section into the central plaza. It’s far enough from animals to be dependably quiet, and with the sun filtering through the bamboo and the way ahead obscured by the curve, it feels like peace and potential to me. Like I don’t know what’s coming next but I’m excited to find out… just around the bend.
See you next Monday, and until then, work smarter not harder.
♥︎ Emily
P.S. If you enjoyed today’s letter, I’d be so honored if you shared it with a friend.
Local friends, did you know Bookmarks is a nonprofit that relies heavily on volunteers? Nudge nudge!
My dude is simply incapable of talking about anything besides his endless love for Bella and overwhelming need to keep her safe, and he’s always either whispering or growling with absolutely zero happy medium when it comes to speaking volume or emotional intensity.
Again, could not be me, but go off or whatever.
Notice I say quite as much, because it is still 100% an issue, it’s just marginally less frequent.
I still don’t think Stephenie Meyer thought this phrase through. At one point Bella whispers “love you, Dad” through her teeth, and after trying it myself multiple times, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s simply impossible to do without sounding sinister and threatening as hell.
Everyone.
Not to brag, but the North Carolina Zoo is the largest natural habitat zoo in the world.