😬 I have a confession

Hi ,

I have to admit something.

For the first time, this little dispatch is late. I have been faffing around this week starting and then not finishing, stopping, starting, and not getting very far with writing it.

And the reason is because I have something new to tell you about. It's fledgling and a bit scary...

As I approach the podcast's 150th episode (next week) and THIRD birthday (14 January), I am pre-launching a Patreon, to allow you to support the podcast. It's only going out to this group of bookmark-ers right now, before the official launch on 18 January.

The top tier of the Patreon gives you exclusive membership to the bookmark bookclub; a monthly virtual 'library' chat where we get together and talk books, compare notes, and make recommendations (without the hassle of having to read a certain book, or at a certain speed... nobody needs that pressure right now!).

All the membership tiers are available to sign up to now, but billing won't start until 1 January 2022, when all the bonus content and goodies start.

This morning, whilst writing the notes for this week's episode; The Rejection That Changed My Life by Jessical Bacal, and catching up on some Adobe Max talks from last month, I was strongly reminded that we need to keep making, creating, connecting, and finding our people. And in turn, stretching our comfort zone in order to make an impact. So here I am, and here it is.

In doing the scaries,

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 becoming a member on Patreon, buying me a coffee as a one off 'thank you', purchasing a card from the Good Press card store, or leaving a podcast review on the website. Thanks!

What I'm reading this summer

Since I hit my book goal for 2021 last month, I'm planning my 'off menu' reading for the summer break (when I'm taking four glorious weeks off). Hopefully the weather here in Naarm improves from the torrential weather we've had this weekend, especially as my Cool Cabana arrived today, ready for long, bookish beach days.

I like to get into some fiction and some classics on more of a 'holiday' break, so I've got Far from the Madding Crowd (which has annoyingly small writing), Catcher in the Rye, and All our Shimmering Skies on the list. If I've missed any great fiction from this year that should absolutely go on my summer reading pile, reply to this email and let me know.

PS. Are you looking for a great gift for someone to round out a weird year? How about helping them take better notes on the books they read? Enjoy a 15% discount on your very own copy of the Archley's Book of Books book journal, here^.

Ear food

I've particularly enjoyed these podcasts in the last couple of weeks...

🎙Podcast: Extremes - I'm currently down a deep rabbit hole of episodes of Extreme. It's true life stories of incredible things that have happened to real people. I really like the format; there's a short intro by the host (Julian Morgans), the interviewee talks about their experience for 20-25 mins, and then there's about 20 mins of follow up questions between Julian and the guest. Some of them are terrifying (The Sinking of a Luxury Ferry and My Mum, the Poisoner) and others are fascinating (Mystery of the Lost Cosmonauts). I'm a big fan, and especially enjoy that despite the extreme topics, the interviews are not over-sensationalised. (Spotify only)

❌ Podcast miss: Speaking of over-sensationalised, last month I mentioned I was looking forward to listening to Spotify's Who is Daniel Johns podcast, but I couldn't get past the first episode. It made me think of the over-dramatised scenes from a reality tv show, and I really didn't enjoy the tabloid-esq narration by the host. It's a no from me.

🎵Listen: NPR Music's New Music Friday Last year I was obsessed with NPR's All Songs Considered podcast, it was a staple on my (endless) lockdown walks. But, as it isn't on Spotify, I got out of the habit of listening to it. However, I have recently got back into listening to the accompanying playlist, which IS on Spotify. I like that it picks out new music that I would probably otherwise miss, across a much broader range of genres than algorithms feed me. (Spotify)
 

Meanwhile, on the bookshelf

Recent Steph's Business Bookshelf podcast episodes, in case you missed them...

Everyday Creative by Mykel Dixon
(Listen)

The Long Game by Dorie Clark
(Listen)