no. 43: september digest
the best things I read, watched, shopped, saved, and ate in september, including a spooky novel set in the spanish inquisition, a perfect find for the green eyed girls, and a cozy recipe roundup.
The monthly digest is a summary of the best things I have read, watched, listened to, saved, shopped and considered each month. As usual - she’s a bit long, so you might want to check out the browser version or expand in email.
If you’re as chronically online as I am, you’ll be aware of the semi recently coined “October Theory”. According to the tiktok girls, the general concept is that October is like the new year for the Type A folks who always do the pre-reading – doing the work of new year’s resolutions ahead of time to ensure that you roll into January ahead of the curve.
Say what you will about resolution culture, but if you should know anything about me, it’s that this makes COMPLETE sense to me. I believe that kind of subconscious logic was a big part of the impetus for launching this newsletter in late October of 2023. It’s hard to believe it, but somehow 2024 managed to take things a step further with a complete shakeup and some major life changes that hit at the end of September (more on that here). I’m rolling into October with my eyes on 2025, and undertaking what I have termed a full “factory reset”. We are getting back to the basics, getting enough sleep, eating enough nutrients, figuring out new routines, preparing to outsmart sad season, and spending precious time on things and people I care about.
I’ll be planning to share more of all that soon, but until then, here’s what I got up to in September.
That’s it, love you!
Xx
A quick reminder: we are officially 25 days out from the U.S. Election and it is absolutely critical that everyone is not only voting but also talking to your friends and family to get out the vote. A few resources:
Make sure you are registered to vote in your state
Ready to do more? Research shows that a text from a friend increases the likelihood to vote by more than 8%. Join me on Ripple, a program to help everyday people take small actions to create big change. Commit to talking to 5 friends or family about what is at stake this November. Ripple provides a series of actions and recommendations to help guide your conversation based on where they live and what is on their ballots, including optional personalized scripts to help you have conversations (via text or otherwise!) with the people in your life.
Open Tabs:
How to build a village? - be the person who asks twice (
)Fall requires a very specific set of media consumption, and I loved these recommendations from
(Best books to read for a cozyish fall) and (Weird-Girl Films for Fall )To Understand JD Vance, You Need to Understand the ‘TheoBros”, (Kiera Butler, Mother Jones) - on the extremely online young Christian men who want to end the 19th Amendment.
- )- partially satire, partially painful truth.
- ) - sometimes you just need to read things that remind you of the pain and beauty of being alive.
The Feminine Draw of Contemporary Conspiracy (
) - I have been lightly obsessed with the “wellness to QAnon” pipeline since I lived in LA, and have been increasingly concerned with the way that these patterns of thinking are proliferating around the election. A great listen.How to manage a life-long addiction to posting shit online (
) - the SCREAM I SCRUMPT when I read this post. Deeply relatable, I fear!
Books:
Two 5+ day stints of solo parenting in September means I had more time than usual to crush some books. I have been killing the audiobook game, taking advantage of some early fall sunshine and the extra long afternoon walks I use to tire out my dog and my toddler. I started the month with State of Paradise, by Laura Van den Berg, a surreal, uncanny story that feels more like a stream of consciousness than a traditional novel. A ghostwriter for famous thrillers casually observes the suspicious changes in her mother’s town. When her sister goes missing (and her mother starts a cult) the writer sets off to understand how a virtual reality device might be involved. I’ll be honest, this was a weird one but in a fun way?
I got back to reality a little bit with Come and Get It, by Kiley Reid, following an RA at the University of Arkansas who just wants to graduate and buy a house. Over the course of the year she is swept up into the drama of her residents, new friends, and a visiting professor with an unusual, and possibly unethical, proposition. I also enjoyed Reid’s first novel Such a Fun Age, and particularly appreciate the way she weaves complex commentary on class and finances into snapshots of everyday life. Wrapped up the month with The Familiar, by Leigh Bardugo, the story of a scullery maid whose talent for milagritos (little miracles) whisks her into the drama and intrigue of the Spanish Inquisition. A 10/10 intro to spooky season, with beautiful prose to boot.
Also reviewed (and wholeheartedly loved) The Body in Question, and the Ministry of Time.
Currently reading: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. Up Next: Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors.
Sad! Girl! Autumn!
Kids books:
Little bear has been on a big Curious George kick recently, and has been requesting to read it *every day*. We have also been loving A Color of His Own, by Leo Lionni – a very sweet story about a chameleon searching for his own color who ends up finding a friend. We’ve been trying to talk to our little guy about transitions and goodbyes, and were given See You Later Alligator, by Sally Hopgood as a gift. A tortoise wants to see the world, but has to say goodbye to all his friends first. Adorable rhyming ensues.
Extremely light TV month, and somehow all of them are from Netflix? Started the month with my go-to while Mark is out of town; stuff he wouldn’t like and we wouldn’t watch together. A Discovery of Witches and The Perfect Couple. They were both easy watches, but I quickly forgot about them when things got busy and haven’t come back to finish. Consider that my hearty non-endorsement. They’re great for background but largely not worth dedicated time. I’ll finish them eventually, maybe?
I have been slowly making my way through Monsters: the Lyle & Erik Menendez Story - I think that considering the subject matter it’s well acted and beautifully shot, but after reading a few stories about the case and the real life brothers currently serving life sentences (and specifically the immensely cavalier way that Ryan Murphy has handled their stories), it’s leaving a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I will join the millennial chorus and say that I loved Nobody Wants This - long live Adam Brody and Kristen Bell.
what are we watching right now? I weirdly feel like there is nothing I want to watch, because nothing it hitting the right mood. let me know what you’re loving?
It has once again been a fairly light shopping month for me personally - with some recent major life changes and a general desire to simplify, I’ve been saving and scheming. A few small items: after contemplating the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick for probably five years (the time never felt right!) I finally caved and bought one in amethyst. Highly recommend for the green eyed girls. While I currently sleep in an XXL tshirt and running shorts *most* days, it’s mostly out of habit. I aspire to be a coordinated pajama set queen, and picked up this set on sale for some upcoming family visits and travel (I’d like the option to be somewhat pulled together without needing to be fully dressed for the day, you know?).
Otherwise, I’m largely skipping fall shopping and am once again returning to the personal style challenge of dressing up my typical uniform of classic jeans and a sweater into something more interesting for the next 6 months (new post on shopping my own closet coming soon – don’t miss it!). Recent staples have included this sweater that I’ve had for a few years, and the trench coat I picked up last spring.
The one person in our household who is getting shopped for on the semi-reg? The toddler, of course! Our little guy has had (yet another) leap – with a major growth spurt and the time has come to replace a bunch of the winter gear he outgrew. Had great success with Primary for some basics last fall, and picked up a quilted jacket and a lightweight puffer - both 30% off right now.
I’m also trying to continue to find new activities and things to do as he just picks up new skills left and right. A few recent winners:
a set of letter and number fridge magnets – we spell out the day every morning at breakfast and then will work on identifying different letters and sounds during snacks.
a set of multicolored craft pom poms which are ENDLESSLY entertaining – they are great for sorting and scooping, and Little Bear has created a very complex set up where he’ll build something with magnatiles and then fill them with pom poms. All I know is that he’s been obsessed for 4 calendar weeks and I’d consider that $10 well spent.
these number tiles - Right now we’re just practicing putting the numbers in order (and getting the connector pieces to line up), but they also have a flip side for use with sorting and counting exercises which has been really fun as he gets older.
Besides all that, my crusade for fun fall toddler fashion has him regularly looking like the villain in an 80s movie and I can’t say that I hate it.
I really don’t drink much (bad for my anxiety, not trying to entertain a toddler hungover, etc etc) and was introduced to a few nonalcoholic aperitifs at a recent girls weekend. Have been loooooooving the Ghia Lime & Salt (currently 20% off) and the Parch Prickly Paloma for something fun.
Restaurant Dropout did a caesar salad and fries meal and I loved it so much I cooked the entire menu two weeks in a row. I fully acknowledge I did the same thing in August, hyperfixating on one of her pizza sandwich recipes and I’m not even mad about it.
Now that it’s officially cozy season, I am getting back into cozy season cooking. Highly recommend revisiting this round up, which was one of my most popular issues from last fall, and packed with all my go-to cozy season faves:
Speaking of cozy season recipes: currently OBSESSED with recreating a fall seasonal spicy chai cider recipe from my local bagel place, and cannot stop making a salted black sesame latte (both recipes coming soon).
behind the scenes updates on how my life is changing heading into the end of the year.
a podcast-style audio episode featuring a whole bunch of FAQs from you!
five things I’m loving lately, inspired by a girls weekend in the woods.
you asked and I delivered: come along with me for a week in my life while solo parenting.
the august digest! a deep dive on my open tabs, a quest for better air dried waves and my fall shopping bookmarks.
reflections from a solo-hiking trip, in which I unironically reference Thoreau.
okay that’s it, love you!
October goal setting just makes so much sense! Saved the associated link to read later.
Have you seen Bad Sisters? I’m extremely late to the game, but determined to catch up before season two comes out. Watching a Sharon Horgan show is also reminding me how good Catastrophe was.
Fellow green eyed girl here and I’m excited to try that eyeshadow stick! Great post, as always, and love the October theory you shared!