In 2017 I started hearing a lot about this novel PACHINKO, and begged friend @laurencerand for a copy. She sent two copies, one for me and one for @mkrispy , and we tore through them, abandoning our own work reading for one of the most gorgeous novels we’d read in years.
Publishing is full of hyperbole — magisterial! coruscating! timeless! once-in-a-generation! — but damn if this book wasn’t all of those and more.
Fast forward to 2026: @lee_minjin has done it again, and now I get to work with her and fellow geniuses @reaganart and @mtaeckens on her new novel AMERICAN HAGWON, out this September.
We needed some good news, right? ❤️🔥
How do we measure a year? In meals devoured? In books read, movies watched, songs listened to on repeat? In leaps made in jobs, apartments, love?
For me, it was in the softer moments: trips to the Tompkins farmers market to buy a bundle of flowers even though I know they’ll wilt in a day or two. In stockpiling the weekend paper, promising myself I’ll read the rest throughout the week even though I never do. In relishing the perfect breakfast in Copenhagen and recreating it at home. In reading the ⭐️⭐️⭐️ NYT review for @smithereensnyc on a cliff in Bornholm, waves crashing oh-so-appropriately below. In the daily glam pics of pal from our dog walker, the contortions required to get the perfect shot. In finding a stolen selfie of @morgkassel and @j_dimond from @sarjudge ’s beautiful wedding weekend. In reaching for pal after a long day at work. In dancing to Robyn with @nick.tamburo . In Smithees donuts and zines. In running agendas discussed over Saturday night martinis.
But most of all, in the time shared with friends and and their new babies—watching them grow, their fledgling personalities taking shape week by week: a heart-stopping, joy inducing, life affirming thing.
One year with this brat, the real star of “Too Much.” She’s tried my patience many a time, but she’s also the goofiest girl; she loves HARD, she plays with abandon, and she’s very proud of herself when she tries something new. We could all use a little Pal energy.
Happy birthday to my nutter 💕🐾
We came to Milan earlier than planned, allowing us one full day of wandering the city and its terrazzo floors. Just before dinner, we visited the Necchi villa, a 1930s art deco home smack dab in the center of the city built to feel like a countryside estate, the light from outside glinting in every corner.
15 years ago, my mom and I took a trip to Europe together and always vowed to do it again. Things kept getting in the way but we finally made it happen.
Snaking through Puglia was the adventure dreams are made of: fragrant with jasmine, dripping in bright red poppies, stairs leading through labyrinthine villages, “allora!” peppering speech with abandon, perfectly brimming espressinos, piles of creamy fava beans, and most importantly - that sapphire sea. We hit some bad weather but had a few days warm enough to scramble off the rocks into that water and for that I am eternally grateful.
