Booked, busy + utterly outraged (Or, How I spent the first week of June 2025)
Turning to fiction, charming celebrity profiles, tennis + the Tony Awards to keep me afloat in the Sturm und Drang
I’ve committed to making a real dent in Mount Nightstand* this summer (*the ever-growing TBR stack on my literal nightstand). It doesn’t help that it feels like good books keep coming out every Tuesday, practically calling out to me. My library holds list is long, with some titles having months’-long wait times.
I’m also trying to hold off—as best I can—from buying more books before I trim down the current stacks. How’s that going, you ask? Mind your business!
The immediate reads at the top of mountain are: Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zihang; Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid; finishing Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka; and finally getting to The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
This doesn’t include three other books written by friends that I’ve been promising to get to for the last six months (fine! It’s more than six months, OK?? Jeez.) And we haven’t yet entered “beach read season.” Lawd! This is going to be a test of resolve.
What have you got lined to read? Do tell! Just don’t recommend anything to me. Don’t throw me off my path—ah beg!
It’s June, and the last stretch of the school year is upon us. A busy season, for sure. But trying to keep a steady head amid all the deeply disturbing things happening around us in this country feels nearly impossible. It’s destabilizing, to be honest. I’m glad that I was able to still find some joy and interest in other things this week despite the swirl of national news. Here’s what I’ve Read, Watched + Heard:
READ:
This piece in The Atlantic, “Money Is Ruining Television,” hits on something I’ve been thinking about lately: Are the lifestyles of the filthy rich, as shown on TV, kind of boring, lacking real depth and drama?
Actor, writer and comedian Ayo Edebiri is one of my faves. I latched onto her the minute she entered the scene on the series The Bear and have been riding for her ever since. This cover story, “Ayo Edebiri Was Happy Working Behind the Scenes. Then the Spotlight Found Her” in WSJ. Magazine only adds to her charm while peeling back a little more of her layers—but not too much. She’s protecting her private life with her life. Smart move. Truly.
The original Hermès prototype for the Birkin bag (i.e. the actual bag made for actor, singer Jane Birkin in 1984) will be sold at auction as part of a Paris Fashion Icons sale that Sotheby’s is holding on July 10. Any guess how much that thing is going to go for? Enough to feed a large town for weeks, I’m sure.
Have to say, this profile on James Frey was more of eye-roll-read than anything else. So many annoying bits and pieces (dare I say, “A Million Little Pieces”? Bratty pun!) Two things came to mind while reading the NYTimes piece:
1. This f—ing guy. Acting like accountability is an antiquated—worse, useless—notion. 2. After reading this line early into it, “(Frey believes quotation marks are inauthentic.),” I said,
WATCHED:
One month later and I’m still incensed at the unwarranted firing (via a curt, disrespectful email) of Dr. Carla Hayden from her role as 14th librarian of Congress. Here, in her first interview since her dismissal, Dr. Hayden talks to CBS Sunday Morning.
A busy Saturday kept me from watching as my gurl Coco Gauff won her first French Open, becoming the first American to win the Grand Slam event since Serena Williams in 2015. But I made sure to watch every single highlight shortly after, sitting in my car in a rainy parking lot, beaming at my phone. Like Coco, I’m already manifesting seeing her play live at the US Open this summer!
I’m an unabashed fan of awards shows. I stick to the big leagues: Oscars, Emmys, SAG, Grammys, and just on Sunday, the 78th Annual Tony Awards. It was a great show deftly hosted by Cynthia Erivo. (Treat yourself to her opening performance here if you missed it.) This was the first year that I was so clued into nearly all the nominees and shows. I had my people, performances and plays I was cheering for (Purpose, Buena Vista Social Club, Kara Young, Audra McDonald, Paul Tazewell), and there were plenty of memorable moments, but the 10-year reunion of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton was outstanding. As the youngs say, it was my 90 in a 35!
HEARD + WALKIN’ + TALKIN’:
The New England weather was again rude, unconcerned with any of my plans. And while I was hoping to continue our chat about the curious case of the English language—this time couldn’t care less vs. could care less—the truth is, the news of what is happening in Los Angeles has taken over my thoughts. Watching and reading about peaceful, community rallies protesting the recent horrific immigration raids literally tearing families apart, grabbing people from their homes, places of work, school graduation ceremonies… it’s a lot.
I created this space on Substack for conversations about culture + community, and the aim is to keep it focused on the richer, brighter, interesting parts of our current world. However, the news keeps getting worse, fraught with troubling, heartbreaking, infuriating turns every other hour. It’s forcing me to use the time walking to clear my head, get some fresh air—even in the rain—and take a break for an hour. We all deserve at least that.
I haven’t even been listening to any podcasts either. The noise in my heard feels loud enough. So, instead, I’ll leave you with something I just heard then watched. It’s hip hop artist and singer Doechii’s BET Award acceptance speech. This is what using your platform for the people looks like: