FMG: My sister will hate this newsletter
she famously skips the book recs, and this newsletter is full of them
Happy Friday!
I took a Substack break last week because I was a busy little working girl — the Design Chicago conference was in town, and I spent a packed few days attending panels, capturing social media content for my clients, and indulging in as many free food and drink spreads as possible. It’s an honor to live in a city that welcomes people from all over the world (whether for a visit or for the long-term) — people who are here to teach, to learn, to share, to work, to make memories, and to coexist. I will never understand a mindset that is opposed to this welcoming of all people, and I stand firmly with all those building a life in Chicago, no matter where they were born. I recently made a donation to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights, and you can do the same here if you’re so inclined.
Here’s what else has been moving & inspiring me these past few weeks:
Books, Part One: I am positively THRILLED to share that I finally finished the audiobook I’ve been listening to for LITERAL months, Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life by Nicholas D. Kristof. Nick is my favorite opinion columnist (and one of my favorite, most level-headed Instagram follows), but my gosh was his book long. It was a really beautiful book (and genuinely so necessary in a time when honest, reliable journalism is under attack), but it was a heavy read (or listen, for me), and it took me a long time to get through it. Do I recommend reading it? Absolutely. Do I think you should plan to take breaks and/or read other things in between chapters? Definitely.
Books, Part Two: I like to have a nonfiction audiobook going at all times (yes, I’m amazing), so once I finished Chasing Hope, I started one that’s been on my to-read list for a verrrrry long time. As a lover of food and of books/people that are far more badass than I am, I can’t believe I’m just now reading Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by the inimitable Anthony Bourdain. It never fails to amaze me to read the backstories and journeys of people who SO clearly found their purpose in life, and I’m positively flying through this audiobook. Allow me to take this opportunity to make sure you know this: If you have Spotify Premium, you have virtually unlimited access to audiobooks. Use it!!!!!
Books, Part Three: I’m also flying through the Rebel Blue Ranch series, which is my favorite cheesy romance series I’ve read in a long time. Turns out I’m a biiiiig fan of cowboys.*
*Someone I love told me she’d pay me $20 if I titled this newsletter “FMG: Slut for Cowboys,” and someone ELSE I love (my parents) told me they’d pay me $25 if I didn’t. This inclusion means they all owe me money, right?
TV Shows, Part One: I can’t get enough of this season of Dancing with the Stars!!!! I am positively consumed by the fact that we get Wicked Night next week (here’s your biannual reminder that I did indeed meet Jon M. Chu at a screening of Crazy Rich Asians several years ago, and no, I will not let you forget it), and I’m honestly loving every single pairing that’s left. My one annoyance with this season is that it feels like every contestant who’s gone home seems to be unfamiliar with the concept of voting (???) and finds their elimination to be a personal slight vs. a sheer fact of the show. My prediction for the top five (in no particular order) is as follows: Robert/Witney, Whitney/Mark, Dylan/Daniella, Jordan/Ezra, and Alix/Val. I never want it to end!!
TV Shows, Part Two: When I’m not obsessing over ballroom dancers and their celebrity counterparts, I’ve been embarking on the journey of rewatching Stranger Things from the beginning. When it premiered over nine years ago, Stranger Things quickly became one of my favorite shows of all time. Its four seasons have captivated me like just about nothing else, and I can’t wait for season five to premiere next month. THAT SAID, rewatching has been a journey (given that I am not remembering a single thing about these older episodes) — my memory is failing me, so I’m glad I’m taking on the rewatch, but (much like the above audiobook) it’s essentially a part-time job.
I hope you’re filling your own days with both work and play that fulfill and invigorate you. Have a wonderful, safe, happy, and love-filled weekend!
XOXO,
Gail