I’m finally attacking my TBR pile (with hesitant gusto) — and that means, Kristen Callihan’s Firelight, Tamara Morgan’s Love is a Battlefield, and I Love the Earl by Caroline Linden, you are all mine this week!

POTUS at the gates (of the Iowa State Fair)!

Though I realize it’s super-lame to keep commenting on the weather, you have to remember what a terribly hot (and drought-inducing) summer this has been for the Midwest. But I am comfortably wearing sweaters while curled up on my couch at night, now, which makes me ridiculously happy. Fall can’t get here soon enough.

I received an exciting promotion at my IRL work — which means Iowa City is stuck with my cute backside for another two years, at least. (No complaints on my end, that’s for sure.)

On Saturday, in the Iowan’s version of a last hurrah before she heads off to Boston [sniffle], Bee and I are hitting the State Fair* for butter-sculpture viewing, a variety of foods on a stick, and riding the sky glider over the grounds…among other fun, rather rural activities.

In similar (but much larger-scale) news, President Obama hit the State Fair yesterday. Beer and pork chops, nothing fried on a stick. Michelle would be proud.

*“The internationally-acclaimed Iowa State Fair is the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial exposition in the country. Annually attracting more than one million people from all over the world; the fair is highlighted in the New York Times best-selling travel book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.” — SeeDesMoines.com (And not only that, Rogers & Hammerstein wrote a musical about it. No, really, they did.)