Leslie Farnsworth
@lesliefarnsworth.com
Aspiring novelist with one project in the revising and one in the planning, blog-keeper (which makes me retro), reader, ponderer, flaneuse, yoga person, goofball, friend. Blog: https://observingleslie.com Author site: https://lesliefarnsworth.com
Hrm. Well, the little preview card didn't come up for this, I guess. It's a fun dataviz project from @erindataviz.bsky.social that shows the oldest first names in the United States (and the dying out ones, too).
Leslie Farnsworth@lesliefarnsworth.com · yesterdayCome on now, let's bring back Myrtle. I like Myrtle. Am I the only one who likes Myrtle? erdavis.com/2026/05/...
Come on now, let's bring back Myrtle. I like Myrtle. Am I the only one who likes Myrtle? erdavis.com/2026/05/...
I was one of those 80,000 and it was *wonderful!"* My heart was full the entire day. 🎆
Nearly 80,000 people attended August 1 brunch on farms
Around 80,000 people took part in the traditional Swiss National Day farm brunch on Saturday. They visited one of the 283 farms offering regional specialities and fresh produce.
swissinfo.ch
A year or so ago, I asked the crew here for novella recommendations and got some FANTASTIC reads in return. I now need more novellas to read! Are there any you’ve recently read and loved?
You know what’s a really good time? Working on my agent-query package for autumn submissions. Oh yes. (I know my writerly folks understand.)
In the July 29th Letter, we're going to talk about fire alarms, medieval style. 🔥 We're also going to talk about what the heck that has to do with the cathedral in the photo below. (I promise, it really does all come together!) Subscribe here, if you haven't already:
Subscribe to The Letter — Observing Leslie
Once a month, I'll send you a little miniature post with cultural, historical, and travel observations and fun facts.
observingleslie.com
Fun fact as the Tour de France enters its final stages for 2026: Did you know the race was originally conceived as a way to increase newspaper subscribers?
Cycling as the Throughline: The Tour de France — Observing Leslie
Turns out the Tour de France has never really been about the cycling. (Okay, well, a little—especially these days.. But definitely not at first!)
observingleslie.com
I once road trips where I hit the highway for hours at a stretch. Now I can barely make it a ninety minutes before I'm desperate for it to be over already or at least for an extended break involving some kind of adventure. (No, simply stopping for food doesn't count.) What changed, I wonder?
Now that we're shockingly more than halfway through 2026, does anyone have a best-book-read-so-far-this-year to name for me as a recommendation? (I'm always looking for recommendations!)
When people think of vacations in France, they never think about road trips, but they should!
My Favorite Road Trips in France (So Far!) — Observing Leslie
We’ve had so many amazing road-trip experiences in France across so many regions, all with their own unique flavor. Favorites are hard to choose, but I did my best!
observingleslie.com
I really wish it were easier to know via reviews or book metadata which POV (1st, 2nd, 3rd) novels are written in. I'll read all, but sometimes I'm more in the mood for one than another, if that makes sense.
My Q2 2026 books-finished post will go live later this week, so I thought I'd look back at my Q1 books-finished post as a throwback. Anyone read / have thoughts on any of these?
Books I've Read: Q1 2026 — Observing Leslie
A list of the books I read in the first three months of 2026, with my particular favorites in bold, as always.
observingleslie.com
Seemed odd to me that the three places where I spend my focus these days all have national holidays around the same time, so I did some investigating.
Why and How France, Switzerland, and the United States Celebrate National Holidays — Observing Leslie
I’ve noticed an interesting confluence of holidays celebrating their nation’s founding over the three countries where I focus most of my energy these days: France, Switzerland, and the United States.
observingleslie.com
The prep work ahead of the summer vacation season continues, but I’m making good progress on most (but not all) fronts.
Month-in-Review Highlights: June 2026 — Observing Leslie
The prep work ahead of the summer vacation season continues, but I’m making good progress on most (but not all) fronts.
observingleslie.com
I can only ask this question now that I've *finally* read one of the biggest ones on my list: Writers, what canonical authors in your genre(s) have you not yet read?
After week of intense work and focus, I finished a heavy-lift round of revision on one of the two novels I have underway. 🎉 I rewarded myself with this photos-don't-do-it-justice handcrafted Japanese teacup. I wish you could see and feel the texture and craft, but this is the best I could do!
Happy Solstice + Fête de la Musique!
France’s Fête de la Musique: Music in the Streets on the Longest Day of the Year — Observing Leslie
Each year on the first official day of summer—June 21, the day after the summer solstice—France (and the rest of the world, so I hear) celebrate Make Music Day.
observingleslie.com
Ooo. I've done the reading vacation before, but to have the option to be surrounded by other readers with a discussion or two in the mix? That sounds heavenly. www.nytimes.com/2026...
In this month's Letter, going out next week, we go in search of lost desserts and uncover an epiphany about storytelling and human nature. Subscribe via the link in bio or here:
Subscribe to The Letter — Observing Leslie
Once a month, I'll send you a little miniature post with cultural, historical, and travel observations and fun facts.
observingleslie.com
Am I the only person who thinks, when they see a book with a 4 or higher rating on a site like Goodreads, thinks, “Yeah, not sure if I want to read that. Probably not for me.” ?
Anyone else get those super-annoying “text suggestions” in some software when typing and then refuse to write what it suggests, even if that means changing the entire sentence? I try to turn off that feature whenever possible, and yet soooo many phone apps won't let you. 😡
This is now recurring with the new @debolinunferth.bsky.social , EARTH 7.
Leslie Farnsworth@lesliefarnsworth.com · 2mo agoI *of course* had the new Ray Nayler in my hot little hands the day it came out (last Tuesday), but I can't yet bear to start it because once I've started it, I'll have read it, and then I'll have to wait forever and ever yet again for another Ray Nayler book.
I would like to start a movement to make bibs acceptable mealtime accoutrements for adults.
My writerly friends on here might find my a-has at the Typewriter Museum as interesting as I did!
Pen and Paper Work Just Fine: The Typewriter’s Near Flop — Observing Leslie
What stuck with me the most from my visit to Lausanne’s Typewriter Museum was that the typewriter nearly flopped. That’s right, the world almost didn’t have typewriters.
observingleslie.com
My husband's photos (and write-up!) are vastly better than mine was!
Arnaud Chevallier@arnaudchevallier.bsky.social · 2mo agoOne way to visit the Canary Islands is to race Ironman Lanzarote. Arguably, there are easier ways to do it, but would they be as much fun? My race report is here 👇
My terrible photo doesn't do the island of Lanzarote justice! It was a gorgeous spot for my spouse's 2026 triathlon... and for me to get in some writing, too.
Month-in-Review Highlights: May 2026 — Observing Leslie
The slow ramp-up to summer travels continued in the second half of May with a trip to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands for Arnaud’s 2026 triathlon.
observingleslie.com
Never ceases to amaze me that you can feel one bug crawling on you, brush it off, and then feel like you've got bugs crawling on you for hours.
Why are “Reading Group Guides” at the back of some books so universally awful?
