hi, friends. happy sunday from new york city! we’re entering the part of the season where the crisp spring days are a distant memory, replaced seemingly overnight by a muggy, oppressive heat and the need for a solid strategy around how to preserve your outfit through a subway commute (with layers on hand to prepare for an AC onslaught wherever you’re headed). but as ever, new york’s charms outweigh all the rest. summer also brings with it the chance to walk out your door on any given weekday evening and to be met with endless blocks of al fresco dining, the chance to do a balmy late-night west side highway walk, or seize the spontaneity in the air that only feels possible when the sun goes down after 8p.
you may have noticed that I wasn’t in your inbox last weekend. I took some time off writing to be fully present at my nana’s celebration of life with my immediate and extended family, who traveled from across the country to honor her. it was a weekend filled with equal measures of laughter, tears, and storytelling about the woman who influenced each of our lives so profoundly. as I saw family deboard planes and surprise guests appear fresh off eight-hour drives to support my mom and her sisters, it was a reminder of how much friendship, camaraderie, and community mean—particularly in darker moments. if there’s anything I’m taking away from this experience of grief morphing into gratitude, it’s that how we show up for one another matters.
all of that to say, life has really gotten in the way of my Substack planning, and we don’t have a guest today!!!! the idea of going outside of my usual format sent me spinning for a moment (see below meme), and then I realized we have a lot to catch up on anyway!! I’m actually considering what it will look like to pull back from Q&As a bit this summer; not only do they take an extensive amount of work to coordinate and execute, but the essence of the sunday series is to connect over all the things: books, new york recs, travel musings, dig into cultural conversations, and whatever other random updates come to mind. to answer the question, “what do you write about?” the answer remains WHATEVER I WANT. so, let’s get into the flavors of the week.
I’m breaking up with Audible.
this week, I got an email from Audible (owned by Amazon) reminding me that my annual subscription was going to be auto-charged ($149.50), and I was like, wait, nooooooo! I blew through the allotted 12 Audible credits well over six months ago, so I’d honestly forgotten that I was on an annual plan. but after 82 (!!) titles consumed here, I’m finally switching to Libro.fm, a much more thoughtful audiobook platform that allows you to select your favorite local indie who in turn, you support through your purchases! basically, it’s like the Bookshop.org alternative to buying books on Amazon but for audiobooks. I’ve chosen to support Books Are Magic, a Brooklyn-based indie helmed by writer
and her husband, but you can support any number of the thousands of shops partnered with the platform.if you, too, want to make the switch to Libro.fm, it looks like they are running a couple different promotions right now to celebrate their 10th anniversary! but after listening to Tim Ehrenberg (previous sunday series guest!) and Elin Hilderbrand’s latest episode of Books, Beach & Beyond where Libro.fm was a podcast partner, I personally used code “ELIN” to make sure they got credit for sending me to the platform. fittingly, this pod episode was with the audiobook narrator that Elin has worked with on the majority of her impressive catalog of novels; I just listened to The Rumor in preparation for the release of Swan Song on Tuesday (there’s supposed to be some character crossover) and I loved it.
so, do audiobooks “count”?? just see Reese’s take on this to summarize how I feel here! I’m going to be recapping my Q1 and Q2 reads in three weeks in my June 30th send, which will definitely include audiobooks because, YES, THEY COUNT. interestingly enough, Reese’s Book Club announced an exclusive partnership with Apple Books this week. I’m intrigued and will be keeping an eye on how they create a unique listening experience.
finally, it’s worth noting that we can and should be supporting our public libraries!! I use the Libby app in combination with my NYPL card to listen to books all the time! it can be a bit trickier with new releases, so my strategy here is to use Libby for older or more niche books. you can have up to three holds at a time, so I constantly am on the list for three titles; right now, those include, The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr, I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman’s Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris by Glynnis MacNicol, and The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand. definitely recommend synching your library card up to the app so you can listen to books for free.
WVBC got a facelift!
this week, me and my friend Jenna—fellow West Village Book Club member and marketing girlie—went deeeep into a rabbit hole on recreating our logo for WVBC! we love how it came together and see exciting things set to evolve in this space. if you’re so inclined, we’d love for you to join the fun by following along @westvillagebookclub on IG! aside from fun New York bits and our recent offiste in Paris, we’ll be covering our summer reads on deck including This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune (June pick) and Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand (July pick).
WVBC met a couple of weeks back to discuss
’s The Scilian Inheritance, which was such a delightful read to get us into our European summer headspace. the dual-timeline book is set on the island of Sicily, a divine destination I’ve only had the pleasure of visiting once back in March 2022 and would love to return. we adored how this read sparked conversations around female identity, heritage, and love. definitely add this one to your summer reading list!my summer aesthetic: FUN.
in summary, my summer vibe is still…yet to be determined. I have a really exciting life update sure to impact my summer that I can’t wait to share with you when the time is right. but ultimately, I’ve decided that number one priority this summer is to enjoy the right now. not what’s coming, but what’s already here in front of me. truth be told, I’m quite terrible at leaning into being present, being playful, and having frivolous fun unless I’m on a trip. in my everyday life, I’m much better at planning and goal setting and grinding, and turning a free saturday into an opportunity to be productive (cue: me at my computer most of the day yesterday). but I’m trying to get better. I want to be better!!!
it’s impossible to measure whether I’m meeting this goal of fun-having, but I guess that’s the point. part of what’s sure to factor into this in the months ahead for me is that our office is transitioning, and I have from mid-July to mid-October to be fully remote. my mind is whirring at the possibilities…so many I don’t even know where to begin! I’m leaning towards a stint in Paris come mid-September, but until then, I’m not sure if I’ll hang back in New York or find a way to plop myself somewhere on the Mediterranean…if anyone has any leads or ideas or better yet, the ability to do an apartment swap (The Holiday, but make it a Euro summer?), holler! xKD