My father is an amazing man. He has always put his family first (even when we didn’t realize it), always made sure his children were provided for, always kept our sense of humor well-tuned, and always made us feel safe and loved. He is a giant among men, in my humble opinion, and every day with him should be celebrated (ok, dad, don’t let that go to your head).

My respect and admiration for my father is a river that runs deep. I was always a “daddy’s girl,” having one of those special silent connections with my father. I didn’t need to always hear how much I was loved, because I just knew it. I’m extremely fortunate for that. Growing up, I acknowledged that several of my traits came directly from him, such as a deep, inquisitive curiosity for learning, an introverted nature, a wacky sense of humor, and (most importantly) a solid and passionate love for books. It is that last one that in many ways is what defines me as a human being.

From selecting literature as my college major to building an expansive library to even starting this blog, my love of books is what propels me through life. Many people “love” books, but I LOVE books. It’s a near obsessive need to own and read every book ever written. My collection of close-to 600 novels, texts, poems, and anthologies is testament to this. And while my eyes have only seen a fraction of their insides, my heart knows they are there and I eagerly anticipate each and every one of them. And I get this directly from my father.

My dad has always had a book in his hand. Holiday breaks, summer nights on the porch, early morning fishing trips are all excuses to read. Every family vacation, my father and I select at least one day to run off and scour the area’s used book stores, looking for treasures. This has been our tradition for as long as I can remember, and is something I plan on sharing with my own children.

So, on the near-eve of Father’s Day, I want to give thanks for my dad. Happy Father’s Day, Daddy! I love you and can’t wait to bring a new book lover into the world with you as his/her guide and grandfather!

I’ve been trying to take my weekends off recently, which to most may seem like the normal thing to do, but to me is a bit out of character. The work never seems to stop at the gallery, and so neither do we. However, the more articles I read about how not taking time away from your business kills productivity, the more I’m convinced that I’m doing more damage than good by maintaining such a constant work schedule. There is something so important about taking that precious 48 hours every week to pause and recharge. So, beginning with one day each week, I am turning off my computer and attempting to just enjoy all that’s around me.

This weekend, as a prep course in relaxation, I spent the time house-sitting for a friend at her gorgeous abode right on the Mianus River in Greenwich, CT. I indulged on giant plates of fruit and pesto tortellini, cracked open Lean In by Cheryl Sandburg, watched a bit of tennis and half of a really terrible Katie Holmes film (I’ll never like her, no matter how much I try), and tracked boaters as they rambled about on the water. F visited with me and we sat on a bench overlooking the bay, watched a bird momma feed her new babies, and laughed until our bellies hurt.

Towards the evening, we decided to take F’s cousin– who is visiting from Colombia– into New York City for some quick sight-seeing and dinner. We ended up in Little Italy then Soho– after driving through virtually every other part of the city– and stopped to eat at this glorious spot called Il Corrallo Trattoria. Incredibly inexpensive for the amount and quality of food, fresh flavorful dishes, and fantastic service. Then, gelato at Mo’ Gelato. What a perfect way to spend an evening.

So, this was step one in committing full days to relaxation. So far, so good. Afterward, I felt extremely refreshed and revived (though a little tired), and was happy to go back to work on Monday with an open perspective. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Swell by Antoine Rose. Find it here.

It is horrid outside. I mean, beyond horrid. Also, this has been a week of highs and lows. The highs have been wonderful, and the lows… well, not so much. Stressful. Let’s call it that. Am trying to keep the stress to a minimum, though. And I don’t fully mind that I no longer can use my cell phone nor my iPad (and need to replace both… seriously #firstworldproblems), but it’s that my baby journal was damaged. I’ve been (loosely) keeping a written journal of all the moments of my pregnancy. And due to a faulty water bottle, the entire notebook what drenched through. Am trying to salvage what I can, rewrite what I can’t… but it’s the sentimentality of it that gets me. And now the rain. On my parade. Ho hum.

BUT! There is still lots to be grateful for (like wonderful friends and a relatively technology-free life!). Just need to keep that focus. Which is infinitely harder in a storm.

Links to Love:

• View: This funny but real commencement address by Jon Lovett, Obama’s speechwriter. My favorite part happens a bit after 9:50.
• Wear: It’s really for anyone, but this Striped Sydney top from Anthropologie is perfect for the soon-to-be mommas out there.
• Read: These 20 (and kind of hilarious) charts.
• Eat: A cronut. Seriously.
• Find: A quiet corner and steamy mug of tea to accompany some significant book reading while the Northeast gets slammed with a storm.

Photo credit: Esther Merritt

Back from an amazing weekend with my best friends at the beach, back from a small but lovely celebration of my birthday, back from a fantastic meeting with a writer in NYC… back and ready to take action!

On my way out to the beach, I stopped at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT. This amazing little independent shop is still a major hit on book tour trails, and I could see why! Located in quaint downtown Madison, the store has a familiar feel as soon as you walk in. It is as if you’re coming home to a house filled with books from wall-to-wall. A winding staircase, dark wood shelves, and every nook and cranny crammed with books. Also, their cafe makes a mean chai.

There is something about independent bookstores that just soothes me. Whenever I can, I try to support them– because I know the difficulty of the business. Heck, even I sometimes wonder if I should “just buy it on Amazon.” But then I think of a world where my child won’t be able to get lost in the shelves for hours on end… and I realize that I will do whatever I can to make sure his/her future has plenty of bookstores.

At R.J’s I picked up two more books for the beach (safe to say I finished neither): How It All Began by Penelope Lively and Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him by Danielle Ganek. The Lively book I picked up because it was among the Staff Picks (the Ganek one because it was about a gallery and on super sale). I LOVE Staff Picks. They always find something I haven’t heard of before and make it sound so interesting, I almost feel ashamed if I put it back on the shelf. Staff Picks almost never lead me astray.

Will update as I work through my beach reading list! Also adding Game of Thrones to the mix! Suggestions welcomed!