issue #39 - the very tardy one

…but I hope it’s worth it.

My video with Daily Harvest was released last week, and I got to talk about all things healthcare and investing with Brittany on Beyond Influential.

This week is a short one - cramming in as much as possible before we fly to Colombia on Thursday for a wedding, and hopefully a little downtime.

But probably not. And that’s okay too. It’s just one of those times when there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it.

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 8 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

• Beekman New York - a living library of iconic gems, co-founded by my friend Sharon - just launched last week. I’ve borrowed this Verdura ring more times than I’m willing to admit, and have my eye on these earrings and this ring the next time I speak. Anyone can borrow the pieces for an 8 day period, but members get flexible borrowing terms, from 1 day (in NYC) to 24 days.

• Everything I mentioned on my Equilibria Women IG takeover - Alarmy is the alarm clock app, my morning journal is the 5 Minute Journal, my supplements are stored inside my Port & Polish pill box, I use Headspace to meditate (full disclosure - in a 3 month partnership with them at the moment) and I usually sit on this meditation cushion, my planner is Silk + Sonder (full review here), and my friend Becca got me hooked on these giant Post-Its for jotting down tasks throughout the day.

• Hotdish, but make it Indian. I can’t wait to make this (h/t Abra for sharing!)

• Who else is a massive stress ball and overwhelmed as hell? I’ve been relying on my CBD drops (in addition to the softgel I take every morning), this playlist, a lap desk because the only place I can get work done is my couch, this aromatherapy blend and stone diffuser, and Headspace’s Sleepcasts to fall asleep. None of these things are a magic cure, but the combination of them has me feeling okay and somewhat together.

• Some Galentine’s gift ideas - the Galentine’s box from Small Packages, an early copy of Anna K from Book Of The Month, my favorite travel cup & rose Earl Gray tea, the coziest sweatshirt ever, or a pair of my favorite pajamas and bath soak. My book always makes a great gift for any occasion ;P

What I read this week

A quick note - I hope you reserve the books I recommend from your local library, or purchase them from your favorite independent bookstore or the audiobook fromLibro.fm. I’m using Bookshop, a site that supports independent bookstores, to share my book links whenever I can.

• The Socialite(ARC provided by NetGalley, out April 14th) - When did WWII fiction become a genre in its own right? In any case, The Socialite is a worthy addition. Two English sisters find themselves swept up in the senior leadership of the Nazi Party in Paris, and how they extricate themselves is a twisting journey that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It’s a solid book.

• The Boys' Club (ARC provided by NetGalley, out August 4th) - I’m a sucker for a buzzy, insider-ish story, even though I’m underwhelmed by most of them. We meet Alex - your stereotypical high achiever who finds herself in the most competitive group in a major BigLaw firm - on her first day of work and follow her through exhausting work marathons, chauvinistic colleagues and managers (good ones, too), booze, drugs, and predators. Some moments read so vivid and relatable, and others feel exaggerated simply for effect, but I couldn’t put this one down. I also couldn’t keep the male characters straight (which feels like a parallel to people in power in the real world). It’s a great vacation read - reserve or pre-order it now.

• Open Book(c/o Libro.fm) - I confess to being obsessed with Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica back in the day, and in awe of the fashion empire that Jessica Simpson built with her mother. This book is EVERYTHING - honest, raw, funny, smart, and listening to it made me feel like Jessica and I are close friends chatting over tea on a couch. Get the audiobook - listening to her tell her story is really powerful, and it includes 6 new songs that are excellent.

Current book reviewshere, and here are all my random Amazon 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.

• 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). Use code HITHA for 10% off your first 3 months.

• CBD has been a lifesaver for me. Get 20% off your first order with code HITHA.

• 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!) when you purchase a bike or treadmill.

• 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. ‘Angels’ in Hell: The Culture of Misogyny Inside Victoria’s Secret (New York Times)

2. Hunting is ‘slowly dying off,’ and that has created a crisis for the nation’s many endangered species (Washington Post)

3. Trump's 2020 State of the Union address (Politico) Share your thoughts on the SOTUhere!

4. Billions of wire hangers are used in the US every year. Almost no one buys them. (Vox)

5. Why Isn’t Anyone Talking About Prenatal Depression? (Well+Good)

The Catch Up

Monday

• Shakira and J. Lo’s Halftime Show Rose to an Impossible Task (The Atlantic)

• Did Joe Biden Abuse His Power as Vice President to Shield His Son From Legal Scrutiny? (The Dispatch)

• Why Bernie Might Declare Victory in Iowa Even If He Loses (Intelligencer | New York Magazine)

• Pharmacists warn understaffed pharmacies are putting patients at risk (Axios)

Tuesday

• Software disaster sinks Iowa caucus (Axios)

• Voices of Change - Tomi Adeyemi, Akwaeke Emezi, Elizabeth Acevedo, Angie Thomas, and Nic Stone are rewriting the rules of young adult fiction. (Elle)

• ‘We’re an anomaly’: Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini on building a ‘lifestyle brand’ (Digiday)

• The Nursing Shortage Is Threatening Our Care (New York Times)

Wednesday

• Gretchen Whitmer’s smart, boring speech highlighted Democrats’ biggest 2020 dilemma (Vox)

• Inside Barstool Sports’ Culture of Online Hate: ‘They Treat Sexual Harassment and Cyberbullying as a Game’ (The Daily Beast)

• Pushed, Shoved, and Spit on—What It’s Like to Be a Female Photographer at Fashion Week (Cosmopolitan)

• A China-centric 21st century (Axios)

Thursday

• Hundreds deported from U.S. to El Salvador have been killed or abused, new report says (NBC News)

• Homelessness isn't just a big city problem (Axios)

• Eating Goldfish, Writing History—How Women in Journalism Are Making News Happen (Glamour)

• What No One Tells Black Women About Fibroids (ZORA)

Friday

• An Unsettling New Theory: There Is No Swing Voter (Politico Magazine)

• Christina Koch Lands on Earth, and Crosses a Threshold for Women in Space (New York Times)

• What Will It Take For A Black Woman To Be President? (Essence)

• If the President Is Going to Be So Powerful, Can We Ask He Also Be Good? (The Dispatch)