Friday Things // 07.22.22

The one with some good distractions + links.

Jul 23, 2022

First things first, friends — thank you so much for all the support regarding this little newsletter’s name change. I really appreciate it, and I appreciate each of you, so much.

Today, I thought I’d share some random things you can get lost in (most that I’ve enjoyed very recently), in case you too need a distraction in your life right now. The world feels heavy for many of us, for various reasons, and as I tip-toe up to the second anniversary of my mom’s passing, I am feeling extra anxious for ways to disassociate and just — even if briefly — swim into another world that’s perhaps lighter or just plain ol’ different than reality. So, without further ado, here’s a mish-mash that I hope you enjoy!

Some very good distractions:

» An extremely random, kinda literary, online game, the Emily Blaster. I discovered this through — strangely enough — the New York Times cooking newsletter, though it has literally nothing to do with cooking. It’s fun, though, and an ingenious way to market a book, if I do say so myself. (I actually just bought the book today, too!)

» Two new shows on Hulu: “Maggie” and “The Bear.” With the exception of having very short episodes, they really couldn’t be more different from each other, but I have really enjoyed them. “Maggie” is basically a rom-com about a woman who’s a psychic, and I thought I’d hate it but it was oddly addicting. I’m only a few episodes into “The Bear” so far, but it’s really good and I see why it’s gotten so many rave reviews; it’s set in Chicago but it really reminds me of growing up in an Italian family in New York City. (It touches on grief, but so far is not sad or triggering, at least for me — just FYI.)

Speaking of Hulu, I’ve recommended this before, but “Murders in the Building” is always a solid choice (it cracks me up every episode). Also, I love “Virgin River” on Netflix and the new season is out now. (Can’t wait to watch!)

» These books/recent reads:

“Every Summer After” by Carley Fortune: I am obsessed with this book. I couldn’t stop reading it but at the same time, I didn’t want it to end. It was so very wonderful, and splits you between the past summers of the main character’s teenage years and current day. It’s a romance/rom-com and just… read it. Seriously.
“A Special Place for Women” by Laura Hankin: I read this a couple months ago but I am still thinking about it. In a nutshell, a journalist down on her luck starts pursuing a story about this mysterious women’s club in NYC and let’s just say it’s not quite what she was expecting. The author is excellent at snappy language and the plot is just so fun. (I’m really surprised it doesn’t have a higher Goodreads rating.)
“Book Lovers” by Emily Henry: This is one of my favorite authors and as soon as I finished this book, I wanted to restart it; that’s how good it is. It’s got some “You’ve Got Mail” vibes but overall the back-and-forth dialogue and witty comebacks are just gold, and really I love anything that takes place in the publishing world.
“The Royal We” by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan: I read this a couple years ago but it sprang to mind when I was thinking about books that suck you in and transport you somewhere else. It’s SO good, even if you are not interested in the British Royals. It’s about a normal American girl who happens to meet and fall in love with a member of the Royal Family.
“The Dinner Party” by Rebecca Serle: I like all of this author’s books and she really just has a beautiful way with words, but this one was the first of her books that I ever read, and remains my favorite. Honestly, it’s probably one of my favorite all-time books, too. It has a tough of magical realism and is just a lovely read.

» If you feel like scrolling the internet, I am low-key obsessed with this Instagram account. This one is so good if you are a millennial, and also, I love the impressions in this one. (Regarding the latter, I have worked in communications for a decade so maybe that’s why I find her impersonations so hilarious.) The poems from this Instagram account always hit the spot too.

» Little bit deeper, but this was an excellent read — highly recommend it! (Love that whole newsletter, actually.)

» This podcast is really the ultimate queen of distractions and random topics. Pretty sure I’ve linked it here before, but it’s mostly pop culture and millennial related. (Note: some recent episodes have touched on politics and current affairs — just FYI in case you’d like to avoid getting into that headspace; you can just read the episode notes in your podcast player — like the podcast app on iPhones — to get a head’s up on the topic, if needed.) 😎

…and that’s about all I got!

Anything I’m missing and that you’d recommend as a good distraction/must-see or must-read? Let me know in the comments!

So Many Somethings

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