#issue 83 - the one about the handwritten letter

December 20, 2020

I fell in love with the mail service watching Postman Pat. Growing up, I used to write letters to my aunt and grandparents, and there was something so magical about receiving something in the mail from so far away. My love for snail-mail has only been cemented since, especially when it’s not bills or junk mail. I don’t send holiday cards but I do write notes to friends, participated in a voter letter-writing campaign this year, and of course, I ship every single order from my jewelry store using the USPS.

It’s no secret that the USPS is in crisis in 2020, and it’s the confluence of 3 major factors:

Add to this - UPS and FedEx have informed certain retailers that they will not ship orders outside their contractual agreements  - and we have shipping chaos and a gridlock that extends to over 6 million packages per day!

If you’re a small business owner who has been shipping out packages this holiday season, or you’re a consumer waiting for packages, you know this feeling of endless waiting and wondering all too well. So what can you do about it? To be honest, not a whole lot. The packages will get to their destination when they eventually get there, and while that’s a hard message in a difficult year, Books Are Magic offered an excellent solution. Is it ideal? Of course not. But everyone is doing their best right now, so we should offer ourselves and each other some grace this season.

And as my friend Jenny said “gifts are great to receive whenever you receive them.”

What we read this week

  • Only When it’s Us by Chloe Liese - Willa Sutter is a college athlete who needs a little help in class when she misses lectures due to travel tournaments. She’s paired with Ryder Ever, who seems like the brooding type of guy who doesn’t like her, except Willa has him all wrong. This is a very sweet, layered romance - it was free with Kindle Unlimited and was very enjoyable. Just know it is sad in parts so you may want to have some Kleenex handy. Read this if you liked To All the Boys, Let It Snow, All the Bright Places, and any other Netflix teen/college aged romcom.

  • The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa - Carolina Santos is a wedding planner who was stood up at the altar of her own wedding some years ago. Now she’s pitching to run the wedding business of a luxury hotel, but she has to collaborate with her ex almost-brother-in-law, Max. Carolina holds Max responsible for her disastrous “wedding day” and would prefer to have nothing to do with him, and yet, perhaps there’s more than animosity between them. Read this is you enjoyed the 2001 J-Lo classic, The Wedding Planner. And if you haven’t watched The Wedding Planner, what are you waiting for?

  • More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth - I wasn't sure how good Elaine Welteroth's autobiography would be given that she is 34 years young, but the book was so hard to put down! She became the youngest editor at Conde Nast through persistence, a commitment to her craft, and what I perceived as a genuine belief that she wouldn't be given a dream she couldn't fulfill.

  • Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity by Scott Galloway - COVID-19 has changed the business world forever. So as the vaccine rolls out and life returns to 'normal,' what companies are poised for success—and which will slowly fade away? Galloway's analysis is sharp, timely, and gave me some excellent ideas for stocks to research. Highly recommend!

  • The Escape Room by Megan Goldin - A quick and easy read for fans of Gillian Flynn and similar authors, with a twisty look inside the high stakes world on Wall Street and what it takes to get - and stay- ahead in that business.

The Top 5

The Catch Up

Monday (curated by Hiwote)

Tuesday

Wednesday (curated by Julia)

Thursday

Friday (curated by Marisa)

Things we love this week

  • Flora Guppy: One of my big “accomplishments” of 2020 was growing my own flower garden. It was such a joy to cut flowers from my containers and bring them inside and put them in vases. If only I had known about the Flora Guppy tool then. This floral arrangement tool is completely reusable, will fill any vase, and will make it so easy to make amazing floral arrangements even if you don’t have a whole lot of flowers to make them with. Oh, and they’re a small business who sells via Amazon.

  • Personal Astrology Reading: As a true Leo, I’m a huge fan of astrology  someone to tell me how wonderful I am? Yes please!!! I have a personal astrologer, his name is Martin, he’s Argentian, bilingual in Spanish and English, and he’s awesome. He does zoom readings. I’ve got one booked for January, and if you’re similarly into astrology, I highly recommend booking yourself a reading. Learn more about my astrology reading including how to contact my astrologer here.

  • Fun Colorful Aprons By Simply Trudy: My friend and fellow Cleveland blogger Trudy Maposa offers a unique line of aprons - perfect for that person who either loves to cook or is learning how to cook! The aprons are made in Zimbabwe by Zimbabwean seamstresses and part of the proceeds go back into the community in Zimbabwe. (Woman-owned, Black-owned)

  • The Flavor Equation: Yes, this is a book with a lot of Indian recipes, but it’s so much more – it also includes the science of cooking. So if you’re someone who likes to cook by “feel” or improvise recipes, this is a must-read!

  • Cute Shower Cap: I HATE washing my hair, so this is a lifesaver. Also great for those long self-care baths.

I write a weekly newsletter with my favorite things which typically includes a balance of things I’m buying, reading, eating and broadly being entertained by, so if that’s something that interests you, subscribe here!

  • The best sunscreen I've ever used. It doesn't leave a weird white film or make me look sweaty.

  • I collect matchbooks from restaurants I love—but never knew what to do with them beyond a cute dish on my coffee table. Matches by Memory solves that problem with their custom-made collages (which you can frame & hang in your home). You can customize a collage based on a specific location, or choose from the ready-made collages in their shop (NYC, D.C., New Orleans, and more). I got my mom their Hamptons collage for Christmas, and I know she'll love it! And starting at $150 per piece, the price is right, too.

  • Dazzle Dry: My SIL introduced me to this polish brand last spring when all the salons closed, and it produces by far the best at home manicure of any polish or kit I've ever tried (and as a gel devotee with a limited budget, I've tried A LOT!)

Take care of yourself, and please share #5SmartReads if you’re enjoying them!

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