ADR Loves: Happier Hour Edition

Last night, I hosted a Happier Hour Literary Salon with two of my favorite authors Dani Shapiro and J. Courtney Sullivan. They joined me (and a robust crowd of fellow book-loving women) in my yellow living room to talk about their brand new books, Dani's memoir Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage and Courtney's novel Saints for All Occasions. I cannot properly state how much I loved these books. As I said last night, Dani and Courtney both succeeded in capturing and honoring the complexity of human life and love on the page, which is no small feat, and in my mind makes for the best, most memorable books. Read these books, guys, and spread the word. As a smart someone mentioned last night, these books would make perfect Mother's Day gifts. A big thank you to my favorite neighborhood bookstore Book Culture for coming to sell books.

And lucky us, we all nibbled on the most delicious bites thanks to Delicious & Sons, a company that creates high quality, organic products that are natural and non-GMO, gluten-free, and suitable for vegetarians and/or vegans. Guys, these dips and spreads are, yup, delicious and everyone was truly raving. My favorite was the Black Truffle & Mushroom Sauce and I can't wait to use the leftovers to cook for the kiddos. You can find a store near you here or order online here. And fun bit: Delicious & Sons was founded in 2006 by my Dalton classmate Ricky and his wife Monica. I love hearing about friends who are passionately pursuing their creative dreams.

Some other good stuff from the night:

... I got a lot of compliments on these earrings.

... and this shirt.

... and my hair was a departure from my soccer sideline bun thanks to Blo.

... the flowers from Ariston were gorgeous. (Thank you to the best agent on earth, Brettne Bloom!)

... the Magnoiia banana pudding was, well, divine.

... I love this Wendell Berry poem Dani mentioned and wrote about.

... these 30 Best Mocktail Recipes are pretty awesome. (I made the Coconut, Cucumber, Mint Cooler - yum).

... this grapefruit candle will keep me company during my early mornings of writing. (Thank you to the fab Brenda Janowitz!)

... I cannot wait to dig into this book co-authored by the sister of the amazing Helen Ellis.

... this friend/writer/teetotaler's flight was delayed so she missed the HH, but arrived in time for a late-night leftover-and-laughter-filled catchup + a sleepover so that we can both attend...

... this SheRecovers event today and this weekend. (You can still purchase digital tickets!)

And thank you to my sweet/uber-talented friend Joelle for snagging the top photo.

Happy weekend, guys!