New Year, New Recommendations
Today is February 1st, meaning it’s the beginning of Black History Month and one month after I sent my last newsletter. I have been all over the place; not very organized, doing a lot at work to recap the previous year, and socializing, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, thus:
I saved quite a few things in my Reader app that I wanted to share over the past few weeks, so I’m sharing them all today. I will be back with a regular newsletter next week, but in the meantime, let’s get into this week’s recommendations.
Things to read:
How Therapy Helped Heal My Workplace Burnout as a Black Woman | The Every Girl
Simone Biles Talks Marriage, WAG Life With Taylor Swift, and the Paris Olympics | Vanity Fair
The Compassionate Music of Meshell Ndegeocello | The New Yorker
No One Sounds Like Tems | The Cut
TikTok’s Music Armageddon Could Come Today. Here’s What You Need to Know | The Rolling Stone
I read five books in January, and put stars next to the books I recommend:
1. Liking Myself Back by Jacey Duprie
2. Life And Other Love Songs by Anissa Gray**
3. Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan**
4. Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley**
5. More: A Memoir of Open Marriage by Molly Roden Winter
Things to listen to:
I still have not listened to either song from Megan Thee Stallion or Nicki Minaj yet - I just wanted to put that out there in the world, although no one asked.
I shared this in my Sunday newsletter, but still can’t get over this Soulection Radio episode.
I realized last year that I rarely listen to the endless playlists I curate. I now opt to make one extensive playlist that houses a good chunk of the music I am listening to - so here is my “2024” playlist via Spotify. It’s a good blend so far, if I say so myself.
I played “Estrelar” by Marcos Valle about thirty times yesterday and had the best day.
This week’s The Dream Bigger Podcast episode featuring Jessie Inchauspe (The Glucose Goddess) was a good listen.
Things to watch:
Usher is gearing up for the Super Bowl and was on “Club Shay Shay” to talk about his upcoming album, the Super Bowl, and everything in between.
This was a great episode of the ‘Angie Martinez In Real Life Podcast’ with skier Lindsay Vonn.
I have been watching a lot of television and streaming a lot. Over the weekend, I watched “Griselda” and “Expats” over the weekend, and I have thoughts on both. If you watched either, let’s discuss. Check out the trailers below:
Also, over the weekend, I finally saw American Fiction, and I loved it for the most part - tbh, I loved it all the way to the very end. If you’ve seen it, let me know so we can discuss it.
Things to consume/try:
I have been using Readwise Reader, and I love it. I can’t believe I finally stopped using Pocket after all these years.
Whether you’re looking for a new role or want to ensure you’re prepared for your next opportunity, the Rise Community is a great resource. The website has many resources, including a job board, courses you can take to improve your skills, and more. Check it out here.
My friend told me about a social media app for booklovers called Fable. I’ll report back!