Heroes, Tradwives, and the Search for Good Bread
And other good reading for the week
Last week, I saw a story on the BBC about a German tourist who was awarded €900 by the courts because a vacation tour operator that failed to enforce a ban on people reserving pool loungers, thus diminishing the value of his trip. A followup story discussed how hotels were trying to prevent people from reserving loungers, in part because guests hate it (or at least I do) and in part because no one wants to be sued.
The most effective technique: “Once when in Ibiza, holidaymakers were putting towels on beds in the middle of the night. It soon stopped when some lads were going down in the middle of the night and throwing all the towels into the pool.”
This German tourist who sued is the hero we all need for today. Also, next time I run into a hotel that allows this, I will set my alarm for 4:00 am to throw towels in the pool. You’re welcome.
I’ve found a lot of other interesting things to read these days, including:
Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke (Bookshop.org affiliate link): This is the story about a tradwife influencer, and there are a couple twists to it that make this one of the best books I have read in a long time.
How to deal with your fear of messing up (Kellogg Insights): Life is all about risk! And it’s better if you take risk, at least some of the time.
Negotiating when there is no plan B (Harvard Business Review): In a good negotiation, you go in knowing your BATNA: best alternative to negotiated agreement. But what if you really, really need the deal to go through? Here’s advice on how to negotiate when you don’t have a BATNA.
Diet Coke parties (Reuters): The Iran War has created shortages of aluminum in India, which is also creating shortages of diet Coke. When bars in India get a supply, they make it an event. I love it, even though I have (mostly) given up diet Coke.
Aging parents who won’t plan (NY Times gift link): It’s a universal problem!
The best free restaurant bread in America (Atlantic gift link): Caity Weaver is a fantastic writer, and her pursuit of the best free restaurant bread is a joy to read. For non-European breads, I would argue for El Milagro Taqueria in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. It’s the cafe connected to a commercial bakery that produces tortillas and chips for use throughout the Midwest.
What’s your favorite recent reading? Please share in the comments.
Well, the Whatever Years, of course. Always look forward to it. The Paris Wife, about Ernest Hemingway's first wife, was quite good. And The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson, about the people around Churchill at the beginning of the war.
I also read Yesteryear. I couldn't stand most of the characters. Despite that fact, I couldn't put the book down. I gave it four out of five stars. Five star books I read in the past few months have been Separation of Church and Hate, Theo of Golden, and The Correspondent. I listened to Theo of Golden on Audible and it was amazing!