issue #158 - a minimal one

It was a very full week - the announcement of The New C-Suite (very honored!), the election, and too many events. And this weekend was the polar opposite - my recovering from the worst migraine I’ve ever experienced, Rhaki dealing with a stomach bug, and a lot of big feelings in our home.

So this week’s editor letter is very brief, but I will be releasing my #5SmartGifts guide this week and hope it helps you with your holiday shopping!

This Week’s Links

• ABLE is having their best sale ever right now - you can get 40% off with code HITHAHOLIDAY40. I’ve linked all my favorite pieces here, and highly recommend snagging the most perfect dress for holiday meals.

• May I encourage you to have a gentle Monday tomorrow? Links to everything are here, and the YouTube video is linked here.

• My Election Day outfit is also my daily uniform when I’m working from home. This link has all the shopping links.

• It’s officially Thanksgiving sweatshirt season! While mine is an old design, The Shop Forward (where I bought mine from) has some new styles that I love! I also love the ‘fall is my whole personality’ collection from Phenomenal.

I tend to share shopping links and things I recommend on my LTK profile before my newsletter or IG. If that’s your thing, you can follow me there!

What I Read This Week

• Storm’s Echo by Nalini Singh - when I get into a series to the point that it’s about to become my entire personality, I actively have to step back and not read the latest book until I absolutely cannot resist, and that’s what happened with this Nalini Singh series. While this book didn’t grip me immediately like some of the others, it was ultimately the most satisfying because we finally had A MAJOR REVEAL and now I’m counting down until next year when the next book is released. This was a series I started smack dab in the middle with Silver Silence (I do need to go back and read the earlier books), and while that was a chaotic choice, it’s one I stand by.

• Hate to Love You by Jennifer Sucevic - sometimes you need the enemy to lovers, fake-dating, sports romance and this delivered. She’s the smart one in the finance class, he’s the captain of the hockey team who’s headed straight to the NHL after graduation, and one of his teammates is her cruel ex-boyfriend. This had all the tropes and all the spice and I’m very glad that there are more books by this author.

• The Widow by Kaira Rouda - I adored Counterfeit, and The Widow had very similar vibes (but make them politics and set in DC). Jody is the wife of longtime Congressman Martin Asher, Mimi Smith is their close friend from law school, and the house of cards built by the three of them is about to topple. This was such a satisfying, crazy book that would make an excellent mini-series or movie. It’s a First Reads pick, if you’ve haven’t claimed yours yet!

• Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan (trigger - abuse) - Kennedy Ryan is one of my all-time favorite authors, and Long Shot is one of her early books and it’s the will-they-won’t-they, years long story that Kennedy writes so perfectly that also doesn’t shy away from the hard issues.

What Everyone Else Read This Week

Abigail

• The Bromance Bookclub by Lyssa Kay Adams - Okay, the premise of this book is slightly ridiculous: a professional baseball player's wife asks for a separation. He's devastated and finds support in a group of men who read romance novels and use them for inspiration to improve their own relationships. It's part of a series and the perfect distraction from whatever's going on in your life.

Top #5SmartReads Of The Week

• A Friendship Meet Cute (Cup Of Jo)

• Why Rep. Mary Peltola Wore Traditional Yup'ik Boots to Her History-Making Swearing-In Ceremony (ELLE)

• Sadie Robertson Huff Preaches Submissive Womanhood. Her Message Is Uncomfortably Compelling. (Cosmopolitan)

• Kim Godwin’s Doing It for Her Daughters (The Cut)

• 'Fatty Fatty Boom Boom' details podcaster's battle with weight (NPR)

The rest of the week’s reads + last week’s (and conversations!) are below:

Monday November 7, 2022Tuesday November 8, 2022Wednesday November 9, 2022Thursday November 10, 2022Friday November 11, 2022

Your Questions, Answered

How excited are you about the Fetterman win?It’s an overwhelming sense of relief, and absolute joy that my home state will be led and represented by folks whose values I really, really respect and who respect everyone’s views.

Thrilled for you and your family Gisele Barreto Fetterman!!!!

PA is actually a very exciting state to watch, as the state house flipped to the Dems for the first time in 10 years!

Choose one: spinach, kale or arugula? Spinach - no contest!

It’s my favorite leafy green.

Why did Philly get such a big push from Indian American GOTV efforts? What risks/opportunities Philly has a significant South Asian population that are registered voters, but not regular voters. There’s something to be said about being canvassed by volunteers who have a lot of your shared experiences offers a greater comfort and willingness to ask questions you may otherwise not have.

A lot of desis live in the greater Philadelphia area. Even in my parents’ neighborhood in Bucks County, there are a lot of desi families and a few of the uncles are very involved in getting out the vote!

Indian American Impact did an amazing job getting the canvassing campaign together- highly recommend following and reaching out to them if you want to volunteer or lead GOTV efforts in your area!

Closing

xo,HPN