Dig List: December 2025

Three banger books to end the year + links! Join me for The Practice in January.

Hi, hellooo, last Dig List of the year!

I hope this finds you somewhere cozy and relaxed, or about to be cozy and relaxed, as the year winds down. I spent last week entertaining in my new house: a midweek party for the folks at my gym, and Saturday night a big going-away bash for my friends who are moving to New Zealand.

Friends keep commenting on how much hosting I’ve been doing since I moved in in October, and I keep telling them: I’ve been waiting forever for this.

The last time I lived in a space where I could host anything was when I was married, over sixteen years ago now. Sixteen years! Since my daughter was a few weeks old and we moved to Colorado for a brief spell, I’ve lived in small spaces: condos, apartments, townhouses. Spaces big enough to host a dinner, but not a gathering, and definitely not a party. Just now I counted, and I moved eleven times in those sixteen years. The move into this house, the first I’ve owned, is my twelfth. I’d say it’s my last but I don’t wanna jinx it.

There’s so much about finally having my own home that’s meaningful to me: decorating and creating my space, imagining projects, future gardening and landscaping, rooting down in this town I adore, and the symbolism and import of purchasing the home on my own. But I have so deeply longed to host people. My mom’s house growing up was always bustling with friends and family, food and celebrations, and I’m finding myself wanting to recreate that energy in my own way.

When I met with an intuitive last year and I asked her about my future home (this was when it was still an intention, but I couldn’t yet make it a reality), she surprised me. She said that my new home wouldn’t be a secluded little sanctuary where I’d go to escape the world, but that it would be bursting with light, energy, and people—that I would be bringing the world into it, not the other way around.

Sobriety forced a turning inward. For years, my system required more quiet, seclusion, and rest than I’d ever imagined wanting or needing. My social battery was teeny-teeny-tiny. If I was out—and I almost never wanted to be out—I could tolerate it for a short window of time and then, when I hit my limit, I needed to be home and in the quiet darkness immediately. I thought maybe I’d been masking this extreme introversion with drinking all my life.

Slowly, though, over the last few years, I’ve felt my energy shifting. I've been reaching out more often instead of going inward. Craving people and gatherings and activity. About a year ago, noticing this gear change, I said to my friend Kate “I used to be social!” A statement as much as a question. She was like: HELLO.

So it’s been interesting, this evolution. Unexpected and very fun. I still love my quiet. My favorite place on God’s green earth will always be my bed. I don’t like plans just for the sake of plans (at all). But it’s like I’m coming into an updated, sober version of my social self. Remembering I’m actually really good at being with people and connecting them. That I like people, and doing stuff. Who knew.

With that, I’ll leave you with my favorite books, shows, and links for the month. This year was not a big reading year at all for me, but that tide is turning, too, thank goodness. I’ve already read three bangers this month, listed below. Enjoy.

What’s The Dig List?

Sharing stuff I love is my favorite thing, so instead of trying to squeeze recommendations into the other newsletters, I started a series called The Dig List. It’s a monthly roundup of things I’m digging: books, podcasts, music, cultural moments, art, and products. Read past ones here.

The Practice begins January 6.
Join me in the new year for 40 days of daily, guided journaling and meditation. Paid subscribers get 15% off registration; scroll to access the discounted registration link, behind the paywall. Learn more and register for The Practice at the regular price.

The Dig List: December 2025

Books

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

This was my favorite book of the year. Several people pinged me when it first came out and I tried to listen to it on audiobook and kept getting lost, so I almost gave up, but decided to try reading it with my eyes. I’m so glad I didn’t sleep on this one, geeze. So life-affirming, layered, smart, spirited. The way I cried. 100% recommend.

Writing Creativity and Soul by Sue Monk Kidd

Sue Monk Kidd is a consummate writer and I was thrilled to see she put out a craft book. Much of this is about the writing life and how its intertwined with spiritual life, which I deeply appreciate. I listened to it on audiobook and will be ordering it hardcopy, too, because I want to be able to highlight and refer to it—it’s excellent. I read her first book, The Secret Life of Bees, back when it came out in 2003 (it’s stellar) but she really won be over with The Book of Longings, which I think about all the time.

Laws of Love and Logic by Debra Curtis (out February 17)

I got an early copy of this and Oh, my heart. A sweeping love story spanning several decades, set in New England, this was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. I felt like I was clutching my chest the whole time and wanted it to end so I could breathe but never wanted it to end at the same time. Similar vibe to Heart, The Lover, which I also loved.

Shows

Task (HBO Max) was my favorite series this year. Mark Ruffalo is excellent, as is the rest of the task. It starts out super dark, and I can’t say that changes, but it gets goooooood. From the same creator as Mare of Easttown (also great), Brad Ingelsby, and also set in Philadelphia. I’m obsessed with the accent.

I’m sure most of you have already watched this, but I’m finally getting around to watching The Diplomat, and it’s so good! I still have trouble seeing Kerri Russel as not Felicity but I’m working through it. She’s awesome, the writing is great, and it captures much of our present political moment well without banging you over the head.

Articles, Links, Etc.

I appreciated this perspective about how healing is making us mean by Gloria Alamrew.

A brief, smart, zippy piece how to finally write your book by Joy Sullivan—who is an excellent follow here on Substack.

The importance of being average by Sara Eckel is one of the best things I’ve read in a while. It’s about Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book but also not really.

The terrible first draft that saved my book by Susan Cain came at the perfect time, just after I met with my editor to talk about the first draft of my current book. It’s about her mega-bestselling book, Quiet, and the feedback she got on its first draft.

I’ve been obsessed with all of the discourse around the Vanity Fair pieces about the Trump administration (ICYMI: part 1 and part 2) and basically just can’t get enough of it—the analysis, the memes, the photography dissections, the perspectives.

That’s a wrap. Thank you for being here, as always. Have a wonderful rest of the year and I’ll see you in January!

Love,
Laura

Events & Offerings

The January Second Sunday community gathering will be on Sunday 1/11 at 11 am ET. The first one was awesome; I loved it so much. Register below (behind the paywall). Topic:

• Dry January event at Boston’s WBUR CitySpace on Friday, January 9. Boston-area folks! Join me (and Eric Johnson from The Luckiest Club) in Boston’s Back Bay for a conversation, beverage tasting, and book signing. Eric and I will be organizing a get together for TLC folks following the event. Get tickets.

• The Practice is now OPEN for registration. Join me in the new year for 40 days of daily, guided journaling and meditation beginning January 6. Paid subscribers get 15% off registration; scroll to access the discounted registration link, behind the paywall. Learn more and register for The Practice at the regular price.

• Join me Sunday, Jan. 11, at 11 am ET for our Second Sunday gathering. The first one was awesome—thank you to all who came. This is for paid subscribers; register below behind the paywall. Topic: Emotional Sobriety part 2.

For Paid Subscribers…✨