Consumer Report
Your Friday Syllabus (on Monday because I forgot to hit publish)
My consumption habits as of late have been diverse and plentiful, and I feel like I haven’t shared much of it lately so today’s substack is gonna be a big ole list of links. No time to dilly dally. Let’s get into it.
Reading (articles)
TLC star Olivia Plath on Christian fundamentalism, Welcome to Plathville, and deconstructing
BDM does an excellent job (of course) of articulating exactly how I feel about New York City, the riotous place I once called home.
Our local playground is currently closed for renovations, but I loved this essay, The Playground is My Third Place.
Reading (books)
I’ve been READING reading lately. I read 4 books in the last two weeks and all of them were 4 and 5 star reads for me.
A Study In Drowning - romantasy-ish with some mystery and the writing doesn’t make you roll your eyes! And it’s stand alone romantasy novel under 400 pages, which is a huge bonus. 4 stars.
Yellowface - sort of a thriller in a weird way. Cringey, uncomfortable can’t look away. Just a wacky, page-turner of a book. 4 stars.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries - oooooh this book is wonderful. It’s fun and there is mystery and suspense and coziness. Light romance. Very fae-fantasy. Really well written. Just a perfect fantasy novel to me. This was my 5 star book of this list.
The Unmaking of June Farrow - yes yes yes. Magical realism at it’s best. I inhaled this book. Literally read it in 2 days. Mystery, some spookiness, romance, sadness, family, history. It’s just so good. I had a few minor qualms with how it resolves, making this a 4.5 star read for me.
Listening
It sucks to be 33 (yes, but also I love being 33).
espresso. all day every day.
New podcast from and Peyton Dix?? It’s not even out yet, I’m just listening to their 2 minute trailer on repeat until May 22.
Watching
Season three of Bridgerton… y’all.
Challengers!! I loved this movie and now I can’t stop shopping for little tennis skirts.
Buying
Shorts with elastic waists. This is all I want to wear this summer (this and aforementioned little tennis skirts). The thrift store is the place to shop for this too, which is an added bonus. So far I have found the perfect summery shorts with elastic waists in black, white, and blue stripes.
The youswim swimsuit finally. I’ve added this to cart so many times but the price tag was too steep for me to go through with it. But I actually have some occasions to wear a swimsuit this summer and I wanted something comfy that would last, and yeah, the hype for these swimsuits is justified.
Donating
National Bailout’s Free Black Mamas fund. I try to donate to them every Mother’s Day when they do their Mother’s Day bailouts, but they are working to get moms out of prisons and jails all year around! This is a great organization and I highly recommend giving to them.
Operation Olive Branch’s Perinatal Project. This project uses mutual aid funds and community resources to connect families in Gaza with perinatal care. They have an amazing team of doulas, midwives, OBGYNs, family doctors, lactation consultants and therapists. It’s a fantastic and vital project, so please donate if you can!
