All the good things

Through an abundance of bad timing, I am on deadline for not one but two books at the same time the most preparation-intensive holidays are standing on the doorstep. That means this week’s newsletter is going to be a link round-up of pretty, fun, or festive things and will hopefully provide you with a nice break in your own whirlwind preparations. (Wish me luck as I dive into the second round of revisions for Incarnate.)

• Amedeo Capelli is an Italian artist who makes delightful, whimiscal moving toys, mostly out of wood. Check out his videos and his Instagram page

  

• If we were in London, we would be going to see the Wes Anderson exhibit at the Design Museum. The exhibition is open into July 2026.

It’s not everyday you see a saluki in the line-up (second from end on the right) from Isle of Dogs

• As long as we’re thinking of England… This video from House & Garden of a renovated Regency house in the Yorkshire Dales caught my eye. It’s been made more rustic and moody, and is full of textures. Gorgeous.

• I’ll be making these shortbread cookies for Christmas.

• You can read a free Stephen Graham Jones story, “Belle of the Ball”, over at Reactor magazine. As a matter of fact, they have a bunch of free stories available, including ones by Martha Wells (author of the Murderbot series), Sarah Langan, and A.C. Wise.

• Escaping the holiday bustle in a darkened movie theater? You can’t do better than Dustbunny, the new movie written and directed by Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller. Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver.

• Heaven help me, I’ve promised to make Korean Fried Chicken wings for New Year’s Eve.

• I make a lot of cheesecake at the end of the year. It’s my husband’s favorite, so he gets it for his birthday, and it’s often the go-to dessert I bring to holiday parties. I’ve used a Silver Palate cookbook recipe for decades, but this one from NYT Cooking is pretty much the same thing.

• I think I’m ready to give into this fascination I’ve developed for making potholders. I’ve been fascinated with weaving for years but hesitated to try it out because it’s such a huge investment of equipment and material. Then I learned that adults making potholders, the kind of crafts we learned at summer camp, has become a “thing”. There was a great post on it at Oldster magazine, and then I found Facebook groups like this one where makers share their potholders for inspiration. Maybe it’s not high art, but lots of us like to do things with our hands in our spare time, and this seems like a nice low-stakes option. If you’re ready to learn more, Friendly Loom is where to start.

  

  Artist: Darcy Rielle Bowden

That’s it for this week. There may not be a newsletter next week, depending how far I get with revisions.

Wishing you all the wonderful holiday season, whatever that means to you—full of noise and lights and color with lots of company, or meditative and cozy, a time for recharging and replenishing.