I’m sure there are other shoes in the world, but if you looked in my closet, you might wonder. What started as getting a pair of comfortable shoes while pregnant with my first has ballooned into a full-on obsession with Birkenstocks. I have the classic Arizona style in multiple colors. My house slippers are a Barbie pink clog that brings me so much joy. I have a plastic pair that I wear to the pool. On and on.
Isn’t it interesting how we fall into patterns? We might have a favorite pair of jeans or lipstick, and it becomes an auto-buy. What is it about these purchases that feels so satisfying?
Birkenstocks might not be the most fashionable shoe, but they are damn comfortable. And if there’s something I’ve learned in middle age, it’s that the most fashionable people wear what they like, regardless of trends.
So, join me on my orthopedic shoe journey. Your feet will thank you.
What I’m Reading
This month, I’m highlighting a non-romance book that is a masterclass in multi-POV and taking a big swing—Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures. The book opens with the perspective of Marcellus, an octopus on “day 1,299” of his captivity in an aquarium. In only a few paragraphs, you are immediately drawn into this grumpy character who is too smart to waste his days away in a tank. The book has several different POVs in addition to Marcellus: Tova, an elderly mother who works at the aquarium, and Cameron, a rudderless young man. It’s a beautiful, crowd-pleasing story. I can imagine that when Shelby queried this book, she probably got a lot of responses that agents didn’t know how to market a book with an octopus as a narrator. But, it shows that sometimes, taking a big swing leads to a breakout novel.
What I’m Eating
If you are craving comfort food, I recommend Alison Roman’s caramelized shallot pasta. It’s unbelievably good.