september was kind of a weird month. it felt both really long and kind of short, but i also couldn’t tell you much of anything i did.

september highlights.

made a new puppy friend // a veena-riggs reunion // got to play model for a morning // new jewish deli opened in my neighborhood

september books.

i flew through 5 books pretty quickly last month and then gave myself a break. i needed a mental break from all the things i had been reading, and i am so glad to have had it. i’ll get back into my reading groove in october.

these days, disgusting cozy clothes are my main sartorial vibe.

wow, no thank you by samantha irby. samantha irby is one of the funniest writers i’ve ever read, and i am one hundred percent convinced we would be friends in real life. this collection of essays, published in march 2020, had me cringing and cracking up in equal measure. her essay “late 1900s time capsule” was amazing, and her descriptions for the songs in her mix tape were spot on. i think my favorite was “hello, 911?”; it had me in stitches. i read it out on my porch one evening and am sure everyone walking past was convinced i had lost my mind. she’s fantastic.

the gone dead by chanelle benz. i didn’t know much about the gone dead when i borrowed it from the library other than the author is a professor at rhodes and the book is set in the mississippi delta and had a mystery at its heart. i was intrigued enough to borrow it and was very impressed with both the story and the writing. i always like a book that allows readers to see the same story from different perspectives, and this one did that so well. its exploration of race relations and classism in small-town mississippi was so raw and honest, and i definitely recommend reading it.

the night swim by megan goldin. man i love a good thriller, and this was one of the better ones i’ve read in a while. overlapping mysteries in a small town separated by 25 years. shifting narrators and perspectives. shades of black and white and gray. this one has it all, and i finished it in under 48 hours. it’s a fast, interesting read with a lot of parallels to recent news stories.

a ladder to the sky by john boyne. i have had this book for 2 years but put off reading it because boyne’s 2017 novel the heart’s invisible furies continues to live large in my memory and i both yearned to read this one but also feared it wouldn’t live up to the lofty expectations i pictured. last month i finally deemed it had been long enough and it was time to read it. i am glad i waited a little while to read it and also glad i finally did. boyne has such a knack for writing books i cannot put down. this one was a roller coaster, and there were parts when i cursed the main character out loud, but it was such an interesting ride.

nevertheless, she wore it by ann shen. this was a fun, easy, interesting read, which was exactly what i needed after a few heavier ones. shen breaks down 50 iconic fashion moments, including rbg’s dissent collars, afros, bikinis, and women wearing pants [gasp!], among many others. each moment includes an illustration and a brief history detailing the significance of the piece. i especially loved the write up on princess diana’s ‘revenge dress’ — i remember seeing her famous little black dress as a child, but never before knew why it was such a big deal. she wore the iconic dress on the same night prince charles admitted publicly to continuing his affair with camilla parker-bowles throughout his marriage; the dress – one that would have been deemed inappropriate when she was still a royal – was a signal to the world that diana was going to be just fine without him.

currently reading: michele harper’s the beauty in breaking. it’s good but it’s heavy, so i am taking my time with it.

the best things i watched.

baratunde thurston sharing why a little neighbor girl noticing his new shoes reminded him of his own humanity.

i’ve been rewatching some of my disney favorites, and this month was the lion king. i cannot remember the last time i watched it, and man it holds up.

i also started rewatching bones and flew through the first four seasons last month. the show had been popping into my head quite a lot recently so i decided to give it a go. i stopped watching around season 9 or 10 so i’m going to take the next few months to see if i can get through the entire run. seasons 1-4 / 4.5 were easy because i’ve seen them quite a few times and so could have them on and only pay half attention, but now that i’m into season 6 i need to start paying a little closer attention so i won’t be going as quickly.

on the night we found out about the death of justice ruth bader ginsburg, i rewatched the rbg documentary on hulu and allowed myself a good, solid cry. the doc is really well made and highlights so many of the reasons i admire justice ginsburg: her fight for gender equality, her quick wit, and her immense knowledge. it was very cathartic to watch.

the best things i read on the internet.

the profound heroism of chadwick boseman.

uncomfortable conversations with a black man.

this interactive map of the new york subway system is fascinating.

inside misty copeland’s [and olu’s] awesome nyc apartment.

jesmyn ward on struggling with grief during an ongoing pandemic.

the west coast wildfires are out of control.

can you solve these math problems for fall 2020?

so, so excited for the song exploder tv series.

nina totenberg on her decades-long friendship with rbg. [keep a tissue handy for this one]

when the dog is in charge of the house tour.

a video message from baratunde following the first presidential debate. ‘we can’t continue like this’

here’s to october. may it be a treat this year rather than a trick.

xx