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What I Read in July 2025
Happy end of July, friends! Here’s everything I read this month: BUTTERMILK GRAFFITI: A CHEF’S JOURNEY TO DISCOVER AMERICAN’S NEW MELTING-POT CUISINE by Edward Lee If you’re like me and obsessively watched Culinary Class Wars on Netflix, Edward Lee is the Korean American chef from the show. Naturally, I had to read his James Beard-winning food memoir Buttermilk Graffiti. I actually listened to the audiobook and wish I had read a physical book instead, both because the audiobook is not narrated by Edward Lee himself and I think I would’ve processed some of the essays better in a written format. Some of the chapters are based on his recent travels…
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Beaufort Old Homes Tour
Hi, friends! Almost exactly a month or so ago, we took a day trip to Beaufort, NC. Considering the distance, we would ideally stay at least a night in Beaufort, which is what we have done in the past, both the first time we visited Beaufort and during our inaugural beach week last year. The reason we forced this day trip into existence was to go to the Old Homes Tour. Rex and I recently went on the Preservation Annual Home Tour right here in Durham. It was our first time being on any sort of home tour, and we had so much fun. The last time we were in…
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A Stay at Summit Street Inns
Hi, friends! We recently went to Winston-Salem for a friend’s birthday and decided to stay at Summit Street Inns so we could walk back from the party and not worry about parking and/or driving. I couldn’t find a ton of information about Summit Street on the Internet so I thought I’d share a little bit from our very short stay. Summit Street Inns is one of the historical inns in town, managed by the same people as The Shaffner Inn (which I’m a little more familiar with since it’s much closer to the campus of my alma mater). Summit Street Inns consists of two neighboring buildings thus the plural name.…
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What I Read in June 2025
Hi, friends! I cannot believe we’re halfway through 2025 already (though I say this every year or even month, it feels). Recently, I’ve implemented hibernation weekends and a day off during the week (I used to do the latter organically/subconsciously in my 20s), and those have helped me prioritize rest and find balance, which have been a goal of mine for the last couple of years. Having said that, I’ve been reading more (still need to get my sleep schedule back on track and focus better in the mornings) and also more physical books, which I definitely romanticize over other formats. Anyways, I read a good number of books (for…
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What I Read in May 2025
Happy June, friends! Here are the eight books I read in the month of June: GIOVANNI’S ROOM by James Baldwin It was about time I finally read a James Baldwin book (at the ripe age of 32)! I started with Giovanni’s Room since it seemed to be the most recommended book out of all of his writings (at least according to my TikTok algorithm). David is an American living in the 1950s Paris, and while his girlfriend Hella (also American) is in Spain contemplating their future together, David meets Giovanni through an acquaintance. David goes home with Giovanni, or rather to “Giovanni’s Room” which becomes a symbol for how David…
