i’m warning you now, this is a long one!

november highlights.

work gala and lots of time with my coworkers // nyc getting into the holiday spirit // doc nyc fest // low-key dinner parties with fun friends // went to a party at the italian consulate // saws board retreat // grizz in town twice // surprise visit from lauren and sam! // thanksgiving fun at abi and christian’s // guster concert at carnegie hall

november books.

november was another “slow” reading month in comparison to some months earlier this year, but i’m realizing it’s because i’m recalibrating to my pre-covid book consumption and figuring out what is sustainable for me these days. i’m nearly finished with some good ones and excited to share them with you soon!

something wilder by christina lauren. i’m still on a bit of a hiatus from romance novels, but i couldn’t resist this latest one from christina lauren. it was a slight departure from their usual novels and while it was fine on the whole it did sometimes feel like they were trying a bit too hard to make it “adventurous” in places. i know i sound like a broken record but for my money josh & hazel’s guide to not dating is still their best work.

the bullet that missed by richard osman. the third book in osman’s “thursday murder club” series recently released, and once again it was a joyful escape from real life. i continue to enjoy the escapades of elizabeth, joyce, ibrahim, ron, and their merry band of sidekicks and supporting characters, and i look forward to reading their adventures for years to come.

2022 book tally to date: 57

the best things i watched.

i finished bad sisters and loved it. i thought the show was so well written and the cast was brilliant, and i loved following along and seeing if i could guess the ending: i came close but definitely didn’t get all the details. i continue to be a huge fan of anything sharon horgan does, but honestly everyone was great and i’m kind of obsessed with eve hewson. streaming on apple tv+

https://radicallandscapesfilm.com/

as part of the doc nyc film fest maggie and i attended the premiere of radical landscapes, a really lovely film by elettra fiumi about her father fabrizio and all of the incredible design and art work that he and his partners did in italy in the 70s. the film is great, and we even got to tag along to the premiere party! currently on the festival circuit; sign up on their website for news and screenings

to kick off the thanksgiving break i took myself on a solo movie date to see she said, the movie about jodi kantor and megan twohey’s journey of breaking the story about harvey weinstein. i always like a good investigative reporter story and this one hit the mark for me; i especially appreciated the peek into their personal lives alongside the professional. in theaters

other things i watched:

• ananya, an interesting marathi film that overall was good but could have used some script and story editing [prime video]
• elections returns for my steve kornacki fix lol
• triangle of sadness which was quite interesting [in theaters]
• rewatching brooklyn nine-nine when i just want something on in the background [peacock]
• all the world cup matches minus the ones that started at 5am

the best things i listened to.

a few different people recently have recommended the music from the hours [composed by philip glass] as a good work playlist, and i have to concur. it’s been great for when i need something unobtrusive in the background while i’m working.

what’s in a name? maybe a job [the indicator from planet money, october 27]. ongoing research continues to show that your name impacts your employment prospects which is ridiculous and also not surprising.

if teachers took over the government with sharon mcmahon [rethinking, november 1]. this was incredible timing, because the day after this episode dropped sharon mcmahon accepted a jefferson award for outstanding public service by a private citizen at our organization’s 50th anniversary gala. this episode is a great listen.

how to make work less hostile to parents with jessica grose [work appropriate, november 2]. it’s amazing to me when employers continue to emphasize extreme structure as our world continues to prove it’s not necessary.

june foray: woman of a thousand voices [mobituaries with mo rocca, november 2]. the story of one of the best voice actors of all time. this was such an interesting listen.

a moral blueprint for reimagining capitalism | manish bhardwaj . how integrating moral clarity into organizations, communities, and our personal lives will help create a more just world.

the sunday read: ‘taken under fascism, spain’s “stolen babies” are learning the truth’ [the daily, november 6]. umm, i had no idea that when francisco franco was dictator of spain there was a whole practice of taking babies away from women who were poor, unmarried, imprisoned, etc, and selling them to catholic couples who couldn’t have kids of their own. this was a fascinating episode, definitely on the “if you only listen to one” list.

weird al yankovic: achieving massive success by leaning into his true (nerdy) self [the great creators with guy raz, november 8]. i have been a fan of weird al since i was in elementary school and am even more so after listening to this conversation.

grit is good. but quitting can be, too [hbr ideacast, november 8]. annie duke argues against the adage of “never give up” and “winners never quit, quitters never win” and reminds us that sometimes quitting might be the best decision.

summer renaissance [still processing, november 8]. j and wesley break down donna summer’s self-titled album and the legacy she doesn’t get enough credit for.

surviving sh*tty work culture with nicole washington [work appropriate, november 9]. oh this was a good one. great conversation about how to actually change organizational culture. definitely some triggers in here especially if you’ve worked for nonprofits but also very much an “if you only listen to one” recommendation.

being a better manager & understanding the past — with dolly chugh [the prof g pod with scott galloway, november 10]. great chat between two of my favorite nyu professors to follow. very excited to read chugh’s new book.

the e-book wars [planet money, november 11]. if you’ve ever wondered why the price of e-books have gone up in recent years or why libraries have limited digital copies of books then i think you will find this very informative; i know i did.

‘fatty fatty boom boom’ details a lifelong relationship with food and body image [npr’s book of the day, november 14]. rabia chaudry looks back at how her childhood shaped her outlook on food and how she worked to reshape that relationship.

new foundation [still processing, november 15]. wesley and j talk about work culture in america. great listen.

may i speak to the manager? with melissa nightingale [work appropriate, november 16]. all about management in the workplace, including managing a remote workforce, dealing with generational difference, modeling work-life balance, and so much more. a great listen, particularly for any of you who work in nonprofits.

jodi kantor and megan twohey on ‘she said,’ the power of journalism, and the oddity of becoming the subject [next question with katie couric, november 17]. loved listening to this interview with jodi and megan about their time investigating harvey weinstein and also what it was like to see their lived experience played out on screen.

meet the parents taking over school boards [the assignment with audie cornish, november 17]. audie cornish came out swinging with the first episode of her new podcast and hit a home run. this was a great reminder that i sometimes need to listen to people whose opinions are different to my own, and hats off to cornish’s abilty to remain neutral and continue asking questions even while the women she was speaking to were saying some [in my opinion] pretty outlandish things.

mulberry me alive (with dr. sumesh uncle hirway) [home cooking, november 17]. if you ever need some joy in your life, listen to an episode of this podcast. i purposely saved this one to listen on thanksgiving morning, and it started my day on the best note. samin and hrishi are the best and i want to be their friends. sumesh uncle already follows me on instagram, so that one’s a done deal.

how the cookie became a monster [planet money, november 18]. have you ever wondered where internet “cookies” came from? this episode has your answer.

finding family [up first, november 20]. i loved this episode of listeners sharing their stories of born and chosen families.

the four-day work week: luxury or necessity? [rethinking, november 21]. great conversation about the science behind promoting shorter work weeks and how to sustainably implement the practice.

how to set boundaries with family [life kit, november 24]. for any of you out there who also struggle to set boundaries, particularly with born and chosen family.

why america is suffering a ‘friendship recession’ [plain english with derek thompson]. alone time is rising across all demographics, so derek talks to bryce ward about the causes and consequences. a good “if you only listen to one” episode.

a few limited series that were very interesting:

• the revolution with steve kornacki — 6 episodes covering the shift in power in congress in the 80s and 90s
• teaching texas — how texas came to influence the textbook industry across the country

and lots of great episodes about this year’s world cup:

• the human cost of qatar’s world cup [espn daily, november 4]. a lot has been written and said about the bribes involved in qatar securing the rights to host the world cup this year as well as the numerous human rights violations and horrendous working conditions that went into their preparations for the event. this was a great rundown on everything that has happened since their bid was first chosen in 2010
• today explained — they dedicated their fridays in november to covering a lot of background and leadup to this year’s world cup
• on the ground in qatar for the most controversial world cup ever [espn daily, november 17]. this one dives more into the concerns of the lgbtq+ community and the possibility of protests during the tournament
• qatar’s world cup [throughline, november 17]. i appreciated this episode for providing even more context into qatar’s history and its quest to become a global power.
• how qatar took the world cup [the new yorker radio hour, november 18]. an interesting look at how the corruption and scandal surrounding this year’s world cup was unearthed.
• qatar’s 2022 world cup [beyond the scenes from the daily show with trevor noah, november 22]. what can i say, it’s another good one. and this one covers the need for independent sports journalism at the world cup.
• qatar’s big bet on the world cup [the daily, november 28]. how qatar got the world cup, with a little insight into whether western countries with our history of colonialism and enslavement have room to criticize qatar for their human rights violations.

the best things i made.

tejal rao’s egg curry continues to be one of the easiest and most delicious recipes in my repertoire.

the best things i purchased.

i have been keeping an eye out for a sleeker, more “professional” backpack, and thanks to a hefty discount i finally bit the bullet and ordered a renew transit backpack from everlane. it arrived just in time for my trip to memphis, so while i have only had it for a few weeks it has already gotten a fair bit of use and i am a big fan.

the best things i read on the internet.

this interview with sharon horgan about the making of bad sisters. contains spoilers! vulture

an old one on the pitfalls of being a go-getter. the atlantic

the importance of texting your friends. ny times via maggie

home is where your best friend is. harper’s bazaar via mira jacob

it’s me, i am the fall weekend lady. cup of jo

this new tool from columbia journalism review calculates how newsworthy you are if you ever go missing. apparently i am worth 8 news stories, in comparison to the roughly 120 news stories that are generated when white women in their 20s go missing. columbia journalism review via ap news

anne helen petersen on sprawling holidays. culture study

this sums up all of my complicated thoughts on slumdog millionaire so well. the juggernaut

do you know whether these vegetables are healthier raw or cooked? i did not do well on the quiz. ny times via ann friedman

great feature on gabrielle blair. ny times

what running taught me about life. caroline donofrio

all the weird and wonderful things you find when you move. butt news

on night nannies. the atlantic

how ms marvel handled portraying partition on screen. contains spoilers! the juggernaut

not everyone has an internal monologue. i don’t know what i would do without mine. ryan langdon

i don’t need any more newsletters and i certainly don’t need more podcasts, but nicholas quah’s newsletter 1.5x speed is very good. vulture

caring for others and accepting care in return. culture study

the six forces that fuel friendship. the atlantic

why is college the only answer? brooklyn, everywhere via the atlantic

roxane gay shares her thoughts on everything that’s happening at twitter. the audacity

a journalist does his middle school daughter’s homework for a week. the atlantic

our obsession with streaks and gamifying everything. culture study

what derry girls got right about adulthood. contains spoilers! the atlantic

great profile of octavia butler. ny times via roxane gay

and another one on octavia butler. vulture

what you learn from eating alone. the atlantic via cup of jo

clint smith on what we ask of black american athletes. the atlantic

the previous read included a link to this piece penned by tyler adams, captain of the us men’s soccer team, back in 2018. the players tribune

happy december! can’t believe it’s already the final month of the year!

xx

notes:

• the book links are affiliate links via bookshop.org, meaning if you use them to purchase you’ll be supporting independent booksellers
• all ny times, nyt cooking, and juggernaut links are gift links
• i’m overhauling the monthly recaps and moving the recommendations to a new platform. stay tuned for more info soon!