The Reading List: July 19, 2019
Moira
I was shocked and amazed by this article about Grace Church School in Brooklyn Heights. It has everything: rich people behaving without a hint of self-awareness, celebrities being insufferable, class conflict, crunchy preschools, revenge fantasies, anonymous letters.
I’m getting a little bit meta here, but the instagram account things.i.bought.and.liked is the best for prolific, honest consumer content. She’s anonymous and hysterical and doesn’t accept free products, so I tend to trust what she says. Lots of the products she recommends are very affordable and can be bought on Prime.
Sunday RIley’s Luna Night Oil smells amazing, goes on blue so you feel like a very cute sea creature, and feels great layered over your moisturizer. It’s a retinol with all of the implied benefits (I’m guessing you know what retinoids do, so I don’t feel the need to elaborate), and though my skin is non-reactive, so take this for what it’s worth, I don’t have any resulting irritation.
GT Dave’s Strawberry Lemonade Kombucha, a Trader Joe’s exclusive, is my favorite afternoon pick-me-up. For way less sugar and calories than a Starbucks sweetened tea, this satisfies my sweet tooth and secures my millennial status.
Elizabeth
I saw a post somewhere that asked: “what is bringing you joy today?” This picture will never not bring me joy:
He’s just adorable, and I also have put Kate’s sunglasses on my wish list. Though my $16 sunglasses from last week are pretty great so far.
I don’t know about you, but, in my younger days, I had a scary age: 27. Foolish me thought that by 27, I would have it all together (and in a traditional way) - career, marriage, house, dog. Jokes on me because that was definitely not the case, and it still isn’t. I loved this blog post from Grace Atwood about our personal timelines, and it definitely made me think — and be less apprehensive about my birthday in a few weeks, if I’m totally honest.
While I don’t believe that I’ll never be able to own a home because I also like brunch, I do admit my financial literacy isn’t great. I love round ups like these of personal finance hacks, and even more useful, apps that can help you manage your finances and your savings. Even if your only goal is more avocado toast.
I have long said that there’s a limited amount of things that I can keep alive at one time, and it is currently myself and my dog, Taffy (and occasionally my number 2 pup, Dixie). [note: this is also why I say I can’t handle a sourdough starter] But I love people that have plants in their home, and I guess I could say I aspire to be a “plant person.” This guide from Girls Night In on how to care for houseplants makes it seem much more manageable.
I am a big (big!) Space Nerd — in fact, one of my weekend plans is to go see the 50th Anniversary of the moon landing celebrations at the Washington Monument — and I loved reading this behind-the-scenes account of what it was like to be in Mission Control for Apollo 11.
DC has been like the inside of an oven last week (as has most of the east coast, I think), so we have officially reached the time of year where I want to wear nothing that touches me. Floaty dress season has begun. Here a few favorites I have in my shopping cart right now, and as of the time of writing, several of them are on pretty big sale:
Shannon
This Vanity Fair piece is a few weeks old, but I’m resurfacing it in honor of the upcoming “Veronica Mars” reboot. An oral history of “Veronica Mars” is a delight to read. I first discovered the series sometime in college, during its 2004-2007 run on UPN/The CW. If you haven’t watched the teen detective/noir show yet, catch up on the 3 original seasons on Hulu before the 4th season premieres on July 26.
This is literally the opposite of something you read, but it is literary! I just discovered The SSR Podcast this week. Every week, the host, Alli, invites a guest or two to reread a “literary classic” from our childhood and dissect it on the podcast. So far, I’ve listened to the two episodes covering “Sweet Valley High” and the one reviewing the first book in the “Babysitters Club” series. I’m looking forward to listening to more, especially the “Sloppy Firsts” episode! (FWIW, I’m a Kristy with a Stacy rising.)
I loved this New York Times piece on eliminating the phrase “guilty pleasure” from our collective vocabulary. They touch a bit on how it’s sometimes a gendered term (i.e., men don’t apologize for watching something like the NBA finals, but women often do for watching “Real Housewives”) and that we should own the things we like, no matter how “guilty” society deems we should feel. The need to be perceived as perfect “stems from the ‘deeply Puritanical roots’ of our culture,” says Sami Shalk, one of the professors interviewed for the piece. Some of my favorite non-guilty pleasures: any ‘80s or ‘90s rom com, celebrity memoirs (here’s my quick rundown of six), and Cheetos.
On the heavier side, this New York Magazine piece about how the American right defines patriotism is worth a read. What it comes down to: “The American right refuses to recognize any distinction between the claim ‘racial inequality was fundamental to our nation’s founding, and remains a pervasive force in American society today,’ and an expression of ‘hatred’ for the United States.” The right to be critical of this country and our government is a Constitutionally-protected one, and I’m proud we have Congresswomen and Congressmen who express their disappointment in the progress of this country, while working to make things better for marginalized communities.
