Cruel Compendium #43 😻

Just walk around, write down the best things, and leave the moon out of it

Jillian Anthony

Mar 16, 2022

I’m Jillian Anthony, and this is Cruel Summer Book Club, a newsletter about change and living well.

A neon orange sunset looms over Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas

Long time no scroll! Some mini-updates from me:

On Monday someone stole my potted prayer plant right out of my garden in broad daylight. (This is my mood from now on.) I can’t stop coming up with storylines about who steals plants, and why. But I can’t be that stressed about it because…
I lost my most important possession in the world at a concert. And I GOT IT BACK. I’ll tell you the whole story sometime soon.
I’m 74 days sober, on my way to my goal of 100 days. Mostly it’s been fantastic! But I am feeling some interesting feelings—and that’s the whole point. More to come on this, and a lot of other important changes I’ve been making, in a future issue.
I’m heading into the second weekend of my first SXSW as a local. If you’re in town and want to kick it, let me know!
The best reading I’ve done so far this year:
- Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington
- Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore
- The Sun and her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

I’m reading

This riveting read on why no one will read your book and the realities of the publishing industry was written by Elle Griffin a year ago.

Ukrainians find that relatives in Russia don’t believe it’s a war by Valerie Hopkins. Terrifying echoes of the misinformation campaigns plaguing the United States.

Ukraine crisis coverage reveals stark biases by Hope King. What if we welcomed all refugees equally?

What it’s like to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail as a transgender woman by Mary Beth Skylis

Julia Cameron says you can get creative indoors by Rachel Syme. Hey—this is your quarterly nudge to start (or start over) The Artist’s Way!

Once I stopped drinking, I started to love dating by Sarah Wood

I dated the way I drank. In binges, marked by regret and heartbreak. Never knowing when to stop.

I’m listening to

I laughed my ass off through this entire Celebrity Book Club recap of Peggy Guggenheim’s Confessions of an Art Addict, which I also highly recommend reading!