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Thanks to @marinerbooks for an advance copy of Sweet Nothings: Confessions of a Candy Lover by Sarah Perry, out February 4th! Take something unserious and put it under a microscope and it reveals itself to be expansive. This is my favorite kind of narrative. Perry writes about candy — the kind you reach for in a convenience store on a road trip, and the kind long since relegated to grandmother’s purses and the fringes of memory. About ritual and pop culture and wealth and history and nostalgia and the violence underlying our guilty pleasures, these essays are beautifully crafted: a testament to the people we were and the people we were with when we first experienced them. I highlighted so many stunning passages in this collection, but there was one that really resonated with me in light of, well, everything: “I underestimated the tension I would feel between my small daily pleasures and the screaming, bleeding, burning terror or the world. I would not have guessed that I would arrive here, breathlessly grateful for any small thing, determined to celebrate whatever I can, wherever I can get it.” PS — Sarah, any chance we can get a bonus epilogue on the candy salad trend? I know you’ve got thoughts! 📸: I’m holding up a kindle displaying the ebook cover of Sweet Nothings. A row of candy cane Hershey kisses are visible in the background. via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DFVOTcQSKZ3/