PicoBlog

If the films of 2023 create an overarching narrative, it might be one in which the tried and true became the tired and suspect, making room for the new and novel. But that doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny in a year in which the second-most financially successful film was The Super Mario Bros. Movie and even “disappointments” like The Little Mermaid (live-action remix edition) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania made a lot of money.

Welcome new readers! I’m delighted that so many of you have found this little corner of the internet since The Frozen River published on December 5th. My long time readers know that there’s a rhythm to what I post on this newsletter. But I thought I’d explain for those just now joining us. I usually alternate between personal essays and my ongoing writing series in which I’ve been sharing everything I know about the craft of fiction.

Hi friends, We hope your week is off to a good start. This week’s essay is from mystery author and critic Jodé Millman. She tackles a problem we would find extremely difficult: which are the five best Gamache novels. Let us know which books are in your top five. Leave a comment — Aya and Elizabeth P.S. Thanks to Deborah for providing the gorgeous painting-like image of Three Pines you see in this post.

I now definitively know the best restaurant in Chicago. This is not opinion. This is not a professional critic expressing a personal preference that the general dining population could care less about. This is not a social media-driven white lie created to generate clicks or subscriptions. It’s facts. The best restaurant in Chicago right now is… Daisies.  I know. Michelin will probably reward Daisies one star. The James Beard awards may recognize Daisies for the best “new” restaurant category next year, but maybe not, since this new incarnation of the restaurant is a reboot of the OG smaller Daisies that launched in 2017.

Hi BDEs⚡️ Here’s my go-to study guide for SQL interviews! If you know everything in this guide and practice the soft skills of interviewing, you’re more than likely going to be prepared for your live coding SQL interviews. This guide has 3 sections: SQL Concepts: the meat of what you need to know to pass your interviews A Course to practice the… ncG1vNJzZmiilajAs63MqKqdmaSWe7TBwayrmpubY7CwuY6pZq2glWKvpr%2FTZqqqpF2eu7Wx0a%2Bgnq9dmLWmrdNmqqGdlak%3D

Like most people who read a lot of fiction and watch a lot of movies, I tend to fall pretty strongly into the “the book was better” crowd. And it makes sense. In a book, you can tell me every internal thought the character has, what’s motivating them, how did their past influence their future, all of the exposition stuff that gives you deep, rich characters. And you have as much time as you want to do that.

Howdy! Whenever I need to drive a long distance or tackle a big cleaning or organisational task, I always put on a juicy true crime podcast — something with a full season available and plenty of plot twists — to distract me from the task at hand. Plus, it’s always a bonus if you can solve a murder or two while you’re cleaning out your undie drawer. Thankfully, 2023 has been a big year for true crime podcasts — particularly podcasts about scammers — so there’s plenty of podcasts to keep our minds busy while we complete mundane tasks for the rest of the year like wrapping Christmas presents etc etc.

Source: Ksenia Chernaya/PexelsIn an ideal world, children would be doing educational, enriching activities every moment of the day and parents would have no need for iPads or Netflix subscriptions. However, in the real world, screens are inevitable for most parents. Yet, when we discuss screen time, most of the discussion seems to center around the quantity of screen time but markedly less so around the quality of screen time. So is all screen time created equal?

❤️ Did you know that if you hit the HEART at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for people to find this newsletter? (And makes my day!) 🥰 This vanilla mug cake recipe takes only 3 minutes and is seriously the BEST. It makes a moist and fluffy single-serving cake with the perfect amount of sweetness. Add your favorite toppings, and dig in. This recipe originally appeared on my food blog, where it received rave reviews.