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Monday is too stressful. Wednesday is already hump day. But Tuesday is "you" day: a day when you have the energy to do—or plan—something fresh and unexpected that might just turn your whole week around.

I was never sure which attracted me more: the totally wrong brother-sister love affair in Flowers in the Attic or the cool, metallic cover with a creepy mansion where Cathy peeked out, her face contorted with unspeakable terror. I spent a lot of seventh grade with that book—reading it, enjoying the feeling of being afraid, secretly aflutter "down there" and full of desperate longing all at the same time. Like all my friends, I tore through the next three in the series.

And then I grew up.
 

At last, a book that captures all those same feelings, only with exquisitely written literary prose. Rebecca Wolff's The Beginners debuts this week—a novel about Ginger, a shy 15-year-old girl who befriends the Motherwells, a new couple in her tiny Massachusetts town who may or may not be ghosts from the Puritan witch-burning past, live humans with sociopath tendencies, or just young, beautiful, magnetic 20-somethings with some questionable values. As Ginger gets more and more involved with the twosome, I found myself similarly enthralled. What did these very grown-up adults want with this girl? What were they going to do with her? The real mystery, though, had less to with the Motherwell's dark designs and more to do with tentative, starstruck Ginger, who so willingly adapts herself to their every need. Wolff captures the awakening of this dreamy, shy girl so perfectly and acutely, you might just shiver—not only from fear but recognition.

Photo: Cristina Ferrare

It seems everyone has an opinion when it comes to hot dogs, whether to grill them or boil them, slather them in the works or keep it simple with a quick drizzle of mustard. OWN star Cristina Ferrare is no exception: She prefers the beef franks from Beverly Hills institution Nate 'n Al (thankfully, they ship nationwide). Here's Cristina's recipe for preparing them in her own special way, with a sauerkraut that you can make ahead and break out once your grill is fired up.

Many years ago, I knew a woman who couldn't wait for her boyfriend to go out without her on hot summer nights. That way, she could stay inside and scrub the floor in her underwear. And by underwear, I mean the genuine female article: white cotton, saggy, stretched elastic. She didn't want her boyfriend to see her like that, I assumed, because it conflicted with the rare but crucial poetic fictions that a couple often needs to survive long term.

These days, I know friends who indulge in all kinds of secret activities: say, smoking a forbidden cigarette or overeating alone. In my case, I wait until a night when my husband has to work really late and watch mindless romantic comedies back-to-back until 1 in the morning, while guzzling Diet Coke and a 2-pound bag of fat-free Twizzlers. Nobody, not even my husband, needs to see me passed out on the bed, mentally wounded (by choice!) from Kate Hudson movies, aspartame and artificial strawberry flavoring.

Then along with 4 million other people, I saw this video of a cat barking. 

Photo: Thinkstock

There's a paradox in pork: It's a staple for a majority of the world's eaters, yet taboo for the rest; it's turned into Bacon Explosions by some, while it's forbidden for Jews, Muslims and others. Jeffrey Yoskowitz, a writer who covers food, culture and politics, wanted to explore pork in a more nuanced way, so he launched Pork Memoirs, a continually updated website where people submit their 500-word essays about the other white meat.

The site features a growing collection of thoughtful, pig-centric pieces. Gilad Muth, who grew up eating beef salami in his kosher home, remembers when he learned at the high school lunch table that most salami is actually made from pork. "I tried to reason with myself that there was no way that [my friend] David was right, but his 'Italian defense' ('Trust me, I'm Italian') was foolproof," he writes.

In another essay, Jackie Lilinshtein, who doesn't eat pork for religious reasons, recalls living with a Spanish family as a student. When Lilinshtein's host mother served her a bowl of soup Lilinshtein asked, "Senora, is this made out of pork?" The host said yes, and that Lilinshtein could just eat around the pork, but once Lilinshtein explained that wasn't an option, she said, "I know you don't eat pork; I didn't realize you don't drink pork either."

In today's world of bacon-of-the-month clubs and nose-to-tail eating, Pork Memoirs offers another take.

On the way to the farmers' market in my neighborhood park this weekend, I was approached by a volunteer whose arms were overflowing with leaflets and buttons. I'm used to people at the market asking me some pretty personal questions, like where I got my nifty compost bucket, how I get my electric power, what do I think about hydrofracking, and whether I subscribe to The New York Times. Still, the question she asked—"Hey, would you like to get tested for HIV?"—took me by surprise, until I realized that June 27 (today) is National HIV Testing Day.

Given the importance of catching HIV early to get the care necessary to prevent it from becoming AIDS (and to prevent passing it along), I was glad to see the volunteers. Getting tested for something as serious as HIV can be intimidating, and—as many of us know from experience—it can be easy to put off. By approaching all passersby and urging them to take responsibility for their health, these volunteers made HIV tests seem like another ordinary, responsible habit for conscientious adults.

The Black Women's Health Imperative is also trying to get people talking openly about HIV. In honor of National HIV Testing Day, the BWHI's Elevate campaign has organized a "blog-a-thon" to "elevate the conversation about black women and HIV." They've asked popular African-American female bloggers to weigh in on the topic. We especially enjoyed this music video featuring a Lil Wayne look-alike (complete with grill and Auto-Tune). It addresses the elevated HIV risks of the African-American population while cheerfully spreading the catchy message that women and men of all ethnicities should get tested. You'll be humming this tune all the way home...or to a testing center in your area.

Photo: Courtesy of Chanel

Chanel's chic nail polishes generate waiting lists a mile long, and we have a feeling that this intoxicating new shade will be no exception. Since it's named after one of our favorite brunchtime cocktails, we think this is the perfect shade to be wearing at all your lazy Sunday morning meals (and the best way to cure today's 3 o'clock slump).

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Mimosa, $25 (Chanel.com)

Every Monday, we're rounding up things—small and big—that made us stop and think. Today, we were captivated by a gospel singer's defense of love songs, a comedian's advice to his TV daughter, a therapist coming forward to talk about her personal struggles and more...

* Kim Burrell, influential younger gospel singer, responds to criticism over her new "crossover" album that includes covers of nongospel love songs:
"What is our common ground of love outside of the four walls of the church? What is our conversation of love with people that are not of our fold? ... That's what The Love Album is about."

* Marsha M. Linehan, the therapist and psychology professor who created a now widely used treatment for severely suicidal patients, publicly acknowledges her own mental illness for the first time:
"I honestly didn't realize at the time that I was dealing with myself. ... But I suppose it's true that I developed a therapy that provides the things I needed for so many years and never got."

* Comedian Louis C.K. in the season premiere of Louie breaks down the rules of fairness to his younger daughter:
"The only time you look into your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don't look into your neighbor's bowl to make sure you have as much as them."

* New York State Senator Roy McDonald, the second Republican to support the newly passed marriage equality bill (after previously expressing opposition), explains his change of heart to reporters:
"You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn't black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing. ... I'm trying to do the right thing."

* Beyoncé on the value of female friendships:
"I grew up around women; I believe that we can teach each other so much. I'm always thinking about how unselfish we are and the things we need to hear and how much pressure there is being a woman."

Photo: Thinkstock

Pet-loving procreators, this one's for you. Many new parents worry that owning a dog or a cat may cause their babies to develop pet allergies. In Friday's Claim column in The New York Times, Anahad O'Connor bats this claim to the ground like a ball of string. He cites a study that found that children who shared a home with a cat in their first year of life were about half as likely to be allergic to cats as those who had not. Baby boys who lived with dogs during infancy also showed a decreased risk of allergies, but the puppy effect wasn't as strong for girls. No reason was given for this (we surmise that it might explain the disproportionate number of cat ladies versus cat gentlemen). The researchers determined that the key to developing an allergic resistance is bringing the pet into the home during the first year of the child's life. So, pro-pet parents: Don't wait until your daughter or son starts begging for a kitten to adopt one.