The Occam's Razor of Happiness

plus: rhubarb bows, WWII intrigue, and book recs from readers!

Hello! How has your week been? I noticed I was feeling gloomy in the mornings and couldn’t figure out why - I’m typically at my brightest first thing in the day.

After mentally checking my list of worries to find a specific reason for this grumpiness, I realized I was skipping something that cheers me (not to mention my teenage daughter): listening to an upbeat playlist. And so, this morning I turned on one of my favorites and immediately felt better, thereby proving my Occam’s Razor theory of happiness: that if nothing catastrophic is wrong, the simplest things make the biggest difference to our daily happiness.

Also boosting my mood today, and every Friday: hitting send on this email! It’s a weekly highlight for me - especially when I receive excellent advice from you, like this pro tip for parents (and people who like cute Irish heartthrobs) from

Alex Steele

:

Andrew Scott narrates the full Beatrix Potter collection on Audible and it's totally delightful to listen to with kids in the car.

This week’s recommendations include the show Jim and I are watching together and books suggested by readers! I’m on a nonfiction kick at the moment and will pop my current reading list into the Comments below if you’d like to see. Scribbles readers are extremely passionate about books and TV shows - if you’re watching or reading something you think we’d all love, please do share!

📺 The New Look: Jim and I are watching this “inspired by true events” 10-part series about the resurgence of French fashion following the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. The WWII intrigue has us both hooked - who knew that Coco Chanel was a Nazi sympathizer? - and I love the beautiful clothes and Parisian glamor. The cast is all-star: Juliette Binoche, John Malkovich, Claes Bang (from Bad Sisters), Emily Mortimer, plus one of my Aussie favorites, Ben Mendelsohn, who plays Christian Dior. If you’re also a “Mendo” fan, you will like this extremely candid interview with him about everything from method acting to boundaries in GQ.

📨 Emma Straub’s Hot Tips for Anxiety: continuing the theme of sometimes the simplest things make us feel better, I felt immediately calmer upon reading this list of the ways author and Books are Magic owner,

Emma Straub

, uses to manage her anxiety. From “being outside,” to “friends,” they’re all attainable and low-cost, and The Power Broker sounds like the perfect thing to help me finally achieve my dream of being able to take naps during the day…

📚 5 Book Recs from Scribbles Readers:

Leigh Stein

is loving The Roommate, a romance novel recommended by

What To Read If

(an amazing resource for book recs) plus the OG psychological thriller Misery by Stephen King (one of my faves), “for #balance.”

Garance (from France!) recommends Station Eleven, saying: “The praise is well deserved…it’s an anticipation novel taking place on earth after a deadly epidemic that decimated 90% of the population, told through the eyes of the survivors in a very human way. It’s just beautiful and very well written.”

Jessica is enjoying The Mystery Guest, which she says is a “fast-paced and enjoyable” novel by the same author as bestseller, The Maid.

NY Times writer Dwight Garner’s memoir, The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading" is another strong reader recommendation, described as “…a very quick read. What I enjoyed most is that it has served as a point of reference for other media: novels, essays, etc. that "value" food as subject matter.”

---

👓Looking for something else to watch or read? More ideas here:

📆 February 2024 Recs // 📖 Books // 📺 TV Shows // 🍿 Movies

---

In Case You Missed It: Rhubarb bows! // How Bob Moore, of Bob’s Red Mill, Got Grocery-Store Famous // These are the world’s richest people // 33 Life-Changing Books Summarized in 20 Minutes // “Wild ice” skating // An article about a pet-peeve of mine - the irritation of carry-on bags // More travel: this is what I want in my carry-on - yum! // How to Get On The Nap Ladder // A fascinating interview with

lyz

on her book about marriage and divorce //

---

That’s it for this week! Thank you for reading and see you next Friday! xo Amelia

a deliciously purry way to get some vitamin C via @cat_real_lover

---

❤️If you like reading this, click the ❤️ button at the top or bottom so more people can discover it.

🔔 Subscribe for free to receive weekly recommendations for books, TV shows, movies, and more; plus essays and how-to’s on adding happiness and meaning to every day.