With author Joan M. Griffin
I’m excited to feature author Joan M. Griffin in my next issue of “Three Things on a Saturday Night.” She just released her incredible memoir Force of Nature about her experience hiking the John Muir Trail.
Purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Bookshop.org. Make sure you also add it to your GoodReads reading list.
She has her suggestions for your Saturday night. Take it away Joan!
We turned the clocks back over the weekend, so it’s 4:30 and almost dark! Longer nights mean earlier dinners (soup, anyone?) and snuggling under a cozy blanket on the couch in the evenings.
Looking for a good movie, book, or wildcard suggestion? Here are my recommendations for your Saturday night.
Book Recommendation: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
My book club recently read this delightful book and everyone agreed it was a favorite. The book is set in a small town on the Central California Coast and is filled with a cast of eccentric characters whose lives revolve around a small ocean aquarium and an octopus who has lived his whole life there. In these times where the real world is filled with anger and tragedy, it was wonderful to dive into this rich imaginary world filled with lovable and colorful characters.
See my review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58733693-remarkably-bright-creatures?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=uhpmQxuhvb&rank=1
Movie Recommendation: Real Women Have Curves (2002)
I love this movie about strong women trying to make their lives and the lives of their family better through their hard work. It’s also about being Hispanic in America and it’s about generational differences. It stars one of my favorite actresses, America Ferrera, who plays the central role in this movie, as the ambitious teenager in conflict with her traditional mother. In an ironic twist, she recently played the mother of a strong-willed daughter in the Barbie movie.
It’s available on Amazon Prime and Hulu.
Wildcard Recommendation
I love the sense of anticipation that comes with planning an adventure, even if it’s just a one day “personal field trip.” I like to put all the “possibilities” in green in my Google calendar alongside all my “responsibilities,” as it makes me feel like I have lots of choices. With cool and wet weather coming, I’m putting together a list of seasonal events and indoor places to visit this fall and winter: museums, libraries, bookstores, craft fairs, art and film festivals, and more. On my list for November are the annual Mountain Mandarin Festival in Auburn, CA, and the Placer Arts Tour all around Placer County, and the Noirvember movie series at the Onyx Theatre Downtown in Nevada City, CA. Having things to look forward to offsets the negative impact of these early dark evenings. What’s on your fall events calendar?
Thanks for spotlighting my book, Force of Nature, and for sharing your blog audience with me, Nicole!
I’ll have to look for Remarkably Bright Creatures. Thank you for the recommendation! Really enjoyed Joan’s book as well. Just recommended it to a new acquaintance who wants to write memoir.