issue #19 - the one that’s coming later than expected

…and my deepest apologies for it. But I hope it’s worth the wait.

If this is your first e-mail from me, welcome! In addition to writing the book How To Pack, I'm an entrepreneur and angel investor, an avid reader, and a mom of two boys (a 4 year old and a 2 month old).

Every Saturday, I share the 25 best reads from the Internet (culled from the daily shares on my Instagram), the books I've read that week, and things I'm generally loving at the moment. You can join the conversation on all these articles - and more! - in my Facebook group.

Looking for my packing list template? Here you go!

#ThingsILove This Week

• Grace’s skincare recommendations are the best - period. Thanks to her, I’ve discovered Drunk Elephant’s bronzing drops, Ole Hendricksen Banana Bright Eye Cream, and Beauty Pie (their charcoal cleansing cloths, specifically) and my skin has never been happier.

• What I’m wearing - these French terry overalls or this caftan dress (I own 7 and layer these half-tanks underneath). On my feet? These slippers at home, or these sandals when I’m out. I own two of these cavernous totes, one stocked with kids' things and the other with my pump and work essentials. Amazon FTW.

• I’ve been Bollywood playlist hunting on Spotify, and I think I’ve finally found the perfect one.

• This battery iPhone case has been a lifesaver. It’s the slimmest I’ve found and can be charged with an iPhone charger.

What I read this week:

• Breathe In, Cash Out (ARC provided by NetGalley) - I personally didn’t love this book, but it was precisely the kind of book I needed when I read it. A thoroughly predictable novel of a woman who hates her competitive corporate job and wants to pursue her passion of becoming a yoga instructor. She meets her yoga role model from Instagram, they begin to work together, and things go down. It’s basic brain candy, but sometimes that’s the book you need.

• Marriage Clock (ARC provided by NetGalley, out 7/23) - the Indian-American experience in Western literature has a pretty specific formula - the family is usually Hindu and wanting their kid to get married, the protagonist is the daughter trying to figure out her identity, and there’s a happy ending. This book has a happy ending, but the protagonist is Muslim, unapologetically secure about her identity and career. But her ‘happily ever after’ journey is wholly original. I laughed. I teared up. And I desperately want a film adaptation.

• With The Fire On High - this is not a young adult book that happens to be good. It’s an excellent book that happens to be written for the young adult audience, and it feels like it was written just for me. Food. Family. The Philadelphia Eagles. And fierce, fierce women. Emoni is a spirited, strong young woman who juggles high school and her daughter with more grace than I do. I love the way she held her own and leaned on her loved ones throughout the book, showing that accepting help and asking for it is a huge sign of strength. I love her relationship with her abuela, and her abuela in general. I loved it all. It’s a delicious book. Savor every single word.

• The Wedding Party - when Jasmine Guillory has a new book coming out, I block off time to read it in a single sitting. The Wedding Party does not disappoint. Focused on Madeleine and Theo, two people who share a best friend and a disdain for one another. In true Guillory fashion, both characters are more than they first appear and their chemistry jumps off the page. I love how the author connects characters from book to book, and The Wedding Party may be the most satisfying of the bunch. I adored this book - and I think you will too.

Current book reviewshere,every bookI’ve read this year, and all myAmazon favorites.

The Top 5

1. We’ve just lived through the greatest period of restaurant growth in U.S. history. Here’s why it’s ending. (Washington Post)

2. Bond's number is up: black female actor 'is the new 007’ (The Guardian)

3. Who Gets to Call Herself a Single Mom? (InStyle)

4. Men Know It’s Better to Carry Nothing (The Cut)

5. On Trying — or Not — for a Girl (by Elizabeth Holmes)

The Catch Up

Monday

• Trump Needs His Base to Burn With Anger (NYT)

• Why is it so hard to finish a notebook? (Vox)

• Norah O’Donnell Has a New Job. She’s Been Preparing for It Since Age 10 (Glamour)

• We read 9 Democratic plans for expanding health care. Here’s how they work. (Vox)

Tuesday

• Sex less likely and less satisfying as women hit older age (Reuters)

• I’m a 65-Year-Old Dentist Who Left It All Behind to Work at America’s Best New Restaurant (Bon Appétit)

• Jessica McDonald, FIFA World Cup Champion (Into The Gloss)

• Trump abortion restrictions in effect for taxpayer-funded clinics (Axios)

Wednesday

• Growing coffee for peanuts (Axios)

• ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 2 Turmoil: Inside Andrea Arnold’s Loss of Creative Control (IndieWire)

• A boom in at-home abortions is coming (Vox)

• Daisy Ridley, 'Ophelia,' and the Feminist Flip of a Shakespearean Tragedy (Shondaland)

Thursday

• I Wanted to Know What White Men Thought About Their Privilege. So I Asked. (NYT)

• How are small farms surviving? Airbnb. (Vox)

• The GOP's demographic decay (Axios)

• You downloaded FaceApp. Here’s what you’ve just done to your privacy. (Washington Post)

Friday

• Negative? How a Navy veteran refused to accept a ’no’ to his battery invention (TechCrunch)

• A female historian wrote a book. Two male historians went on NPR to talk about it. They never mentioned her name. It’s Sarah Milov. (The Lily)

• ‘Guilty’ Pleasures? No Such Thing (NYT)

• Importing prescription drugs from Canada is tougher than it sounds (Axios)