It’s a Cruel Summer indeed–The Bachelorette is back. I clear my mind between seasons and, honestly, if my life depended on it right now I could not tell you who the last Bachelor was despite having watched the entire season. I do vaguely remember this season’s Bachelorette, Charity, sometime around when they all had Covid. I think. Pudding, my cranky seventeen-year-old Siamese says she can’t even bring herself to look. Charity, who is 27, tells … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S20 E1: Charity’s Season →
I love a Mystery Knit Along (MKAL) and there are some great ones coming out this summer. For those of you who are unfamiliar, a MKAL is a project where you cast-on on a specified date, and the pattern is released in sections (usually once a week). You have a list of supplies you need ahead of time, but don’t actually know what the pattern will look like until you’ve finished knitting it. MKALs are … Continue reading Summer MKALs →
I really loved Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. Celebrity romance is one of my favorite tropes, and for me this book stands out. Romantic Comedy features a hero who is not purely defined by celebrity status, gives readers a deep dive into a world I found fascinating, contains an epistolary courtship, and at times is laugh-out-loud funny. Sally Milz is a writer for a weekly late-night sketch comedy show called TNO that is based on … Continue reading Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld →
This Time It’s Real is a YA celebrity romance that focuses a lot on identity and fitting in. Eliza Lin’s mother is a corporate crisis manager, and as a result of her mom’s career she’s spent her childhood living all over the world. Now she’s in Beijing, and even though she’s Chinese, she doesn’t feel like she fits in at her new school any better than her last one. Eliza’s passion is writing, and for … Continue reading This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang →
Dr. Perfect is a low stakes, low angst contemporary romance that’s as much about loving what you do as it is about finding the love of your life. Ellie Frost set aside her passion for cooking to work as a manager for her motorbike racer ex. When he breaks up with her, she’s left with a huge gap in her CV, no severance and few options (he, of course, kept her off the books). Ellie … Continue reading Dr. Perfect by Louise Bay →
The weekend of April 1, a friend and I made the three-hour trek down to the Windy City for Yarn Con 2023. Yarn Con is an independent fiber festival that features a lot of indie dyers from around the Midwest that was started in 2007. The first two days (Thursday and Friday) feature workshops and classes. The second two days (Saturday and Sunday) are a vendor marketplace that featured some of my favorite dyers. I … Continue reading Yarn Con 2023 Recap →
After many showers (so, so many showers) and much pointlessness, season 27 of The Bachelor is over. So who “won?” I don’t care. Anyway, thanks to some comments from last week’s post, I found Pudding a shirt that covers the spot she isn’t supposed to lick so she doesn’t need a cone. She doesn’t love the shirt, either, but it’s better. She’s still going to poop in my shoes. We open in a studio in … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelor–S27 E11: Poop in Shoes →
The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is a traditional Gothic novel that suffers from uneven pacing and a lack of tension. While I was intrigued by some of the themes, overall the book was a bit of a drag to get through. Margaret Lennox is a young widow who is facing poverty after the death of her husband. A former governess, Margaret takes a job at the remote Hartwood Hall teaching ten-year-old Louis Eversham. Right away … Continue reading The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden →
It’s Fantasy Suites night on The Bachelor. Cheers to my friend Jen who is here and said, “Wait, there are 27 fucking seasons of this show?!” Indeed. Lady Pudding is currently not talking to me as she has to briefly wear the cone of shame (she’s fine, it’s so she doesn’t lick a topical med off her fur). We’re in Thailand, BTW. Not Pudding and me, the people on this show. Jesse reminds us that on The Bachelorette … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelor–S27 E10: Shower Crying →
This week is the Hometowns episode of The Bachelor, when our titular “hero” meets the contestant’s’ families. It’s always painfully cringy. It’s also been a rough week at Chez Elyse. I have the cold from hell and just did a shot of cold medicine to make it through the recap. Pudding had her annual vet visit and, because she’s a spicy girl, had to wear a muzzle. Even as she was trying to maim the vet, … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S27 E8: The Yorkie Knows →
It’s Bachelor night everyone! Pudding is too busy ordering sushi from Door Dash to care. Pudding: Do I want extra tuna on my spicy tuna roll? Yes. Yes, I do. We’re in Budapest now. The first one-on-one goes to Kaity. Both Kat and Kaity are blondes with wavy balayaged hair, and I’m having a hard time telling them apart. They take a funicular to look out over the city. Zach says he still gets butterflies when … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelor–S26 E7: You and I Remember Budapest Very Differently →
