The Reading List: October 5, 2019
Moira
It’s flu shot time of year, and I hope you all are getting one—to protect not only yourself but the elderly and immunocompromised among us. I love this Self collection of articles about vaccines—why we need them, why people are vaccine hesitant, what to do about it.
I have a random recommendation for y’all, so bear with me. It’s so hard to find no-show socks that don’t fall off. Old Navy makes really good (and inexpensive) no-show socks that stay on. Now the trick is to not get them lost in your laundry.
I’ve been obsessed with @servideo on instagram for her bizarre and hysterical videos. She’s done a number of very funny videos around the cult teen brand Brandy Melville. This article on The Cut talks about the allure of the brand, where everything comes in one size (and that size is approx an xs), and disaffected teens say “what’s up” when you walk in.
The third season of Big Mouth is on Netflix as of yesterday, and I can’t wait to tear into it. This show, a funny and frank and empathic take on puberty, is just so good. You’ll see at least one of your mortifying moments reflected.
Shannon
In case you’ve been living under a rock, this fall is the 25th anniversary of the “Friends” premiere. I’ve watched the show countless times (I used to put the DVDs on in college as background noise when I was studying/writing papers), so I loved this New York Public Library blog post imagining what each of the Friends would be reading now. (And yes I know there are certain problematic things about the show and it doesn’t always hold up. The ‘90s…)
I still haven’t seen “Hustlers” yet (did you guys I hear I was in Italy for 10 days?) but I’m even more excited to after reading these pieces about how authentic its costumes and music are to the late aughts. The day Lehman Brothers collapsed was my 21st birthday, and I graduated from college 8 months later (so fun during a recession!), so needless to say, the music and clothes of 2007-2008 remind me so much of college. (I can spot a going-out top circa 2007 in an instant!) I was inspired to search for the movie’s soundtrack on Spotify and “Make It Rain” is bringing back memories from several nights out from college.
We’re big fans of Jia Tolentino over here (she wrote the piece on “Husters”’ music above!) so I loved this interview with her from Girls’ Night In. I especially appreciate her POV on self-care and commodified feminism, and try to only buy “feminist” items from organizations that I know donate to causes I support, which I suppose is a step in the right direction. (Also, read my review of her book, “Trick Mirror”!)
On a heavier note, this New Yorker piece examining domestic violence and police officers is a must-read. The piece is anchored by a Georgia case in which a young, vulnerable woman without a stable home life marries the high school classmate who got her pregnant. Witnesses and family members have said that the husband was domineering and potentially abusive, but when the woman is shot, it’s ruled a suicide attempt. Not coincidentally, the man’s grandfather is the Sheriff and he himself is also a cop. This is just one case in the potentially thousands of police officers who are also domestic abusers, and “although police departments have become more attentive to officers’ use of excessive force against civilians, the same scrutiny has not been applied to their potential for violent behavior at home.”
To end on a lighter note, which member of the Roy family from “Succession” are you? (Yes I am obsessed with this show.) I got Shiv so I’ll be over here congratulating myself for how “incredibly intelligent and calculating” I am. (Buzzfeed’s words, not mind.)
Elizabeth
A recent entry into my favorite headline category: A man took LSD and fell in a lake at Disneyland Paris. He was found naked and confused hours later.
I’m not really sure how I ended up with two Disney articles this week, but this is totally at the other end of the spectrum — did you know that there was almost a Disney park opened outside of DC, themed to US history? I sure didn’t, and the history nerd in me is sad I can’t go ride a roller coaster through a steel mill tbh. If you’re wondering why you can’t visit Disney’s America, its because protests erupted at one of the planned attractions: what it felt like to be a slave. I wish I could insert the bug-eyed emoji there but honestly, WTAF Imagineers?!
Speaking of moments in US history, we seem to be living through one, and I know I’m not the only one that can’t keep track of all the news developments. The daily newsletter from impeachment.fyi has been super helpful for me; it distills down the day’s biggest news every night around 9 PM. I have been reading it in the morning while walking the dog because no one needs to dream of Mitch and Donald, imo.
I have always been a book hoarder, but the blog is only increasing my frequency of my book buying, and I am quickly running out of storage space in my 450 square foot apartment. I just ordered these floating shelves from Amazon, and I am keeping my fingers crossed they help open up some flat space at home.
We are attempting a small scale book club over here at She’s Full of Lit (book announced on our Instagram earlier this week, in case you missed it!), and I loved reading this piece about how Reese Witherspoon became the new high priestess of book clubs. Admittedly, I do love what she’s doing at HelloSunshine, and I have liked many of her recommendations. What are your thoughts about celeb book clubs?
