Here’s what’s making us happy this week.

Such a lot, readers! Forget your troubles, and come on over to Lit Hub!

A lot of the gang got together IRL this week, thanks to the National Book Awards. Emily Temple is thrilled to confirm that several colleagues previously experienced only on Zoom do, in fact, have torsos. Old friends reconnected. Oliver Scialdone and James Folta covered the action. And everyone was proud of Dan Sheehan, who received a special shout out in the broadcast for his unwavering moral compass.

Mr. Sheehan himself says the evening was “balm for the soul. Going forward, [he] will be flying in from Wyoming every Friday for happy hours.” Accordingly, you can expect this column to post at dawn.

Though Drew Broussard was part of the FOMO contingent and had to root for the NBA/Hub at a distance this Wednesday, he enjoyed a tasty silver lining. All week he’s been cooking from Alison Roman’s newest book, Something From Nothing—and “hot damn, it’s great!”

This week, Molly Odintz was also all about the silver linings. She recommends caretaking—both “giving it and receiving it.” Though a big vacation to Iceland was marred by a bout of flu, she caught joy in the Nordic isles thanks to a partner’s thoughtful ministrations. Says Molly, from sick bay: “Also, we watched A Knight’s Tale since I was too sick to go see the medieval manuscripts, and that movie still goes so hard.”

James Folta spent last weekend in Austin for the IMI festival, where he met a ton of cool cats pioneering innovative new media projects. A highlight involved touring the Texas Archive of the Moving Image‘s digitization lab, where a diligent crew is converting a ton of footage from a Houston local news station—in addition to many other groovy projects. “Their site is well worth exploring,” says James.”They’re doing amazing work!”

I, Brittany Allen, have a triangle of nice things to share this Friday. The first is more music, for the indie dirtbags in the house. Yesterday I caught Geese at the Brooklyn Paramount, and was over the moon to discover this indie rock outfit is even cooler in person.

This boisterous, epic, weirdly moving show at once reminded me of the first Brooklyn I fell for in the early aughts, and made me excited about the next generation. (Here, she swirled her cognac, and turned her gaze to the river…)

The other joy is a literary pairing. Two books set in coffee shops have recently charmed me to tears. Kathy Wang’s The Satisfaction Cafe, and Robert Seethaler’s The Cafe With No Name, translated from the German by Katy Derbyshire, each center scrappy protagonists who wind up making oases despite unlucky lots.

The latter is set in 60s Vienna, among shell-shocked citizens still struggling to rebuild their city post-war. Robert opens a humble cafe and watches it become home to a dozen eccentric regulars. At his tables, people fall in love, and in and out of luck. Drinking is a panacea and a problem. It’s the kind of book where nothing happens, but everything does. Sweet, melancholy slices of life add up to the epic.

In Wang’s novel, the immigrant Joan beats a similar trail to small business ownership. Like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, her world is defined by a series of compromised choices. But what she ends up making of pain is sanctuary. Both books are surprising, soulful, quick reads, starring winsome characters. And like the next great New York band, they’ll restore your faith in something.

Wishing you a weekend that’s all killer no filler, plus some “balm for the soul.” May you find new things to cook and fan out about, and take and receive good care.

Image via Smithsonian American Art Museum. “Cafeteria,” Jacob Kainen, 1936.