I love early fall. The leaves are starting to change and there’s that satisfying crunch when you step on them during your hike. The sun rises later, but it’s so bright against the yellowing leaves. You can pretend it’s cool enough for a jacket even though there’s a strong chance it will be 90° next week. You start thinking about baking. You impulse-buy a ridiculous Halloween tchotchke at TJ Maxx. You start thinking about Thanksgiving. Are you going out of town for Christmas this year? Should you start looking at cabins on VRBO?
Whatever you’re doing today, I hope you’re warm and safe and ready to read a bunch of articles.
• This is my favorite time of year for many reasons, but most notably because the Great British Baking Show is back on Netflix. Have you watched it yet? Who’s your favorite so far? I really like Janusz and Dawn.
• If there’s one thing about me, I’m going to subscribe to a newsletter. Amanda Kate Richards has started a newsletter called Fat Hell about “being fat and getting dressed”. Right out of the gate she takes on the comeback of low-rise jeans. (Substack)
• Good news for Samantha Irby fans, which I assume is all of us, she wrote another book! It’s called quietly hostile and it comes out May 2023, but if you pre-order it now from Sam’s hometown bookstore (via this link), she will sign and/or personalize it for you. Go! It’s only $17. (Book Bug)
• I’m a big fan of sisters Amelia and Emily Nagoski. Emily wrote Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life and together they co-wrote Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. For The Atlantic, Amelia weighs in on how quiet quitting is a strategy, not self care. (The Atlantic)
• Now that I’ve started this trend, I feel like I have to keep telling you which romance audiobook I listened to while walking through the woods. This month it was By the Book by Jasmine Guillory. An early twenty-something in NYC starts her dream job at a major publishing house and ends up flying to LA to help her boss’s celebrity client finish his memoir. I looooooved it. (Libro.fm)
• I don’t know that there’s ever been a newsletter so perfectly tailored to my interests: Gen X sensibilities, thoughts on writing and art, a highlight on southern women and nonbinary artists, naturalist training (!). If this is you, too, check out Field Trip. (Substack)
• I’ve got a new podcast rec for you. It’s from my friend Sheena who you may recognize from Ladyland. She’s been on my podcast a few times. In her new podcast called Truthfully Stew, she’s talking about finding a Black therapist, the surprise of finding out you’re pregnant with twins, and so much more.
• Smriti Mundhra is making a coming-of-age docuseries for Disney+ called “Growing Up” and in this piece for Elle she talks about brown girls and eating disorders and the whitewashing of eating disorders in the media.
• Once a year I teach a social media workshop for writers and it always sells out. If you want in, and you live within driving distance of Nashville, the class is on Saturday, October 8. More details here. (The Porch)
• An argument for more jokes that end in bird feet. (TikTok)
See you in the comments!
Kim
Reneeski
I love the Great British Baking Show but want to throw a cupcake against the wall(!) every time diet culture talk pops up (e.g., cheat days, worth the calories, etc.).
Rachel C
Yes to Janusz as “top caker”!!! (I teared up during the first episode, he is adorable). I also ready By The Book last month and wholeheartedly agree with the rec, it’s a good one and a fun twist on a classic tale.