🌯 June wrap: cancelled plans, treats, and trips.
Well, here we are. Half way through 2022.
This week on the podcast I’m doing my customary quarterly book wrap with the best books I read this quarter. It’s been a slightly underwhelming quarter in comparison to Q1, which contained some serious front-runners for my book of the year. That said, I still managed to pick out four books that made it to the top of the pile to tell you about.
Last week I decided to cancel my trip to NYC, which was meant to be next month, until America can behave itself. I’m disappointed, but it means I’m managing to fit in a reading/thinking/planning week here in Victoria next month instead, which I didn’t think I’d have time for this Winter. This trip will be focused on goals (I’m going to go back through MBS’ How to Begin), some grown-up structure setting for my business, and writing a load of articles/blogs that I never get around to. I’ve booked a lovely Airbnb and my intention is for the trip to be predominately spent offline.
(I’m also planing a trip to Canada for next year (to use my Delta flight credit), so any hiking or cool activity recommendations for the Toronto/Montreal/Quebec City areas are very welcome. (Et oui, j’ai besoin de pratiquer mon français… bonjour Duolingo!))
Here’s some other things I’ve enjoyed since we last spoke:
Treats - Sacred Cacao hot chocolate: this is currently a daily essential, not too sweet and very delicious, we’ve gone through 5kg of it between two of us since we discovered it last year. You can get $5 off your first order with this link^.
Podcast - Off Menu ft Paul Hollywood: this episode is a joy, hosts James Acaster and Ed Gamble invite GBBO’s Paul Hollywood to their dream restaurant and discuss his ideal meal. I love.
YouTube channel - Struthless: this is a new find for me, Aussie designer/artist Cam shares weekly videos on creativity that are interesting and funny (the dream combo). I’ve been particularly enjoying his documentaries about design history and current issues.
Article - this article by Adam Grant on when you should judge a book by its cover, and the difference between character and competence.
Podcast - 60 Songs That Explain the 90s (Doll Parts by Hole): Firstly, 60 Songs… got extended past 60 songs and is on its way to tackling 90 songs. Hooray! This episode stuck with me because it goes so deep into how Courtney Love has been horrendously portrayed and villainised in popular media for the last thirty years. It’s pretty sobering to reflect on your own initial reactions/associations when you hear her name. She’s certainly not perfect, but so much of the infamy stands on shaky grounds. (Listen)
Music - Seven Psalms by Nick Cave: world not dark and depressing enough for you? Try this. (And I promise to at some point get through one edition of this newsletter where I don’t recommend something by Nick Cave).
What have you been reading/listening/watching/enjoying recently? Pop a comment to this post, hit reply, or just tap the little heart button if you liked something you read.
Trying not to spill a vat of hot chocolate,
Steph
PS. To borrow from Austin Kleon (and everyone else who borrows this from Austin Kleon), this newsletter and the podcast are 'free but not cheap'. You can support their ongoing creation by buying me a coffee as a one off 'thank you', or leaving giving the podcast a (five 😉) star rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Thanks!
What I read in June
Each month on Instagram, I summarise the books I’ve read that month with their star rating and a short, one sentence review. You, my lucky newsletter readers, get the longer-form reviews.
This month was a bit of a slow one with reading. I completed just two books, but started about five. Oops. So here’s my two reviews for June.
👀 BOOKS I READ WITH MY EYES 👀
Love+Work by Marcus Buckingham ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Bonus points for the great ideas, lost points for trying to do too much in the book so the ideas became a bit saturated. I really wish Marcus hadn’t tried to make this into an autobiography AND a book about work, it would have been so much more powerful with more solid examples of organisations working in the way he suggests and showing how they did it.
(PS. You can read my full review of this book in the last bookmark newsletter)
Power by Kemi Nekvapil ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What a great book. It’s beautifully written, thoroughly raw and thought-provoking, wise, and full of actionable insights from Kemi on how to redefine, reclaim, and own the five elements of power. It’s also written from a very empowering point of view, rather than falling into the trap of women being stuck in the patriarchy with no agency (which you can see a lot online).
(PS. this is next week’s podcast episode, make sure you’re subscribed to listen when it drops)