The Reading List: January 4, 2020

Moira

I’m very late to the Succession game, but I’ve become absolutely enthralled! To the point where…dare I say it?? I’m tempted to hyper-decant some wine.

I love sipping a fancy beverage at night. While I want to make it absolutely clear that I don’t have an alcohol problem, like many of us I would like to limit my mindless drinking. Kombucha is a great one to sip at night (don’t @ me), but I’ve also been loving the very-wintry Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea. It’s a little on the pricey side for tea, but it comes in those nice net bags and a pretty tin, and it’s just so good.

On a related note, leaving this here for any of you who may have just realized that you’re in your thirties when you woke up in pain on New Year’s Day.

Color me never bored about anything related to Liberty University.

On misplaced panic and health anxiety.

Shannon

On the heels of the holidays, please enjoy The Saddest Places i’ve Drank While Visiting Home in the Suburbs.

This WaPo op-ed on marrying quickly and potentially making a mistake took quite a turn.

If you remember watching Paris Hilton go to jail, or Lindsay’s Lohan’s DUI hearings, you’ll enjoy this piece on how social media killed the celebrity gossip and paparazzi machine. A choice quote: “The Notes app, screenshotted and posted across a celebrity’s social media channels, has become the go-to method of public apology, for anything from collaborating with R. Kelly (Lady Gaga) to stranding thousands of people on an island without adequate food or shelter (Ja Rule).”

Later this year will mark my 10-year-anniversary of living in New York, so I thoroughly enjoyed this retrospective of New York City over the past decade (although some of the changes are definitely depressing). I love the ferry! And I miss old-school delis! And cops are still killing people of color with no consequences.

If you’re frustrated with how technology has alienated us and contributed to anxiety and comparison, you’re not alone—this piece from Buzzfeed outlines how we got here.

If you’re curious why we need yet another film adaptation of “Little Women,” watch this!

Elizabeth

I loved this article: “My Semester With the Snowflakes,” about a 52-year-old Navy vet and Yale Freshman. A highlight: “What she meant by “safe space” was that she was happy to be in an environment where difficult subjects can be discussed openly, without the risk of disrespect or harsh judgment. This works both ways. What I mean is, this young woman was comfortable, in this university setting, wrestling with things like the Aristotelian idea of some humans being born as “natural slaves.” She was quite comfortable in that space. The question was, how comfortable was the 52-year-old white guy in that discussion? Did it make me uncomfortable? Yes. I’m grateful for the discomfort. Thinking about things I don’t understand or have, for most of my life, written off, is a good thing.”

The pictures coming out of Australia with the wildfires blazing are breaking my heart. Here’s a round up from an Australian news station on how to help from afar- I was able to make a small donation to the food bank serving the evacuees, but I feel like this is a situation where every dollar counts.

On a much lighter note, I loved seeing AOC’s makeup routine. Y’all know we are big fans of Fenty Red around She’s Full of Lit, but her Stila Beso is also great.

I have an insane number of unread books in my house, and I’m going to try to be more mindful about stress shopping at my local bookstore this year, but I couldn’t help but add a few to my TBR list after finding this wrap up of some of my favorite authors of the best books they read in 2019: “The Confessions of Frannie Langton” and “Why Not Say What Happened?” quickly went on my library request list.

Finally, if you have learned nothing about me, it should be that I am a slave to an accessory trend. I finally have dipped my toe into the headband craze (I ordered this four-pack from Amazon), and while I’m not sure I don’t look like a Renaissance-era lady in waiting, I think I’ll give it a try.