CLAIRE DANES THRILLERS, VISIBILITY, AND PERIMENOPAUSE

LIFE OF A BOOKMAN

Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi that's me!!

Space Travel: People have recommended Project Hail Mary to me SO many times. Honestly, I had no idea what the novel was about, just that people loved this book. So, I borrowed it from a friend and omg it's an astronaut book! A space book! My favorite topic right now given I have a BFF who is now an NASA astronaut (this is not a humble brag, this is a full-boast brag!!! So proud of @spiesinspace!!!)

Back to Project Hail Mary: I devoured this story about an astronaut who wakes up in space with no idea where he is or how he got there or why. Oh, and it's coming out as a movie next year played by Ryan Gosling so, yes and yes. Sign me up. This was a treat of a book – plot heavy, funny, scientific. It was super fun recognizing things in this book that I'd learned on my tour of Johnson Space Center, like how astronauts on the ISS are perpetually falling. How's this for wild:

“Gravity doesn't just 'go away' when you're in orbit. In fact, the gravity you experience in orbit is pretty much the same as you'd experience on the ground. The weightlessness that astronauts experience while in orbit comes from constantly falling. But the curvature of the Earth makes the ground go away at the same rate you fall. So you just fall forever."

WOMEN’S STUDIES

What gets passed down becomes our history.

You should be having more slumber parties with your friends. I agree with basically everything in this article. That sleepovers give us extended time and intimacy with our best friends. That it allows the hangs to be purposeless and away from constantly having to manage impressions. I love girl trips so much because of yes, the experiences, but also because we get to hang out, do nothing, gab until midnight next to each other (and sometimes upon booking a tiny last minute hotel room in Paris, that next to each other“ becomes three across, butt-to-butt in bed!) I love how this article even gives ideas for sleepovers with the girls and their kids, too. Anything is possible!

Perimenopause Superpowers I've got lots of friends talking about, thinking about, wondering about Perimenopause. And I want all of those friends to read this amazing letter from Celine Levy, my somatic therapist, about the power of this time and what she wishes she'd known when she was in her thirties. I think regardless of what age you are, adult women should read these highlights – there are plenty of positive changes to expect around this transitional time (and it's a good pushback to being so mired in the negative messages we see about menopause)

Taking Friendship to the Next Level. This Today, Explained podcast episode is technically titled: The Case for Renting Forever, but it's actually a beautiful story of two divorced best friends trying to solo-parent and realizing that they should just move in together. I loved this inside look at alternative ways to set up support systems, and chosen family, and home buyership can look like. We need more of this!!

Me and My Girls Can Run Circles Around You. Oooo this was a good clip from Reshma Sujani, about seeing power up close. And to know that there's no difference between you and the most powerful people in the world, other than they decided that they deserved to be there. It plays well with this newsletter from Tracy Litt about why you're ready for your dreams now, no more self-help needed.

Other stray links: omg Claire Danes is back in a new thriller The Beast in Me about a grieving novelist and it's dark. And as my bestie Kristine commented, “Claire is so good at seeming so stressed out!!!” Truth ... and omg Lily Allen's new divorce album West End Girl? Gimme the tunes and the tea…

PASS IT ON

Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine: For the last five or so years, I pretty aggressively backed off posting on social media. There were a lot of reasons for this: it requires a ton of time and energy... I've had lots of other big works to birth like Daisy...I was in my Savannah cocoon and just wanted to stay there unbothered...Being visible, like really visible, like the kind where it's sorta cringey watching someone share/talk/blab on about what they do and what they know to a camera in their office – well, that didn't feel totally good to my system because, honestly, I was scared of being misunderstood...Oh and of course, why give some of my most valuable resource (time and attention) away to these platforms?

I piled my reasons high.

But the last few months I decided to be done with those reasons (excuses!!) and to find some help creating valuable content around what I know and love to share with the world and to really lean in to doing it, and doing it well, and doing it consistently. Why? Because I love making sure your stories don't go untold, it's my MISSION. And I create great work to do just that. And I want it to be seen, and read, and enjoyed!!

Well, I found the right collaboration, and it's game on!! You'll see a lot more from me on instagram, tiktok and youtube, which started to hit last week. I'd love for you to follow, to comment, to let me know what type of stuff you like seeing (I'm testing some different verticals of my expertise) and as always, reply here if you have any ideas for me!!

Woman on xx