Would you like to draw a tiger?

THE KING OF BOOKS is only a week away from release! So, of course, it was time to make a KING drawing sheet. Once kids get the hang of drawing KING, they can try drawing him doing something silly with his books.

Switzerland? OK. Let’s go!

My husband is the travel planner in our relationship. Last fall, he decided Switzerland was our next big adventure. I’ll admit knowing next to nothing about the country, but I trusted his excitement and did my part by learning German (as much as one can in under a year using a phone app). We spent our time in Lucerne, Zermatt, and Grindelwald. I learned to drive outside of Boston, and consider myself pretty confident with stressful driving, but the Grimsel Pass tested me. So much, that we changed our route from Zermatt to Grindelwald to avoid a more “thrilling” route and instead took a car train for one leg of the journey, which was also pretty amazing. The Swiss drivers are truly made of something else.

If you followed my story on Instagram, I got attacked by wasps while gardening a few days before the trip. Five stings on my neck, arms, and shoulder that turned into cellulitis. I am stubborn to the end about doctors, but I was miserable enough to drag myself to the ER Sunday night, then get on a plane Monday night with antibiotics in hand.

Highlights of the trip included an alpine sled down Mt. Pilatus next to moo’ing cows, looking at the peak of the Matterhorn out my window, this giant fur robe, spotting marmots from a cable car, hearing yodeling at Gornergrat station, the Royal Walk and the panoramic walk from Mannlichen, close encounters with Brown Swiss cows, amazing train and cable car rides, the incredible views from our home in Grindelwald, and Trummelbach falls in Lauterbreun.

My calves might have grown an inch walking up and down those hills. My driving skills improved by the end, and I will miss their curvy roads and remarkably long tunnels. I took a million photos that aren’t worth sharing, but are future references for drawing houses, fields, flowers, and trees. My good friend Jenn commented that the picture below/right looks like a 1960’s Ricola commercial. She’s not wrong! And I did enjoy a fair amount of Ricola lozenges on my trip.

Having celiac made eating a bit of a struggle at times. I did enjoy a rosti, Eiger Eistee, lots of cheese, an amazing risotto in Lucerne, and gluten-free pizza in Zermatt. I relied heavily on my phone to translate tiny ingredient lists while at the grocery stores. I was also thankful that the standard ‘safe’ meal at any restaurant (a salad) was a fairly hearty option, similar to a Greek salad.

Traveling with two teens also had its ups and downs. But they banked some amazing experiences and broadened their world view. I feel very lucky to have gone there as a family.

A Giveaway!

As a thank you for being a Doodle Mail subscriber, I’m giving away one copy of THE KING OF BOOKS (signed as you like). Leave the comment HUZZAH! below and I’ll pick a winner (US only) on July 15th.

Reading / Watching / Listening

CRYING IN H MART by Michelle Zauner
Yes, I know I’m late to this one. But it did not disappoint. It was sad and sweet and very real.

THE BEAR, season 4 (on FX/Hulu)
I am trying to savor the season, but I will likely devour it by the end of the week. I watched the first two episodes and am rooting not for a star, but for Carmy to enjoy life. I’m steeling myself for the mom episode up next.

THE KINGCAST podcast
I am a new listener, but I love the combination of guests talking about one particular Stephen King book each episode. I stumbled into THE OUTSIDER episode with author Tananarive Due and am excited to check out her work now as well.

Upcoming Events

You can see all my upcoming events, here. I have a few CLiF summer reader events in July as well. I really appreciate all the support - whether you come out for a book event, request my book at your library, or leave a review online. Thank you!!!