January Sunshine

 

Thanks for joining me as I kick off my author letter—plus cake.
 
I’m launching this as a monthly update of all things books and cake and pets and vintage and a little bit about our new life in Los Angeles. And I’m calling it “Inside Sunshine” because it will never offer thoughts on hikes. Really, it’s mostly things to do in socks.
 
Luckily, there’s no need for me to leave the house to share this big announcement: We’ve linked our last names. While I’m keeping Griffin for work and books, by our passports we’re now the Griffin-Mauffs.
 
Hyphenating our surnames feels like an embrace of a family journey that started sixteen years ago, with Erich’s and my unconventional path to parenthood. I write about some of that experience in The Favor, my first book for adults. It’s a novel that celebrates alternative routes to family and the connections we make along the way.

More January Highlights:

Cake

I’m a big believer in cake every week, and writer Wednesdays as the best day for it. As my friend Morgan says, dry January shouldn’t extend to cake. So this one is a very carroty carrot cake from Lark Cake Shop, Timer Off! is a reference to the pomodoro technique (a little writer humor).

Vintage

Just got this pullover sweater from the fabulous Lady Jane Vintage. The style reminds me of my '70s-era babysitters who taught me how to blow smoke rings and braid yarn bracelets. Even in L.A. you need a cozy sweater every now and then.

Books

As much as I enjoy the feel of a book in my hands, this was a worthy audio month. Four excellent audiobooks that really caught my ear this month are:

  • I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy, read by the author. She shares her pretty harrowing childhood with such genuine emotion.

  • Bookends by Zibby Owens, read by the author. Just like her fantastic podcast that helped get me through 2020, this memoir is so warmly hosted in her own words.

  • Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo. Zimbabwean actress Chipo Chung’s narration adds another layer of beauty to this brilliant, impactful novel.

  • Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World by Pádraig Ó Tuama. Another great podcast. Hearing him read a poem in the morning starts the day right.

See you next month! Meantime, I’ll be jumping up and down about my extra name in these cute slippers from Birdies. The only shop that will get me in flats. Great for scaling nothing.

 
 
Adele Griffin