issue #28 - the one that almost didn’t happen

This week. THIS MONTH.

I know this is late, but hope you find this week’s reads worth the wait. They’re some of my favorite reads I’ve found and shared.

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 4 month old).

Every Saturday, I share the 20 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

• I wore this BURU button down and gold maxi skirt to the Feminist Press gala on Tuesday night. Now I need to find another reason to wear the whole outfit again.

• One of the best postpartum investments I made was a 1:1 session with The Snapback. Pinkey - a clinical pharmacist and a certified trainer - dug deep in my current health (fitness, nutrition, sleep, C-section recovery) and put together a detailed plan to help my body heal. She just launched her app, which I’ve been using religiously for workouts and nutrition information. Download it. Follow it. Your body and your baby will thank you.

• In an effort to curb my actual shopping, I’ve been shopping my closet as the weather cools down. My Sol Sana slides (similar style here), this bracelet set from Satya, my faux-yard totes (I own them in navy, green/black, and yellow/black), and my MM.LaFleur Morandi are old favorites that I’m excited to wear all season long.

• On my wish list - this Anine Bing shirt (and a matching one for Rho), these woven boots from Everlane (to pair with my extensive #amazonnightgown collection for fall), and this knit set from BURU.

• My theater/arts consumption is at an all-time high, and I’m not mad about it. I’ve seen Hadestown, Harry Potter & The Cursed Child, Freestyle Love Supreme, and Jewels over the past few weeks and my Broadway-loving heart is in heaven.

What I read this week:

• She Said - this week was not a reading-heavy one, and this book is a hard one to read. But it’s also one of the most important books written. Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor take you through their exhaustive investigation of Harvey Weinstein, and their further work in this space with their interview of Christine Blasey Ford. It reminds me of All The President’s Men, but with a sensitivity and empathy that’s necessary for the subject matter. I’m hoping to finish it next week.

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

Hitha’s Favorite Things

• Libro.fm is my favorite audiobook app (it credits your favorite independent bookstore with the sale). Use code HITHA to get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you create a monthly membership. You can find my favorite audiobooks here.

• my Amazon shop

• my favorite vitamins (both their pre-natal and their essential one for women)

• my favorite produce delivery company

• the app to save #5SmartReads to read later

• the notebook that has changed my life (see how I use it here and here). Get 15% off with code HITHA15.

• the marriage check-in my husband and I do every single week

• Small Packages (one of my portfolio companies) is the curated gift box company I’m always talking about - get 15% off your order with the code HITHA

The Top 5

1. Owning Your Fertility (This Time Tomorrow)

2. I Was a Low-Income College Student. Classes Weren’t the Hard Part. (New York Times Magazine)

3. Re-Everything (Victoria McGinley)

4. We're on the Verge of a Devastating OB-GYN Shortage (VICE)

5. Why is #FinanceSoWhite? (Fast Company)

The Catch Up

Monday

• Houthi drone attacks on 2 Saudi Aramco oil facilities spark fires (Al Jazeera)

• How Ashley C. Ford Figures Out What She Really Wants (The M Dash)

• 4 ways overachievers are sabotaging their own career — and how they can change that (CNBC)

• Inside a Modern Alaskan Boarding School (Mother Jones)

Tuesday

• ‘Hustlers’ is about ‘friendship and money,’ but it isn’t a female empowerment flick. Director Lorene Scafaria explains. (The Lily)

• How To / Transition Careers (DORÉ)

• Health officials are hunting for the culprit behind vaping-related illnesses. Here are five questions about the outbreak (STAT)

• Bill Gates: Gender inequality affects every country on Earth (Axios)

Wednesday

• Trump vs. California (Axios)

• Brittney Cooper on harnessing rage in feminism: ‘Anger is the emotion that keeps us honest’ (Washington Post)

• Taliban suicide bomber kills at least 26 at Afghan president campaign rally (Vox)

• How Rihanna’s foundation is rethinking disaster response (Fast Company)

Thursday

• Compound in red wine, resveratrol, could help astronauts walk on Mars (Astronomy)

• What I’ve Learned About Mothering Black Boys in America (ZORA | Medium)

• The Gates Foundation shouldn’t give an award to Narendra Modi (Washington Post)

• 3 Hard Lessons These Female Founders Learned About Rebranding Their Company (Elle)

Friday

• Woman You Should Know: Simone Missick, Star of All Rise, on the Power of TV, Naps, and Faith for Self-Care (Girls’ Night In)

• What we know about the whistleblower complaint about President Trump (Vox)

• Democrats and the "public option” options (Axios)

• An 18th Trans Person Has Been Killed This Year (The Cut)