there's no sense in wishing, tbh.
Two books that I loved and think you should read, plus an album that you should check out as well.
Hi friends,
I hope you had a good week.
I had a great weekend. I went to see F1 starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris and loved it — so much so that I cried while watching the movie. The movie explores different themes like teamwork, a redemption arc, and handsome men which isn’t technically a theme from the movie but it is a fact that I felt like sharing.
In another note about things I watched over the weekend, two things I watched were Love Island and The Chi and I have too many thoughts, including:
This is my first and last season watching Love Island.
As someone who works in social media, not everyone needs access to social media because people have diabolical fingers. What would be the need to wish death on people you don’t even know (not that you should do this on people who you know). It’s childish, bizarre and very, very, very, very, very odd.
Why would you cast someone for a show prior to checking their social media channels to see what kind of potentially problematic/racist/inappropriate things they may have posted?
I know people do it, but why would you post problematic/racist/inappropriate things on social media in the first place? Perhaps I know this from working in social media, but your digital footprint is there if people want to find it.
With the digital footprint thing, why would you go on a show without doing an audit on your digital channels e.g., your social media accounts? For work, I always suggest people do an audit of their accounts every quarter or six months. This ensures that you can see what’s out there and course correct.
Team Chellace though.
Also kind of Team Nicolandria although I’m uncertain if this is a love connection or just a friendship.
Team give Amaya all the things just because she’s adorable and pleasant.
The Chi has TOOOOOOOOOO many characters and I only like one storyline out of the 25 on the show.
I don’t get where they are going on The Chi but I’m not liking it, but going to keep watching to see.
Okay that was a tangent. Now let’s head into this week’s recommendations.
📚 READING RECOMMENDATIONS THIS WEEK:
For this week's book recommendations, I am sharing two different books that, as a reader and a former music critic, both made my heart smile. Both books explore music, albeit in various genres. One of the books focuses on Baltimore, while the other has a stint in my home of the Bay Area. They both made me feel nostalgic, and my journal is full of quotes and reflections from both.
The first book is No Sense in Wishing by Lawrence Burney. Lawrence is a journalist who explores music and culture for various publications, including his own, True Laurels. I read this book a few months ago, and honestly, I haven't stopped talking about it since. The book, a collection of essays, explores various topics, including how he discovered Lupe Fiasco and different examples of masculinity, hip-hop, and his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland amongst other topics. I really loved what Clover Hope said about the book:
“No Sense in Wishing is a sharp, reflective mix of cultural criticism, history, and memoir—a vivid look at a life shaped by hip-hop. Lawrence traces how a handful of artists reshaped his world, capturing the precise way a song’s groove can shake your soul and stay with you for a lifetime. His stories move like the rhythm of a great beat.”
Reading this book made me think about a great deal; how growing up in the Bay Area has shaped so much of who I am, and also how my family has shaped much of my perspective in various situations. The book also made me think of some of my early music loves and how so much of the music that I listened to also shaped who I am. I used to be a backpacker back in the day (this made me laugh) and even took a stab at rapping — although I was very proper and couldn't figure out how to breathe and rap at the same time.
There was an essay in the book that I loved, and it was about how Lawrence discovered Lupe Fiasco. It made me think about my first trip to New York, which I took after graduating from high school. My parents took my friend and me on a graduation trip. This was 2006, when the song "Kick Push" video first came out, and I had it on my iPod. My stepmom thought the song, based on the title, was about childbirth, which still makes me laugh today.
I'll be writing about this book in more detail later this week, but in the meantime, here is an excerpt from the book.
But, please, buy it and let me know your thoughts.
The second book I'm recommending this week is Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley. I read this book over the weekend, and I loved it.
I'm sure I'm not alone here, but often, in situations I find myself in, I connect them to music, and that happens frequently throughout this book, which I loved. When we meet Percy, the protagonist, she is a music-obsessed college student in Berkeley who has worked at both Amoeba and Rasputins, which I loved (if you know, you know). She is always listening to songs and somewhat has an envy for musicians. Percy befriends Joe, who is a musician and helps him write music. Joe is a pivotal character throughout the book and somewhat the opposite of Percy. He has had trauma and has perspective and is more free flying, while Percy is risk adverse and is at times in her head. Throughout the book, we see Percy’s evolution and growth.
One of the things I loved about this music is how it weaves through every chapter, whether in the chapter titles or the stories that unfold within each one. The cool thing, too, is that the songs or artists let you know precisely the timeframe of the book, as there were mentions of No Doubt and Erykah Badu's "Bag Lady." Additionally, I enjoy the memories of things that Holly mentioned throughout the book to show the time as well, e.g., “… he sent out an email blast,” blogging, or the mentions of wanting to listen to a song so bad that you had to wait to go home to find the song on YouTube. Lastly, I really enjoyed the hosts of characters. While I kind of enjoyed Joe, my favorites were Zoe and Percy’s mom.
This book was good, and the rights to it were purchased by A24, so a quirky movie is coming soon, and I can’t wait.
Listen to this podcast interview with Holly for the #PouredOver podcast.
BOOKS OUT TODAY:
Here are a few books that are out today that I am excited to start reading and surprisingly, only one is nonfiction.
Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams
A young book publicist finds herself in an all-consuming workplace affair with her literary idol in this “very impressive debut” (Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark).
Becoming Baba by Aymann Ismail (started 7/7)
From Slate staff writer Aymann Ismail comes an exquisite memoir about fatherhood, religion, and the search for identity in an ever-shifting world.
Such Good People by Amy Blumenfeld
An emotionally gripping, character-driven novel about the ripple effect of a split-second decision to protect a friend.
Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje
Spanning twenty years and one life-altering summer in Croatia, Slanting Towards the Sea is at once an unforgettable love story and a powerful exploration of what it means to come of age in a country younger than oneself.
+++
A FEW OTHER THINGS TO READ:
The Real Reason Men Should Read Fiction, The Atlantic
Regina Hall Talks Food, Family & Finding Healing At The Cookout, Refinery29
🎧 MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS THIS WEEK:
It was a light music week because of the holiday, but this week is going to be great. We’ll get new music from Clipse, Giveon, Kokoroko and Burna Boy.
In the meantime, there is one album that I forgot to share last week and that was the new album from Durand Jones & The Indications, Flowers. This album is funky, and the album explores fresh starts amongst other topics. You should read this review, but in the meantime, here are my two favorite songs from the album.
Also, here is the Spotify link to the album and the Apple link, because your girl is still living through her Libra woes of which I want to use.
