One Happy Thing: Avocado Toast with Sea Salt

Sliced avocado on buttered toast is better than it has any right to be. There's some kind of alchemy going on with the combination of these simple ingredients. A pinch or two of Maldon sea salt puts it over the top.

A few tips: Make sure your avocado is perfectly ripe. Crunchy or otherwise underripe avocados just won't do. It needs to be so creamy that you can practically spread it with a butter knife. The toast should be made from good bread, though I suspect this would still be swoon-inducing even on Wonder Bread. My favorite is homemade sourdough with a touch of wheat. You can butter the toast or drizzle it (and the avocado) with olive oil; I am constantly changing my allegiances between the two. If there is no sea salt on hand, a pinch of kosher is a fine substitute.

If you've never tried avocado toast, please do so immediately. You can thank me later.

One Happy Thing: Bob's Burgers

This was a tough week. No particular reason for this: The fading daylight hours? 3am cat antics? Final copyedits on my book being due? Who knows. Regardless, Bob's Burgers has been the antidote for my bad mood all week long. Just hearing the opening notes of the intro has been enough to make me smile and relax into the couch.

Oh, man, if you haven't discovered this show yet, please proceed immediately to Netflix Streaming. It's equal parts The Simpsons, Family Guy, and...I don't know what. Awesomeness? Because it's awesome. Scott and I keep re-watching scenes just to memorize the lines and quote them to each other at random moments. It's that kind of show.

"You call that a groan?"

(Thank me later.)

Image: Fox.com

One Happy Thing: The Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

I was between books right before a weekend trip, and any chronic book reader will know what a genuinely panic-inducing moment this is. I downloaded a handful of ebooks from the library minutes before leaving for the airport and crossed my fingers.

Within a few paragraphs, I knew I'd struck gold with this book. Museum of Thieves kept me completely enthralled for the entire two hour plane ride, and I kept sneaking moments all weekend long to inhale more vibrant scenes of shifting magical rooms, deceitful caretakers, and plucky young thieves.

It tells the story of Goldie, a young girl growing up in a dystopian society where children are protected at all costs and society is under the thumb of the righteous and devious Keepers. Goldie escapes in a moment of spontaneous rebellion, and rather than finding herself cast out, is recruited to the Museum of Thieves for her daring-do and light bout of thievery. Of course, the Keepers come looking for her, and of course, they have an ulterior and insidious motive, and of course, Goldie must save the day.

From start to finish, this book was just a super-fun read. It's a young adult book, but aimed at a slightly younger young adult. The characters are well-developed and the zany world comes across as totally believable. And it's funny. I chuckled to myself several times while reading it (to the consternation of my airplane seat mates).

Verdict: highly recommended, particularly as a fun end-of-summer vacation read.

Find It! Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner