This Week In Recommendations - 27.07.23

Same newsletter, new day! In my annotating era? A binge-worthy podcast, a literary magazine and an example of a good for the world Tiktok trend.

👋 Hello and welcome to this weeks issue of You Should Check Out that now officially lands on a Thursday! I’d been mulling over wether to change the day this drops for a couple of months now. I always thought a Sunday was an ideal day to read this in the morning while curled up with a coffee but I started to think, isn’t it better to perhaps get all those book/TV/movie/podcast/etc recommendations before the weekend hits? I know that on a Friday evening, my husband and I spend more time scrolling for something to watch than the time we spend actually viewing something. I also listen to the bulk of my podcasts during the working week and I read everyday. So Thursday seems like the most apt day to publish!

I have some other ideas for the newsletter that I spoke briefly about a few issues ago and my plan is to refine these further in August with a view of launching before summer ends. That being said - keep an eye on your inbox still this Sunday as I have a little topical themed issue that I’m working on as a little extra on top of the recs. Now let’s get into them.

❤️ This week I’ve been loving a band I discovered lately called The Last Dinner Party who have only released two singles so far but their Spotify based on radio playlist is SO GOOD. It has been on repeat. I’ve also snapped up two bargains via the Tiktok shop which btw, is so good?! And been enjoying these Vanilla Chai teabags from Tesco. They are quite subtle but lovely.

Reading

📚 I’ve read two books in the last week that I enjoyed but IDK, expected to love more than I did? I think the first was one I have been guilty myself of hyping up even in this newsletter and the other is one that actually inspired me to buy these little annotating tabs because the amount of beautiful quotes was astounding! But yeah, let’s go into these further …

📖 I finally read Bellies by Nicola Dinan that you will have heard me talk about a lot on here since it has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year. This is the the story of Tom and Ming - a male gay couple who meet during university. When Ming decides to transition that ultimately affects their relationship dynamic completely. This was such a moving, important read that taught me so much. That being said, I didn’t like the pacing and at points, the tone of the book either. But I still gave it a 3.5 and I do think this is one that has had so much hype and would still recommend given how educational it was. I am in the minority with this one too - everyone gushes over this so maybe it is down to my personal preference.

📖 I moved onto Immediate Family by Alison Nelson Levy straight after and 35 pages in, I thought wow. This is going to be a five star read. I bought those little annotation sticky tabs because I’d taken photos of so many beautiful quotes and passages the book had. Our unnamed protagonist has been asked by her adopted brother to give a speech at his wedding. We then get the background as to how her brother Danny was adopted by her parents from Thailand, their upbringing, a fall out they had plus all of her current struggles around fertility. Reflecting back on their relationship makes her probe if adoption is an option for her. The second person writing style makes you feel like you are peering into their life. But it started so strong and towards the end, didn’t hold that same spark for me. That being said, if like me, you love a family story then this is worth checking out. I also gave this 3.5 stars.

📚 This weeks book from the archive centres around adoption (among other topics) and that is Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. It is a thought-provoking story on motherhood, privilege and class. I gave this an easy five stars. A must read that was adapted into a series by Amazon that is also worthy of a watch.

Watching

🎥 Shiva Baby is a movie that I’ve wanted to watch for a while. I had a self care day aka had a nice bath and stayed snuggled up on the sofa with my dog watching movies all day. The film is about a college student who attends a shiva where she is not only confronted by her ex-girlfriend in attendance but also her sugar daddy … and his wife. Despite not being super plot heavy, you can feel Danielle’s discomfort throughout the whole movie which makes it total chaos. It packs a big punch for being so short. Loved this and highly recommend!

🎥 In my movie marathon I also watched The Lobster and when it finished my mind couldn’t help but think WTF WAS THAT?! Set in the dystopian future, single citizens check into a hotel where they have 45 days to find a partner. If they don’t, they get turned into an animal of their choice. This was WILD. But the cast was insane. I mean Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Coleman, John C.Reilly?! In three words this was engrossing, bizarre and unique. Worth a watch if you like dystopian movies!

📺 And a much lighter piece of TV I tuned into was The Real Housewives of New York that has returned with a whooooole new cast. And do you know what? I will always stan the original HW’s but I think these new ladies are going to be entertaining. I knew who Jenna Lyons was prior to the show because of her fashion career (and that Solange wedding outfit) but they seem like a mix of fun women. Bryn has me intrigued. Ngl, I tuned in with low hopes but I was very pleasantly surprised!

LISTENING

I haven’t listened to my usual quota of podcasts this week because 1) I’ve been catching up on sleep and not in my usual routine and 2) consumed by a few different series I have been listening to - some I’ve already mentioned before. But here are three series/new episodes I have to recommend.

🎧 I completely binged in the space of two days a podcast called Will Be Wild by Wondery (do they produce a bad podcast)?! This was released mid 2022 and focuses on right wing extremism in the USA and the storming of The Capitol in early 2020. This was such a fascinating listen. It features interviews and stories from a son who tipped the FBI off about his fathers behaviour, people who worked for the government intelligence services, the rise of right wing extremism, Trump’s impact on homeland security and the storming of The Capitol itself. Despite remembering the event on January 6th, I didn’t know too much about the types of groups operating in the states and this gave such a brilliant insight into this. A must a listen!

🎧 AI is such a hot topic right now and I loved this episode of Offline with Jon Favreau called Big Tech vs Hollywood; AI vs Journalism vs Socialists vs Bananas. Such an interesting discussion on the current Hollywood strikes, how AI has played a role in this plus also exploring streaming services business models. It then turns to discussing how AI could, and if so, effect journalism. Super engaging!

🎧 And just a general show I’ve been loving (and going through the archive of) is I’ve Had It With. Two extremely funny women ranting about what they’ve had enough of. Funny and something a little lighter when you’ve been listening to heavy stuff.

INTERNET BROWSING

👩🏻‍💻 The Edinburgh Fringe festival is such a beloved Scottish Festival that takes place every August celebrating the art of theatre, comedy, music and more. But what is the true cost to perform at this world renowned festival? This article yesterday in The Guardian explored this in greater detail speaking with some of the acts who break down their expenses. I was pretty shocked by some of these stats!

👩🏻‍💻 Another article (published yesterday that I can’t get out my head because it was very, very relatable) was by Stylist titled “At 30 something, I’m having an early mid-life crisis - and I’m not alone”. It was in-depth focus on why most women in their late 20’s/early 30’s feel ‘stuck’, the prevalence of purpose anxiety and feeling like it is too late to start over. Most of the discussion points are around career and it wasn’t surprising to see that 70% of employees believe their personal purpose is tied to their job. This resonated with me so much and it felt reassuring that all of the thoughts and feelings I have gone through the motions of, there are so many women out there feeling the same. And this article articulates everything in more detail with brilliant stats, stories from other women etc. I would recommend this to anybody to read if they feel they are at a crossroads in their life. It brought me so much comfort.

👩🏻‍💻 And this Vice piece on the rise of under 25’s freezing their eggs made for a fantastic read. And a trend that has been propelled by Tiktok that I think is incredible and I take my hats off to those who are doing this. Proof the app can have a very impactful and positive influence.

ETC/WISHLIST

📰 I ordered myself a copy of Nb Magazine which is dedicated to books. I loved the content, it had some brilliant book recommendations along with interviews with authors. By the time it was delivered, it was just £11.20 so it is steep but it was nice to have a cup of tea and flick through an actual magazine dedicated purely to my favourite subject.

🧘 I am currently three days into a free trial with Headspace that I am finding useful. It is an app for meditation, mindfulness and lots of helpful techniques on tackling lots of different topics from anxiety, depression, lack of sleep etc. I do think I will continue with this once my trial is up and I do think is a wonderful resource for mental health.

And that is it for this weeks You Should Check Out! Remember to keep your eyes peeled on Sunday for a bonus edition of the newsletter that is themed on one … or two .. hot topics at the moment. There is now also an option to pledge any £ to You Should Check out as a nod to the work I do on this. And the newsletter has its own Instagram now so go follow for more content on there.

Thanks for reading!