Welcome to this week’s edition of breakfast in bed, a free newsletter delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning. The intention behind the newsletter is to serve as a distraction from your existential Sunday dread—AKA the Sunday Scaries. It is broken into five categories, each of which represents one of the ways I distract from my own Sunday Scaries. Thank you for reading!
reads
books
All three of this week’s book recommendations are throwbacks!
Starting with our romance rec, we have You, with a View by Jessica Joyce. You, with a View was published last year and was Jessica Joyce’s debut novel. It is a beautiful (and fairly spicy!!) enemies-to-lovers story that also discusses grief and healing. I adored this book; it was one of my favorite reads of 2023. Seriously. Like read it in 24 hours, could not put it down kind of favorite read. The perfect Sunday escape.
Next, we have this week’s contemporary fiction recommendation, Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler. I know I just said You, with a View was one of my favorite reads in 2023, this is true of Adelaide as well, except Adelaide also landed herself on my top reads of all time list. While Adelaide does feature a romantic relationship, it is very much not a romance novel. It is a coming-of-age story that exquisitely tackles toxic romantic relationships, the pain of navigating your early twenties, and mental health. Although I read Adelaide over a year, it had such a profound impact on me and to this day, I think about it near daily.
And last but certainly not least, is this week’s wildcard recommendation featuring First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. Before I talk about the book, I have a confession… I used to love thrillers. There was a period of time that thrillers were my absolute favorite and I would devour one after the other. Then, one day I just stopped enjoying them which led to a thriller hiatus for me. Over the past year, I’ve been slowly dipping my toes back into the land of thrillers and I am happy to say, although I don’t think they will ever take back their place as my favorite genre, I’m having fun with them again.
That’s all to say, I loved First Lie Wins so much. It was a fresh concept, full of twists and turns, and an ending that genuinely surprised me.
substacks
What we can all learn as creatives from Taylor Swift by
How do we feel about the VP pick? by
Episode 1 of S.L.U.M.B.E.R. Party by
Microfiction 003 / Almost Love by
Labia by
eat
Almost every single day of the past I don’t even know how many years, I have eaten oatmeal for breakfast. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s healthy, it’s filling. You can easily mix up your toppings and add-ins to give yourself variety. It is the perfect breakfast food in my humble opinion.
Yesterday morning I was feeling a little blah in regard to the basic berries and peanut butter iteration I’ve recently been hyper-fixated on, so I Googled ‘fun oatmeal variations’ and came across a Reddit comment that suggested apple cinnamon oatmeal. There wasn’t a recipe attached to the comment, but I eat enough oatmeal that I felt confident I could put something together.
Mission accomplished. My oatmeal, which I am hereby dubbing Apple Pie Oatmeal was delicious. Big fall vibes and I already know I will be enjoying it all season long.
Ingredients:
1/2 c rolled oats (I like Bob’s Red Mill Organic Oats, but use what you’ve got)
1 c water or milk
1 apple (I used a Cosmic Crisp apple, but again use what you’ve got)
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp cinnamon (I didn’t measure but it was a lot of cinnamon)
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/4 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tiny pinch of sea salt
Cooking instructions:
Heat butter in a sauce pan or small pot over medium heat
Dice apple
Add diced apple and cinnamon to warm, melted butter. Stir. Cook until apples begin to soften, but aren’t apple pie soft yet.
Remove 1/2 the apples from the pot and set aside.
Add water, oats, cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and sea salt to pot. Stir to combine.
Let simmer for 6 - 7ish minutes, until oats are done cooking and liquid has been absorbed.
Transfer oats to a bowl.
Top with apples previously set to the side and a drizzle of almond butter.
Enjoy!!
shop
My fall shopping wishlist is coming this week! I know I said the same thing last week, but life decided to life and it got pushed to the side. It’s finally almost done — just putting the finishing touches on the post — so it won’t be delayed again.
In the meantime, here is a little sneak peak into one of the items on my list… colored denim!!! I adore colored denim and supposedly it will be making a comeback this fall. Here is a link to my colored denim inspo board — very into beige, brown, and army green this season.
Please note, the link does contain affiliate links, which means that if you were to make a purchase via the link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
scroll
listen
When it comes to trad wife talk, I am as fatigued as the trad wives must feel after a long day of tending to their twelve children.
However, I loved this episode of
’s Culture Study Podcast. It was fascinating to hear a former trad wife’s perspective on the movement and the ideologies, especially in regard to how a person not raised in a high control religion might get swept up in the movement.That’s all for now friends!! Be back on Tuesday with a post that is very near and dear to my heart, and on Thursday with my fall wishlist.
XOXO,
Maddie
i loved this! the oatmeal recipe feels like coziness in a bowl xx
THANK YOU for the shout out to slumber party 🩷🩷🩷🩷