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Wendy’s Words on Substack

Posted on by Wendy Kennar
A screenshot of my Substack

For about a year now, in addition to writing my weekly blog, I have also written a Substack. If you’re a Substack subscriber, you know my Substack would arrive in your inbox every other Sunday. I called it Substack Sunday. 

This week, I’m using this blog post to tell you about some of the changes I’ve made to my Substack. 

My Substack is called “Wendy’s Words,” and I will now publish it on the last Sunday of each month. Think of my Substack as my author newsletter, a format that will allow me to share more widely than I share here on my weekly blog. 

This past Sunday, September 27th was the first re-imagined issue of “Wendy’s Words.” 

But there’s something missing — many of you, my blog readers. 

I invite you, my blog readers, to subscribe and also become my Substack readers.

All you have to do is sign up with your email address, and once a month you’ll receive Wendy’s Words in your inbox. 

In each monthly Substack, I’ll be sharing:

– Links to my last four blog posts

– Book-related news (which may include information about my memoir-in-essays and/or book events I went to/watched/am looking forward to)

– A writing prompt

– A peek into Wendy’s World (which may be something chronic illness-related, something writing-related, and/or something just Wendy-related)

– Something to watch (such as a video or interview that caught my attention)

Friends, I appreciate your support here on my blog. Please join me on Substack — it will be another way we can connect and share. 

Thank you!

I almost forgot — I like to do book giveaways for my Substack subscribers. I will now be doing at least one giveaway a month. To celebrate the new format of my monthly Substack, I will randomly draw a subscriber’s name on Sunday, October 4th. Be sure to subscribe so you’ll have a chance to win a free book — The Taste of Anger, a memoir by my friend Diane Vonglis Parnell.

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m mentioning this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.

The “Why” Behind My Book

Posted on by Wendy Kennar
A Woman holding three binders in her lap sits at a desk, laptop open on the desk.

“Why this book?”

“Why you?”

“Why now?”

Those three “why” questions are commonly asked of authors. They may be asked before the book is published, such as when querying agents or speaking with editors. They may also be asked during a panel discussion or special event celebrating the book’s publication.

Basically, an author is making the argument that: their book is needed in the world, at this time, and that the author is the best person to write this book. 

This week, as I think ahead to my memoir’s publication (Spring 2028!!!) and my own author career, I wanted to share my answers to these questions with you, my readers. Because you all have been reading my words here each week, and you all are an important part of my author journey. 

“Why this book?”

This is the book I needed to read when I became ill. Except I couldn’t find anything like it. The same thing happened once I received my diagnosis, and again when I retired from my teaching career. I searched for the stories of others experiencing similar situations of invisible disability and chronic pain. Except I couldn’t find any such stories. I wanted to know it wasn’t just me who struggled to explain outwardly-invisible pain to a young child. I wanted to know how other chronic illness patients adapted when their dream career was no longer possible because of poor health. 

“Why you?”

My memoir could only be told by me. However, though the specifics are mine, the themes of my book are universal. It may take different forms, but we all live with hidden pain. Scars not immediately visible. Loss and grief when the life we thought we would be living is no longer possible in the same way. It feels like I have always considered myself a writer. I have always found solace and clarity in getting my thoughts down on paper. And, I use my writing as a way for me to teach. I may no longer be able to teach children in a classroom, but I can teach readers that not all disabilities look the same. 

“Why now?”

My book is scheduled to be published in 2028, but I have been writing about my invisible disability for well over a decade now. I didn’t realize that as I wrote one essay, then another, and yet another, I was also writing a book — a cohesive collection of my experiences as a mom, a wife, a teacher, a woman living with a chronic illness causing chronic pain. And the older I get, the more I realize that we are all dealing with something. We’re all carrying around pain of some sort, scars and wounds that might not be evident at first glance but are still very much a part of us. And that’s only going to increase as humans are living longer, which means more of us will likely be dealing with health issues as we age.

In Spring 2028, I may be asked these very questions. It feels only right to first share my answers here, with you. 

Sit, Cinderella, Sit

Posted on by Wendy Kennar
Paperback book with red background, yellow letters, and photos of a dog

I enjoy reading memoir. Not only because I write memoir and personal essay, but because I’m curious, and I enjoy learning about someone else’s life story. 

And I’m lucky because, through the gift of a memoir, I get that front-row seat to someone else’s lived experience. The author generously shares a moment (or several moments) in their life with me, the reader. Maybe they hope their story will resonate with me. Maybe they’re hoping their story will contribute an additional perspective to a conversation already happening in society. Maybe they hope their memoir will serve as a bridge, connecting readers and the author to each other. 

As a reader of memoir, I gain insight into the emotions and experiences of other human beings. And I like to think those insights make me a more compassionate member of the human race. 

Which brings me to the topic of this week’s blog post — Sit, Cinderella, Sit: A Mostly True Memoir written by Lisa Cheek. 

Ms. Cheek’s memoir really did give me an awareness of a career, a trip, a life that I may never have otherwise learned about. 

Sit, Cinderella, Sit is the story of an editor (of television commercials and films).

Sit, Cinderella, Sit is the story of a dog owner and dog lover.

Sit, Cinderella, Sit is the story of a woman who doesn’t speak Chinese spending several months in China for work. 

Allow me to share some of my favorite passages:

“For me, coffee was a necessary luxury. It was how I spoiled myself. Between the anticipation, the event, and the enjoyment, it was life at its finest. Coffee was the most important ritual of the day. It was like prayer. It brought me back to life each morning. Got the juices flowing. Made me take a second, third, and fourth look at things. I felt like I could do anything after a really good cup of coffee.”

I loved the author’s unique descriptions: 

“His tail wagged like a windshield wiper in a rainstorm.”

“I stepped over an overflowing trash can. A black banana peel thrown over the top, looking like a dead octopus in a sea of trash, stared back at me.”

“Mounds of clementine oranges in bright, wrinkly skins with stems and leaves still attached appeared just picked.”

“She had a square face and two triangle ears, which folded over like a pita bread sandwich that matched the color of her heart marking.”

“With the calmness of a bomb expert and the focus of a tightrope walker, Vin rode the edge of that cliff with the speed of a race car driver.”

“…I took in the lush colors — a masterpiece in nature. Saturated in mist, the mountains became a deep velvety brown, less jagged and harsh, soft like a watercolor. Terraced lime-green rice fields bathed in drizzle with golden yellow flowers sprinkled throughout. Far below, the swirling blueish-green Yangtze rushed along the banks, forceful and impatient, on its way to its next destination.”

“I’d lived alone my whole adult life, until Ron Howard moved in, so sharing a house with thirteen men who didn’t speak English was something I never even knew one could do. But here I was — in the middle of Shaxi, in a guesthouse just off the main square, living with a baker’s dozen.” (Note – Ron Howard is the author’s dog.)

“Soon the song changed to ‘Thriller,’ which brought the whole party out to the sunken garden. Everyone knew all the dance moves — each movement made with the exactness of Jackson himself. No one missed a beat. Not a limb was out of place. It was a performance the icon himself would have been proud of.” 

“Here, in a tiny village thousands of years old in the middle of nowhere, Michael Jackson’s music and dance was the language we all knew. It connected us in a way that no spoken word ever could or would.”

“… I thought about all the people who had loved and cared for me, who didn’t speak a word of English, yet there was so much deep communication — heartfelt communication. Kindness is the universal language and can be spoken anywhere without uttering a word. It’s the magic in our lives.”

Title page of a book, with a personalized message to me, signed by the author

Note — this memoir was published in 2025. Ms. Cheek’s second memoir, The Big Day: Saying “I Do” Only to Discover I Didn’t will be published next week and is available for pre-order now. 

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.


My Worst Qualities

Posted on by Wendy Kennar
Black page with white letters, ending with orange letters and the words "Keep Moving."

Since June, my life has been full and busy. Filled with devastating lows and incredible highs. 

In the midst of all of it, though, I feel like I’m losing part of myself. 

So when I turned the calendar page to September, I set a goal for myself: to complete thirty five-minute writing exercises, one for each day of September. 

(Note – This isn’t the first time I have written blog posts about five-minute writing exercises. Here’s a link to a post I wrote about them back in August of 2025.)

While my goal seemed completely doable, I’ve already missed some days. 

And you know what? I did something I rarely do. 

I cut myself some slack. I didn’t make myself write at 11:00 pm, when I struggled just to keep my eyes open. 

I just accepted it — I missed a few days. 

But, I’ve also written a few days. 

I’ve been using some of the prompts from Keep Moving – The Journal by Maggie Smith as my starting-off point for these writing exercises.

The prompt I wrote to the other day has stayed with me: “What are some of your ‘worst’ qualities?”

Since I’m publishing my memoir in Spring 2028, I started thinking about what you’ll learn about me from my book. And, what you won’t learn about me. 

This week, I wanted to share with you a more complete idea of who I am, beyond the identities of former teacher, mother, wife, and current chronic illness patient. 

One paper with black letters with the writing prompt: What are some of your 'worst' qualities?

Here then is my response to “What are some of your ‘worst’ qualities?”:

– I find it difficult to say No.

– I am always trying to please those closest to me.

– I do not put my own needs, my own self-care, at the top of any of my to-do lists.

– My Monica Geller-like ways. (In case you don’t know, Monica Geller was the fictional character on Friends portrayed by Courteney Cox.) For example, the way I load the dishwasher. Then, the way I empty the dishwasher and attempt to circulate our dishes, so the just-washed plates go at the bottom of the stack of dishes.

– My aversion to conflict. Which means I don’t always express my anger, my frustration, and/or my disappointment in the moment.

– My tendency to over-apologize, especially for things I have no control over. (Like apologizing for all the traffic when our family is headed out somewhere.)

– The way I’m always focused on work before pleasure. 

– My inclination to wait around for someone to offer me and give me what I’d like, instead of me having to come out and ask for it. (And I don’t mean giving me a physical item, but giving me a break from making dinner, for instance.)

Thank you, friends, for reading. 

I’d love to know more about you — what do you consider to be one of your “worst” qualities? Feel free to share in the comments, if you feel comfortable doing so. 

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.


It’s Pain Awareness Month

Posted on by Wendy Kennar
Can you tell I'm in pain?

September is Pain Awareness Month. 

But what the heck does that even mean? Because when you live with chronic pain, you’re managing it and trying to handle it 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year.  

Pain is complicated, because no one can ever truly know someone else’s pain. Plus, there’s this inclination to compare pain, to determine if someone else “has it worse” or someone else’s pain “isn’t as bad” which is all pointless. Pain is pain.

Many years ago, I participated in a very small (three patients including myself) chronic pain support group. I remember something the therapist said at the time, something that I often need to remind myself of — there could be a terrible, horrific natural disaster somewhere on the planet. Mass destruction. Severe injuries. (Which, as I write this, I can think of several instances from just the last week alone.) And, at the same time, if I fell and broke my leg, for example, I would absolutely be in pain. This therapist helped me see that my pain is no less valid simply because my situation and circumstances are different from someone else’s. I shouldn’t try to hide my pain or discount my pain because I think someone else’s pain is more intense than mine. 

Maybe that’s also the point of Pain Awareness Month. 

In the past, I’ve written blog posts suggesting Pain Awareness Month is for the general population of folks who don’t live with everyday pain. This year, however, I’m thinking I am also the target audience of Pain Awareness Month. Because I’ve gotten so used to being in pain, I don’t take the time to acknowledge my own efforts. I don’t just sweep the patio and water the plants, for instance. I sweep the patio and water the plants while my left calf feels like it’s stuck in a perpetual charley horse. I don’t just stand at the stove preparing dinner. I’m standing at the stove while my thigh aches, a painful sensation that has been with me since I woke up that morning. 

Yes, we need to practice kindness towards others, because you never really know what someone else is going through, and let’s face it, everyone is going through something. 

But also, I need to practice some kindness towards myself. 

I’m working on it.

The Shippers

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

In a way, reading a Katherine Center novel is a lot like drinking an iced blended mocha from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. 

Let me explain:

I know exactly what I’m getting with each of them. (A romantic comedy featuring characters who get knocked down, get back up, and also fall in love. A tasty, cold, chocolatey beverage.)

I know there’s a recipe that will be followed. (I don’t have to worry about the ending. I can read 300 pages and know the main characters will wind up together. I can order my blended and know that it will always taste the same, regardless of who makes my drink.)

I know I’ll feel “better” at the end. (And in this case, better could be satisfied, fuller, happier, more joyful. And that’s for both the novel and the beverage.)

I just finished reading Ms. Center’s recently published novel, The Shippers. Definitely an enjoyable read, and maybe it’s just me, but this colorful cover made me think of orange creamsicles. 

First, let me just highlight the wonderful dedication at the front of the book:

“This book is for anyone who could really use a hug right now.” 

The book began with an Author’s Note — Ms. Center’s thoughts on love stories, why we need them, and why they’re good for us. She wrote:

“So for me, as a reader, getting the ‘spoiler’ that the main characters in a love story will end up together just makes me want to read the story more.
“Maybe it’s the opposite of a spoiler.
“What would that even be called?
“An enhancer, maybe?”

Here are some of the passages that stood out to me:

“I mostly became an art teacher because I felt like the world vastly underappreciated the awe-inspiring beauty of mathematics. And I wanted to get that fixed. One middle schooler at a time.”

I had a hard time deciding on my favorite lines from the scene where Cooper gives JoJo a hickey, so here’s just one bit that stood out to me:
“The first thing I realized was that Cooper hadn’t had time to shave this morning — as we scrambled out, late, to breakfast. The minute he made contact, I felt his stubble scratching and prickling my skin like the most erotic sandpaper in the world.
“Instant, full-immersion chills — just rolling up and down that whole side of my body.”

Other passages that stood out to me include the following:

“But as Finn’s face came at me like a fish-eye lens, his lips already puckered in a way that seemed premature, I realized something: I didn’t really want that kiss.
“I was curious about it. I still thought it might turn out to be the closure I needed to fix my whole life. I was still determined to do it…
“But those were all head decisions.
“My heart? Wasn’t interested.
“I didn’t stop him. I watched his face come in for a landing, and then I felt those puckered lips collide with mine. And then I stood very still and endured it. 
“I can’t say he was a bad kisser. I was the bad kisser.
“But as he mopped my face with his mouth, slurping me like I was a plate of spaghetti, all I could do was wait for it to be over.” 

“‘I’ve built my whole life around her. She’s the reason I do everything. She’s the reason I get up in the morning. She’s the reason I go to work. I don’t know who I am without your mom — or why I am. But there’s no way to explain that to her. There aren’t words in the world that can capture it.’” 

“‘Odysseus’s whole purpose in life is to get home to Penelope,’ my dad said. ‘That’s your mom for me.’
“Okay, that was actually unbelievably sweet. 
“Was I going to have to rethink all my theories about my dad? Or worse — go read Homer?”

“’That whole three-minute segment of my life is indelibly tattooed on my brain. I remember the exact weight of his hands on my shoulders. The precise rhythm of his breathing. The scent of his grape-flavored bubble gum. Not to mention the tragic spasms of joy that my heart lapsed into as soon as he got close. I could pick that kiss out of a lineup. I’d know that kiss anywhere.’”

“My dad sighed. ‘I don’t know. When your mom first fell for me, I was younger and better looking. Not sure why she’d want to hang on to this craggy old face now.’
“‘You don’t have to make her fall in love with you,’ I said. ‘You just have to remind her that she already did.’
“My dad considered that.
“‘Once you love somebody,’ I said, ‘once you’ve decided to let yourself love somebody … it’s hard to turn that off.’”

“Words are more powerful than they seem. Right?
“They don’t have any weight or mass or heft. They’re just sounds in the air.
“And yet.
“The sound of those words stopped me short.”

“Cooper squared his shoulders and went on. ‘I’m telling you you’re my favorite person on this overcrowded earth. I’m telling you that I’ve loved you my whole life long.’” 

“And so he took the seaglass ring he’d once given me off my hand. And then we put new rings on each other. And then we got engaged — and started dating.” 

Friends, any other Katherine Center fans out there? Did you read The Shippers? What did you think of it?



Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.

The Big Reveal

Posted on by Wendy Kennar
Screenshot - Image courtesy of COPE Magazine

“The appointment was set for early morning so I could make it to my fourth grade classroom before the school bell. I took this as a good sign. No doctor would deliver heartbreaking news and then expect me to go teach a roomful of nine and ten-year olds. Whatever Dr. W had to tell me couldn’t be that bad.  
“That’s what I kept telling myself, because that’s what I needed to believe.”

The words above are taken from my personal essay, “The Big Reveal,” which I’m pleased to share has been published in COPE Magazine, Issue 4. The theme for Issue 4 is Diagnosis. 

In its current form, “The Big Reveal” is the first essay in my memoir — I can’t believe I get to write this, but here it goes — which will be published in Spring 2028!!

The morning I received my diagnosis is one of those days that got filed into my memory, and not until many years later, was I more fully able to process what it meant then, and what it means now, to be diagnosed with an incurable chronic condition. 

Screenshot - Image courtesy of COPE Magazine

I hope you’ll read my essay, and also take time to read the other published pieces and marvel at the artwork that together make up COPE Magazine, Issue 4. (You can access the issue online and/or order print copies.)

Los Angeles with Kids – 2nd Edition

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

When our now-college-age son was growing up, we took full advantage of living in Los Angeles. Weekends and school vacations gave us the perfect opportunity to explore our city. 

A good friend of mine called these family outings “field trips.” I took that as a compliment. I’m proud that our son had the chance to walk aboard Air Force One (at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum) and get an up-close look at Space Shuttle Endeavour (at the California Science Center). Our son has observed timeless works of art by Diego Rivera (at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art), Vincent van Gogh (at the Getty Center), and Pablo Picasso (at the Norton Simon Museum). He has viewed the evolving look and size of GRAMMY awards at the GRAMMY Museum, touched certain shark and ray species at the Aquarium of the Pacific, and laughed at fossilized dinosaur poop — it’s called “Coprolite” — at the Natural History Museum. 

This exposure was important to me. I wanted to give our son the opportunity to learn and discover in a variety of different fields because you never know what will capture a child’s interest. You never know how a certain interaction or hands-on activity will spark something for a child. 

However, I also understand that sometimes Los Angeles may seem too big. Opportunities for experiences can seem overwhelming, as if there are too many choices. 

That’s where Los Angeles with Kids: 250+ ideas for ways to have fun, explore SoCal, and never have a boring weekend again comes into play. 

The book is the newly-updated 2nd edition to MomsLA.com‘s first published book, which I wrote about back in August of 2022. (Click here to be taken to that post.)

The book includes seasonal activities and annual events, a list of activity ideas for toddlers and a list for teenagers, a list of museums, and a collection of “things to do” each based on neighborhood. (Because Los Angeles families know that living in Pasadena, for example, and deciding to visit the Heal the Bay Aquarium in Santa Monica, is not always the easiest commute.)

I’m proud to write for MomsLA.com (since 2013!), and I’m proud that some of that writing has found its way into this incredible resource and guidebook. 

Friends, I hope you’ll check it out. And, even if you don’t live in Southern California, the holiday season will soon be upon us, and Los Angeles with Kids makes a thoughtful gift. 

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.

The Exit Strategy

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

Here’s a short description of Lainey Cameron’s debut novel, The Exit Strategy, taken from the author’s website:

“A wife. A mistress. The friendship that saves them both.
Fierce. Fun. Feminist.” 

After reading The Exit Strategy, I can say those words accurately describe this story of female friendship. In fact the only “negative” thing I can say about Ms. Cameron’s novel is that it made me lose sleep. Meaning, there were several nights I had planned to read for just a few minutes, or just a few pages, and instead, I stayed awake and kept reading. I couldn’t help but become invested in Ryn’s and Carly’s story, their friendship, and the world of Silicon Valley (which I knew very little about).

Here are just some of the passages that stood out to me:

From the book’s dedication page: “To my mum Irene — Thanks for teaching me that  women don’t need to fear their strength or minimize their voice, and can be badass resilient, smart, caring, and open-hearted — everything I needed to know in life.”

Loved this line: “The man spun out lies like a spider on speed.”

I liked Ryn’s fondness for Nutella: “After being shown to her adobe casita, she rummaged in her bag for the Nutella and settled with the jar and a spoon on her patio…”
“She closed her eyes and sank into the smooth swirl. The velvety taste always took her back to sitting on the hay bales in the loft above the barn with Mom, savoring their latest contraband.”

“… wondering whether she’d ever deserve the true warmth of love. Not the fictitious kind filled with Todd’s false promises, or her parents’ type of love with the impossible expectation that she turn back time, but acceptance of a person as they are, complete with their history and flaws. Like the type of honest warmth she felt developing with Ryn over the last weeks.” 

“Last night, Carly wished she could offer more than hugs when Ryn shared she felt as if she were stuck in quicksand and slowly sinking, just waiting for the final moment of suffocation to arrive.”

“Ryn pulled out a tiny wooden plaque with flowers painted on either end. In the middle a quote was printed across the wood in cursive. She ran her finger along it. It is better to have loved and lost than live with the psycho for the rest of your life.”

“I know it seems hopeless lately, and I’m sure seeing Todd didn’t help, but don’t lose faith. My Uncle Remy used to say two things: It’s never too late to become the person you want to see in the mirror, and you’re already as strong as you’ll need to be. I know it feels hard right now, but when it comes to strength, you have more than any other woman I know.”

“Her whole career she’d ensured every investment had an exit strategy: If a company didn’t go public as planned, then it could be acquired or merged, or its assets sold. But she didn’t have a backup plan for her own life.” 

The Exit Strategy has won fifteen book awards and has been positively reviewed by hundreds of readers. 

By the way – My copy of The Exit Strategy features the novel’s original cover. The cover has since been changed, but the story remains the same. 

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.


The L.A. Indie Book Crawl

Posted on by Wendy Kennar
Most of the books I bought during the Indie Book Crawl. I purchased a few children's books I plan on donating to local free libraries. I also bought bookmarks. And in this photo you can see the sticker I earned after visiting 4 stores and the pin I earned after visiting 10 stores.

Recently I did a few things I don’t normally do.

I skipped writing a to-do list for two days.

I left my home for many hours on two consecutive days.

I visited neighborhoods I don’t normally visit.

I spent money on purchases I don’t “need.” (Need can be subjective. Do I need these items the way I need air to breathe and water to drink? No. But, do I need these items the way I need a kiss from my husband, candles on the dining table, and flowers in my writing room? Yes.) 

You may be wondering why I did these things. 

Because one of my closest friends and I were on a mission. 

We chose to participate in an adventure/challenge. 

Maybe I should refer to it as a challenging adventure? 

Or an adventurous challenge? Both seem applicable.

We chose to participate in the first ever Los Angeles Indie Book Crawl. Thirteen independent bookstores joined forces during this weekend-long event. (While the Book Crawl was a three day event – July 24th-26th, my friend and I did it in two days – Friday, July 24th and Saturday, July 25th.)

Now that I’ve had a few days to process the experience, here are some of my biggest takeaways:

1. Book people are friendly. My friend and I chatted with others “on the crawl.” We noticed familiar faces at different stores. We shared stories about our progress, the stores we had already visited, those we planned to visit next. Everyone seemed genuinely excited to be participating in this new event and sharing the experience with others. 

2. Book people are generous. During our two days, I noticed participants chatting about book recommendations and offering suggestions about parking. I was super fortunate to be on the receiving end of another reader’s generosity on Day 2 of our adventure. We were at Chevalier’s Bookstore in Larchmont Village, waiting in line to see Gabrielle Zevin. I had planned to purchase a copy of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow a book I haven’t yet read, that I would then ask Ms. Zevin to sign. Except the bookstore ran out of copies. I waited in line with my friend, who had brought from home her copy of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. The woman in line in front of us started chatting with us, and when she learned I wasn’t going to be able to have a book signed, she handed over a copy of the book she had planned to purchase. (She had her own hardcover copy with her and was happy to give me the paperback version.)

3. Authors are rock stars. My friend and I waited in line to see Taylor Jenkins Reid at Skylight Books in Los Feliz and Gabrielle Zevin at Chevalier’s Bookstore. There were long lines of readers waiting to get books signed. And, these authors didn’t just sign our books. They personalized them. They took a moment to chat. Ms. Zevin posed for photos with anyone who asked her. And as if all that wasn’t enough, let’s not forget that authors are Master Creators. The only tools they have are the same tools we all have — the twenty-six letters of our alphabet. And yet, it’s enough. It’s enough for them to create worlds and characters and circumstances that can transport us and offer new ways of thinking, understanding, and caring for our fellow humans.

4. Los Angeles is pretty incredible. Think about how many bookstores (both independent and big-chain) are located in and around L.A. (While this Lit Crawl focused on thirteen indie bookstores, there are many more independent bookstores in L.A. If you’re feeling inspired to visit one/a few/many of these bookstore, check out this post I wrote for MomsLA.com — “32 Awesome Independent Bookstores in Los Angeles.” Keep in mind, the post was updated a year ago, so be sure to check that all the information is still accurate before heading over to visit any of the stores on this list.)

5. I have bought a lot of books. And not just during these two days. I think it really started back in 2022, when I participated in the #22in22 challenge. (You can read about that initiative here.) Four years ago, I visited 22 bookstores and bought more than 22 books. Since then, my book-buying hasn’t stopped, even though the amount of time I spend reading does vary depending on what is going on in my life. But that’s okay. Because when it’s time for me to pick out a book to read, I have many options to choose from. So many options, in fact, that they don’t all fit on shelves. Or the plastic bin I use as additional storage. Or the tote bag I use for another source of additional storage. In fact, now I have piles on the floor adjacent to my bookshelves, my plastic bin, and my tote bag. When it’s time to select the next book I’m going to read, it’s almost as if I get to “shop” from my own mini-indie bookshop.

6. Sometimes you have to give yourself permission to stop doing certain things so you can start doing other things. The Book Crawl was a significant time commitment. Participating meant I wasn’t home to work on my posts for MomsLA or to tend to my garden, like I would have ordinarily. And it’s okay. It’s actually more-than-okay to change things up, to do things not because I’m trying to be productive and get important things done, but simply because I want to do these things. I want to have these particular experiences.

7. Pain is just a fact of life for me. So I knew standing in long lines, sitting in a car for an extended period of time, getting in and out of the car multiple times each day would all contribute to my overall levels of pain. Being ill for sixteen years has taught me that I can’t wait to feel better to do certain things. Feeling better isn’t a guarantee – ever. That means I have to weigh the possible negative side effects with the potential good. Sometimes what is good for my mental health may not be great for my physical health. That’s when “stubborn gladness” comes in. (You can click here to read my blog post from several years ago that explains this phrase and its relevance to my life.)

Another photo of my purchases. It's easier to see my new bookmarks in this picture.

Los Angeles-area friends, did any of you participate in the Indie Book Crawl? If you did, I’d love to know about your experience. What stood out for you?

If the Book Crawl becomes an annual event, do you think you’ll participate next year? (I know I want to!)

Be sure to check out my Instagram for more photos from my two, very bookish days!