issue #33 - the one with the best book I read this year

Spoiler alert - it's Such A Fun Age.

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

• Everyone in my family is using Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost body butter - the BEST body moisturizer I’ve ever tried. I’m also loving the line's SPF day cream as well. And these sheet masks have been a savior for my drier-than-usual skin - I’ve been wearing them 2-3 times a week and my skin feels normal-ish.

• I love Meghan’s Spread Kindness & Joy campaign - she makes it so easy to give back this season.

• Terrible commercials aside, I love my Peloton bike. I’m also loving their bootcamp workouts on the app to get in my strength training. I aim for 2 bootcamps and 2 rides per week, and round it out with yoga. Emphasis on aim. New workout clothes help (particularly when your leggings are cutting off your circulation), and these from Old Navy are exactly what I needed. As are these pants and hoodie from the brand for lounging post-workout.

• I saw The Half Life Of Marie Curie last week, and it was SO GOOD that I’m seeing it again this week and bought the Audible recording. If you do go, pop into my favorite champagne bar afterwards (it’s 2 blocks away).

• Some new gift ideas that I stumbled across this week - this super soft travel set from Talbots (I also love these lounge pants and cozy top from the brand), a pair of blue-light blocking glasses, this personalized cape and crown that Rho hasn’t taken off since he received it, and a goddess necklace that’s one of my favorite pieces of jewelry (I own Athena).

What I read this week:

• A River Of Royal Blood - my friend Amber recommended this book, and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. Give me royals, magic, and a sibling feud and I am here for it. This one had elements of Children Of Blood And Bone and Three Dark Crowns, and it was a fast, fun read and I can’t wait for the sequel.

• Reputation (gifted by Dutton Books) - I’m admittedly not a thriller reader, but I loved Pretty Little Liars (the show) and Reputation is the author’s first adult novel. In true PLL nature, it kicks off with a murder and scandal plaguing a Pennsylvania town (this time, Pittsburgh) and it was such a satisfying read.

• Such A Fun Age (ARC provided by NetGalley, out 12/31) - if I ever get around to writing a 2019 best books list, this would be on it. The way the book talks about race - both directly and as a plot device - is BRILLIANT. The writing is sharp and funny, the characters far more complex than they first appear, and it shines a light on white saviorism in a whole new way. It’s a must-read.

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

Hitha’s Favorite Things

• You can access my gift guide here at any time! If you’re planning on gifting my book, How To Pack, this season (or anytime), I’d love to personalize a book plate for you! Just hit reply with the recipient’s name and your address, and I’ll pop it in the mail.

• 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.

• This is the only book club I’m a member of

• 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

• my favorite workout - and why. Use code G37YVV for $100 in accessories (spin shoes, weights, headphones - oh my!)

• 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. What Happens When You Buy From Gift Guides (The Atlantic)

2. Red, White & Royal Blue Did the Unthinkable. Then It Went Viral (Glamour)

3. Remember Impeachment? (The Dispatch)

4. Want to Know What Consent Looks Like? Start Reading Romance Novels (Glamour)

5. Is Germany's health care system a model for the U.S.? (NBC News)

The Catch Up

Monday

• The unsettled future of sand (Axios)

• Investors Penalize Companies for Adding Women to Their Boards (Bloomberg)

• Dr. Lisa Sanders Solves Medical Mysteries and Answers Over 100 Emails a Day (The M Dash)

• Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi’s India (The New Yorker)

Tuesday

• Gabrielle Union Criticized the Culture at America’s Got Talent. Now She’s No Longer There. (Vulture)

• It’s Easy to Dismiss Debutante Balls, But Their History Can Help Us Understand Women’s Lives (TIME)

• Ohio bill orders doctors to ‘reimplant ectopic pregnancy’ or face 'abortion murder’ charges (The Guardian)

• FBI: FaceApp and other Russian apps pose potential counterintelligence threats (Axios)

Wednesday

• Hallmark Christmas Movies Dominate The Holiday Season Because Fans Want An Escape From Everyday Life (BuzzFeed.News)

• How "Grey's Anatomy" raised awareness for sex assault resources (Axios)

• How Spices Have Made, and Unmade, Empires (New York Times Style Magazine)

• Instagram is broken. It also broke us. (Vox)

Thursday

• Diabetes Drugs Latest to Be Targeted for Carcinogen Scrutiny (Bloomberg)

• ‘Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words’ shows a raw and sometimes uncertain civil rights giant (Washington Post)

• How neural networks work—and why they’ve become a big business (ARS Technica)

• Baldwin, Florida, opens government-run grocery store to address food desert (Axios)

Friday

• Lawyer-Turned-Author Jasmine Guillory on Reading, Writing, and How Twitter Inspired Her Latest Novel (Girls’ Night In - I am an investor in GNI)

• Pinterest To Stop Romanticizing Plantations As Wedding Venues After Being Called Out By Civil Rights Organization (Blavity)

• 20 Years of Putin: The pinnacle of power and the fear of losing it (Axios)

• Kansas City becomes first major American city with universal fare-free public transit (435)