Hi friends! We're in the thick of summer now, and for a lot of us that means vacations, car rides, long weekends, and enough time to finally binge watch/listen/read the things we've been putting off all year. In celebration of summertime, I've put together a list of the things I'm into, so you can enjoy them as well.
As always, shameless disclaimer that I only write these things so that other people will get invested in the things I'm interested in so I can have people to talk to AND to help support things I love. That being said, I don't think you'll be disappointed by the things I've gathered for you here.
Reading
1. Hey Ladies:
For less than $10 on Amazon, you can get this book that is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud over and over again. I found this book in a round-about way, after the now-infamous viral engagement of fashion influencer Marissa Fuchs. If you don't know what happened, basically an Instagram influencer's proposal began going viral after her boyfriend (now husband) led her on an elaborate scavenger hunt that ended in a "surprise" proposal + wedding in Paris. While Fuchs was en route to Paris, news broke that she (or someone very intimately involved in her brand) had ~allegedly~ pitched the entire story to brands as a sponsorship opportunity before the proposal began --- making the "surprise" factor highly questionable and turning the rage of the internet on to her. This story fascinated me, so I followed along on Twitter + Instagram, only to have someone suggest another account @heyladies for more bonkers wedding drama from around the web. As a huge fan of both drama + weddings, I was hooked, and ended up following the account, only to realize it was a promotional tool for a book by the same name.
Okay, now that you know how I found this work of art, what's it all about, right? Imagine someone took screenshots of email + text threads between you and your 8 closest girl friends leading up to one of their own elaborate weddings. There's hurt feelings over the maid of honor choices, group text threads (and then smaller group text threads without certain people), replying all when you meant to reply to one person, gossip, breakups, Tinder dates, complaining about money, and everything else that comes with celebrating someone on the happiest day of their life. If you've ever been remotely near a wedding, you can relate to something in this book. And if you have a diverse group of lady-friends, you know at least one of the women portrayed in the book (and you probably are one of the women, too). This is one of my favorite purchases recently, it's truly a perfect book, and especially perfect for summer because it's light, quick + funny. It's satirical without being too heavy-handed, and for as much drama it has, it balances it with a lot of heart. It could've been purely catty and mean-spirited, but the authors managed to convey the way weddings can sometimes bring out the best + worst parts of friendship, while at the end of the day still being exciting and magical and full of love. I wrote so much about this because I love it and I know you will too.
2. The Nightingale
While Hey Ladies has become my nighttime, before-bed, relaxing read, The Nightingale is my lunch-break, more intense read. It was recommended to me by my friend, Ally. It follows the story of two sisters in France during World War II. One of them is a mother and wife who attempts to go-with-the-flow of Nazi occupation, including having to host a German soldier in her home while her husband is a prisoner of war. The other is younger, more rebellious, and immediately joins a resistance movement.
There is very obvious tension between the two sisters' personalities right off the bat, but this novel has a lot more depth + layers than that. There is love, heartbreak, family-drama, and of course, the war. Every character in this novel is complex, nuanced and full of their own tension. It's hard for me to put this book down + get back to work when my lunch break is over!
3. This Article: Malaysia Flight MH370 - Where is It?
I can't take any real credit for this, because it came to me from the monthly newsletter produced by The Popcast's Knox and Jamie (if you're not listening to this podcast yet, read my post about podcasts and then reconsider your life). Anyways: This Article. It's been a while since I started reading a piece of news online and literally could not put it down until I finished. This piece was exactly that for me. If you're anything like me, you were fascinated when Malaysia Flight MH370 mysteriously went missing a few years ago. From the beginning, it didn't seem like a typical plane crash, and there weren't any initial answers. This article takes an in-depth look at the crash, and the people who are still impacted by the events of that day. I can't stop thinking about this article. Not only is it extremely well-written, but it also provides some clear, heartbreaking answers about what most likely happened in the case of Flight MH370. A must read.
Watching:
1. Yesterday
Emma and I went to see the new movie, Yesterday, on an early morning last weekend. It was truly a delight. If you haven't seen the trailers, the story centers around a man who suddenly wakes up after a bike accident in a world where no one remembers The Beatles. He's a struggling musician who stumbles upon this gift of as much of The Beatles's catalog that he can remember (which is, shockingly, quite a lot), and discovers the viral stardom that comes with writing such catchy music. Of course, there is a love story with my personal fave, Lily James, starring opposite Himesh Patel. It's a happy movie, with a lot of heart. It'll have you driving with the windows rolled down blasting Penny Lane on the way home.
2. Stranger Things 3
At this point, it's redundant to say I'm watching Stranger Things. Everyone's watching Stranger Things, these days. We've all collectively adopted Steve "The Hair" Harrington as our dad and probably most of us have binge-watched the newest season of the hit show already the same weekend it premiered. If through some shocking turn of events you've found yourself in a world without Stranger Things, stop right now and go start with Season 1. I remember after the first season premiered and we all asked the question: Can they do this again? And then they did it again, and now again. What a treasure this season was.
Okay, that's all for this round of things you need to watch & read this summer! Leave a comment and let me know what your list is (I'm always looking for new shows/books). As always, follow me on Instagram at @emilyamartinblog and subscribe to my newsletter by clicking this link. Have a happy July!
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