Ann Mah's newsletter / January 2022
My word of the year is...
Happy new year!
Hello friends! As we hurtle into January, I’m sending all my best wishes for a happy, healthy, new-and-improved, better-than-last-year 2022. If I was the type of person to choose a word to define my hopes for the year, I would say “reunion.” I hope the coming months bring me back to the people, places, and things that I love.
We are just back from a holiday visit in Southern California, which was extra long thanks to canceled flights. The weather was unusually rainy and damp – good for California but bad for occupying a third grader :) – and we made many trips to the wintry, wet beach, which was exhilarating, especially when the sun struggled free of the clouds.
I’m thrilled to announce that the description of my new novel, Jacqueline in Paris, is now live and online! The book will be out on September 20, 2021, and you can read all about it on Goodreads. There’s no cover yet, but I hope you’ll add it to your to-read list.
Here’s what else I’ve been up to!
What I’ve been eating
–I ate my first cruffin the other day. What’s that? A cruffin is a new viennoiserie made of croissant dough, shaped like a muffin, and filled with pastry cream – mine was raspberry and it was deliciously messy. Food52 has more about this franken-pastry.
–I’m always searching for a good chili recipe and this one from Melissa Clark (via the Wednesday Chef) is one of my favorites. (I make it with turkey!) And while I’m at it, this black bean bake is another winner.
–After six weeks we finally got a new oven, and I am joyfully cooking my way through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking with Dorie. Cottage cheese biscuits! Cheddar-scallion scones! Apple pandowdy! Next up: Cheese puffers, which my novelist and pastry chef friend Louise Miller made and described as “part gougère, part popover, part muffin.” Yes, please!
–Did you know (I did not) that there’s a new kind of Cheez-it – a bag of nothing but the extra “toasty” crackers? I saw these at the airport last month and thought this was a new product, but it’s been around since 2015, according to Food & Wine.
What I’ve been reading
–Writing under her pen name Genêt, Janet Flanner was the New Yorker’s Paris correspondent from 1949-1950 and I spent so much time reading (and talking about) her essays while writing my new book, I got this sweatshirt for Christmas. I recommend her Paris Journal, 1944-1955, a sharp and astute portrait of moody post-war Paris. And if you’d like your own literary hero sweatshirt, check out Sororitees by Nature.
–Two little girls, best friends in Germany, were separated during the Holocaust at age nine. Last month, they were reunited at age 91. This story was so lovely, it made me cry. (Washington Post)
–I shared all the best tips I learned from living overseas with Cubby: Five little things I learned living abroad – and how I’ll continue to use them back home
–Are you playing the new online word game Wordle? (Or maybe you’re tired of everyone posting their scores? ;) This piece from McSweeney’s pretty much sums up our need for it right now.
–One of the first books I read this year, I laughed my way through An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten. This is Swedish dark humor and the main character is wicked. What are you reading this month? Let me know in the comments!
A bientôt!
Our first day back from the holiday break, it snowed eight inches and we lost power for the day. It was quite a welcome home! I’m hoping the rest of this winter is less dramatic. Stay warm and cozy, friends, and as always, thanks for being here!
Amitiés,
Ann
it is the WORLD'S BEST SURPRISE to find my take on Dorie's cheese puffers in my favorite newsletter!!!! Giant hugs to you. xxoo
Je l'aime!