highly recommend #6: we gonna party like it's ya birthday (because it is actually my birthday)
celebrating yourself? what a concept!!! if you know a taurus... you know... we celebrate all month long. act accordingly.
Hello beautiful people, and HAPPY TAURUS SEASON AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTH TO MOI. Of course, I think May is the best month of the year (followed closely by October) — and that’s a hill I’ll die on. Truthfully, April felt like a bit of a strugglebus on multiple accounts — flat tires, getting sick for the first time in ages, a nice little weeklong depressive episode, mercury in retrograde, you know — all the things you absolutely hate to see. But April is over, and May is here, and I’m here for it. Now, let’s dig in.
to watch
Challengers: Who among us has not been chomping at the bit for this movie to come out? (And if it’s just me, what is wrong with you people?!) Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor, and Zendaya caught between them in a tennis-adjacent tryst? Sign me all the way up. Where to Watch: Your local theatre, baby.
Big Mood: Listen, I am just as skeptical as you are about the programming over on Tubi — but the wee lesbian from Derry Girls, Miss Whistledown herself, Nicola Coughlan, is gracing our screens yet again. This time in a millennial dramedy about a bipolar millennial who stops taking her meds in order to gain clarity in her writing, and her ride or die best friend. In case you need an extra nudge, Michel Ganem of TV Scholar has that nudge at the ready. Where to Watch: Tubi.
Black Twitter: If you are, or ever were, deeply invested in the culture of Twitter (yes, we are still calling it Twitter, screw you, Elon!!!), then you should know that a whole hefty lot of the best things about it came from the culture that is and was Black Twitter. In the height of the Game of Thrones popularity, #demthrones (which eventually shifted into #thronesyall) was a favorite hashtag of mine to follow, because as usual, most of the best of internet culture, slang, change, and joy, is born in the Black community. Where to Watch: Hulu, beginning May 9th.
Bridgerton: Nicola Coughlan hive, we are e a t i n g this month. If you’re not on the Bridgerton train, at this point, I don’t know what to tell you. Just do it. It’s like taking a nap in a bed of cotton candy (without the dangers of waking up sticky and weird) (hopefully) (… unless?). Where to Watch: Netflix.
to read
Funny Story by Emily Henry: Oh, Emily Henry. How I cherish thee. How you lift me from my reading ruts time and again. You should get more credit for that, Emily! Emily’s dialogue absolutely slays in this picturesque love letter to Northern Michigan summers. Highlighting Suttons Bay, Traverse City, and yes, even a lil’ mention of Petoskey once or twice — it hit the spot for me even more than Book Lovers, which is saying something. I read this in something absurd like 18 hours. That is to say… run. Don’t walk.
The Pairing, Casey McQuiston (Pre-Order): Let me first start out by saying, this book will not be for everyone. I, (un)fortunately, will read everything Casey McQuiston writes, probably, because their first book grabbed me by the neck and never let me go. This book is extremely queer, extremely horny, and extremely smutty. If any of those things are not up your alley, look away!!! While the first half of the book is a little too brash and explicit for moi, what I loved about this book was the characters traveling through Europe on a food tour. It transported me to a very European summer, the likes of which I have not felt since Chelsea Fagan’s A Perfect Vintage. (Available August 8th.)
A Bit Much, Lyndsay Rush (Pre-Order): I love
’s writing more than most things in this life. She joins my hall-of-homerun-hit-you-in-the-gut-famers Jamie Varon and Kate Baer as far as words finding you at the right time in the right state goes. Not to mention, her Instagram handle? @maryoliversdrunkcousin? I mean, you already know it’s going to be great. It’s a special kind of magic that comes along very rarely — and her debut poetry collection is just… phenomenal. PHENOMENAL!!!!!! If I say it in caps lock, will you take my word for it? One more time, just in case — PHENOMENAL!!!!! (Available September 17th.) (Thanks to NetGalley for the ARCs!)to listen
Highly Recommend #6: Playlist: Lights, camera, bitch, smile! Also — if you haven’t heard the absolutely nonsensical song that is Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter, please make your way to this playlist post haste to experience that me espresso.
The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift: What, are you surprised? You thought that because I delivered a wildly unhinged review of the first half of the anthology that I’d let it rest? Oh no, absolutely not. (Part 2 is coming, I promise. I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with baited breath on it. I have deeper, less chaotic thoughts about the album on the whole now that I’ve been sitting with it for a few weeks and not writing a review on 3 hours of sleep and a bucket of WTFs.)
The Complex Mind of an Overthinking Overachiever: I mean… the title says it all, amirite? This podcast by Christina Topacio of HDDL Culture is it. I’ve been a longtime fangirl of Cee’s work, and can’t wait to work with her in the very very near future. In the meantime, her podcast has been speaking to my soul.
to buy
Linen Quilt: I’ve been a down comforter girlie since, well, forever. I love a weighted blanket. I am anxious, my tootsies and phalanges tend to run cold, and I love to be snuggled into bed like the princess with no pea. However, I’ve been on the hunt for a summer-weight linen-y comforter/quilt situation for a while now. (Read: since I started getting ridiculous night sweats, TMI? Oh well. We’re all friends here.) I simply cannot be sleeping with the comforters I have been sleeping with this summer. (Quince, $160)
J.Crew’s May Collection: I rounded up some of my favorite picks from J.Crew’s new collection — and, fun fact, if you purchase through my links, I get a lil’ commission kickback. What a gift! I’ll do a roundup on Instagram stories with my favorites in the next day or two, because they’re having a little springy dingy sale, and who can resist that? (Aside from me, a woman who is on a very deeply serious clothing purge journey. I am resisting. But I already own several of the pieces, so… do with that what you will.)
Meggie’s Birthday Wishlist: Last year, my flatmate put together a little birthday wishlist on Amazon and then sent it out to her friends and family — the outcome? Nobody was wondering what to get for her, and she received some lovely things she really wanted instead of winding up with a bunch of things she didn’t want or need. So, I’m following in her footsteps this year. It’s an expansive list full of sexy little things and not-so-sexy little things too, because sometimes the best birthday gifts are the ones you need and not want, right? Caveat: Though this wishlist is linked to Amazon, I do my best to not buy books from Amazon at all costs, as I am an indie bookstore lover, and still think that maybe someday, I might run one of my own — SO, here’s my bookish wishlist over yonder on bookshop.org, an online book emporium that supports independent bookstores across the nation.
to do
Run a Mile Without Stopping: Listen, do I love running? I do not. Am I determined? I sure frickin’ am. I’ve run my fair share of 5Ks in this life, but have litchrally never run a full mile without stopping ever in my life. Uncovering hidden itchy goals while turning 37 — you know what that is? Growth.
Cook at Home: Last month I launched my lil’ Cookbook Club with a handful of my favorite people, and it was so wonderful and delightful — we’re doing it again, obviously, but aside from that, I can count on one hand the number of times I cooked at home last month. (And no, I wasn’t eating out all the time or DoorDashing, I tried the meal delivery service Factor to see how I liked it. And I liked it a lot! 9/10 meals slapped every week! But I’m going to be bopping all over the place this month, and as it warms up, I tend to gravitate towards salads and sammies and snacks, oh my, so we put ole’ Factor on pause. However, if you want to try it, I’ve got 2 free boxes to gift — so reply to this email if you want to try one! First come, first served! And if you don’t wind up snagging one of those, here’s a lil’ link for $150 off.)
to obsess over
The Wales Bonner x Adidas Leopard Print Sambas: These are sold out almost everywhere in my size. They had them on StockX but they were something absolutely absurd like $495. Absolutely absurd and absolutely not. It simply cannot be justified, no matter how badly I want to kick it in these kicks. Alas. I will simply obsess over them until the end of time. (However, if you do love them and have dainty sized 6-8 feet, you won’t have trouble finding a pair.)
add to cart?
Nori Press Iron: You know what I hate? Ironing. Specifically, ironing boards. I just cannot get myself to adhere to it. But I also own a lot of linen, so, you see my problem. This no-board-required steam iron has gone viral multiple times, and I heard about it from
of Gee Thanks, Just Bought It, and would essentially trust her with my life even though we’ve never met. (Sorry if that’s weird, Caroline, but your recs never miss.) (Nori, $120)Farfalle Earrings: I have somehow lost and/or given away and/or misplaced all of my favorite statement earrings in the last 2 years, and summer is right around the corner — and summer is for statement earrings. Kind of obsessed with these Farfalle diddies from Lisa Gah? (My mother makes the best farfalle summertime pasta salad, so they would essentially be an homage… right?) (Lisa Gah, $45)
the month ahead
Watching: The Fall Guy, Furiosa, John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA! — those are all new releases. But, The Wedding Planner, Shrek, and the original Jumanji have all been added to Netflix this month. I will be partaking in those hits of perfect nostalgia, thank you very much.
TBR: My TBR is neverending, basically — but on the top of my list this month are: Fruit of the Dead, Dominoes, The Villain Edit, and The Lost Story.
Oh, and if you didn’t pick up on it yet… it’s my birthday on May 16th. Tell a friend.