issue #26 - the one where I barely know my own name anymore.

The Bahamas are completely devastated by Hurricane Dorian.

Whatever you can do to help, please do.

And if you’re feeling especially generous, please come to the Sundara fundraiser next Monday or support the organization. They do vitally important work in public health, women’s empowerment, and sustainability every single day, and every dollar makes a huge impact.

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 3 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

• After overindulging all weekend long, these little rituals are helping me get on track:

  • This tea on weeknights, and saving my wine for weekends.

  • A green smoothie every morning - two handfuls of spinach, a handful of frozen blueberries, this protein powder, and almond milk or water. Admittedly, it’s followed up with dinner leftovers (usually pasta or quinoa stir fry)…but at least I started the day on the right foot?

  • Laying out my yoga mat and ankle weights the night before and doing a Melissa Wood Health workout in my pajamas first thing in the morning. I’ll follow it up with a Peloton ride or a walk in the park with Rhaki.

  • New workout clothes. These pants and these sports bras are two new favorites.

• I’ve downsized to this laptop bag (in dune) when I’m running out to work from a coffee shop or The Wing. It’s such a good bag that my mother ‘borrowed’ my original one, and I bought a second one to replace it.

• Some favorite things for the boys that arrived - Super Satya Saves The Day and Always Anjali (gifted from Bharat Babies, and currently Rho’s favorite books), Potato Head Avengers (something I didn’t think existed but Rho insisted they did, and he was right), and his Dr. Snickerdoo costume (gifted by the brand). I’m on the hunt for teethers for Rhaki - let me know if you have any recommendations!

What I read this week:

• Bringing Down The Duke (c/o Book Of The Month) - I can only handle delightful books right now, and this was perfect. English suffragettes target a surly young duke to persuade him to champion their cause, and a wickedly funny plot that Bronte would be proud of unfolds. It’s a quick read, and a lovely one.

• A Sky Painted Gold - everything about this book is pretty. The cover, the characters (especially Lou), the writing, and the detail. It’s a short book, but a deeply poignant one that I haven’t finished yet - but will this weekend. And I can’t wait. Big thanks to Becca for recommending it.

• Frankly In Love (ARC c/o Libro.FM) - this book had me at the title (the protagonist’s name is Frank Li, and I’m a sucker for a good pun). It’s the sweet tale of a Korean-American boy falling in love for the first time - and not with a nice Korean-American girl. There are so many moments I fully empathize with in this book, and the narrator does an excellent job of bringing it alive. Pre-order it now - preferably the audiobook.

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 4

1. Behind the Ghoonghats of ‘Happily’ Married Indian Housewives (Brown Girl Magazine)

2. Pumpkin spice lattes — and the backlash, and the backlash to the backlash — explained (Vox)

3. When Should You Take an Antibiotic? (Elemental | Medium)

4. Want Stronger Friendships? Pull Out Your Notepad (NPR)

The Catch Up

Tuesday

• Jackie Kennedy’s wedding is still talked about today. But the African American designer who made her dress continues to be written out of the story. (The Lily)

• Trump trade war: 15% tariffs on Chinese imports take effect (Axios)

• Project Placenta: A little-studied organ gets its scientific due. (The Cut)

• Brain-reading tech is coming. The law is not ready to protect us. (Vox)

Wednesday

• Despite promises, Trump's trade deficits are only growing (Axios)

• Is giving government cash to every American the best way to deal with poverty? (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• ‘They just wanted us to read about a white boy and his dog’: why teenager Marley Dias fought back (The Guardian)

• You Are Doing Something Important When You Aren’t Doing Anything (The New York Times)

Thursday

• US offers cash to tanker captains in bid to seize Iranian ships (Financial Times)

• How a shoe that looks like a sock became the working woman’s obsession (Vox)

• She was the First Muslim in Space and Now She’s Mobilizing $1 Billion to Support Female-Founded Companies (The Riveter)

• Westminster mayhem (Axios)

Friday

• Black women are more likely to die from a pregnancy (Axios)

• Caliber, cartridges, and bump stocks: guns, explained for non-gun people (Vox)

• 'Crazy Rich Asians' Co-Writer Exits Sequel Amid Pay Disparity Dispute (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Kara Swisher on Ambition, Bragging, and Having a Baby at 56 (The Cut)