SKINCARE, STORIES, AND WEARING WHITE ON A BOAT

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!!

A small wonder: On a walk through the park, a book practically jumped out at me from a little free library. It was The Gift of Story: A Wise Tale about What is Enough by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. It's a tiny book. It's a lovely book. And anyone who has read Women Who Run With the Wolves, also by Estes, will not be surprised to learn that this little but mighty book is written in service of passing down our stories. It's a reminder that our elders are the storykeepers, and the stories are one of the greatest sources of knowledge and wisdom in our society – so write them down, pass them down, and ask to hear them.

What I've been writing: Been deep in my journal the last week or so – mainly doing some reflecting about 2025 and all that occurred. And I've put together these reflection questions for anyone who wants to do the same, because it's important to know where you've been before obsessing over where you're doing.

WOMEN’S STUDIES

What gets passed down becomes our history.

Six Reflection Questions to Shape the Next Year. Around this time we all get obsessed with what's next. The goals, the plans, the “this is my year” lists. But finding direction isn't always about planning ahead. I've found that most of my answers are in the stories of what have already been...but we never take enough time to stop, to look back, and to make sense of it all. These six questions help you do that. Those of you who've been here a while know that my reflection questions come out every year around this time. In the past, it's been a long list, but this year I went with something sharper and more intentional. Every questions has a reason with a little key to explain what to look for in your own answers. Give it a try!

Why you might need an adventure. I loved this reminder that hard things help our sense of self, and the call to actively seek out the discomfort. This article was my sign to go book a month in the Sahara desert without wifi or cell service, one of my 2026 intentions ;) The fact I consider this hard is probably a bad sign!!

Debunking the Ai Food Delivery Hoax that Fooled Reddit. This really poked at many of my fears, and my little former journalism-major heart. Casey Newton is one of my favorite, disciplined, technology journalists. And he had the instincts, patience, and deep AI knowledge to suss out a whistleblower hoax. But journalists with far less are getting targeted by similar falsified “leaks”. This was an important read.

Your 10 Skincare Resolutions for 2026. My friend Anne-Marie writes one of my favorite beauty newsletters, Not Born With It. She's the no fluff, call-out-the-BS gal you need when you're evaluating skincare and cosmetic surgery needs (or in my case, peppering her with questions about my scalp-care concerns). All the posts on her substack are interesting, grounded in reality and “do you” energy....but this one is a good overview of some of her top thoughts.

Other stray links: I'm in Rio de Janeiro staying with my bestie Kat and on a couple rainy days here we've gotten in some good shows: Taylor Swift: The End of an Era limited series on Disney+ which needs NO voice over from me. Just wow. I cried so many times?? I'm re-obsessed with Emily in Paris on Netflix and watched the newest szn on the flight to Brazil. Take me to Paris plz!! And Run Away on Netflix...let's just say I guessed who did it from the Trailer, and I've never been more proud of myself???

PASS IT ON

Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine: I've never been much of a Halloween girl, but I AM SUCH A NEW YEAR'S EVE GIRL!!!!! I just love it. I love being with my galpals. I love getting gussied up. I love having a party to attend. Even despite how impossible it is to get yourself home (once, pre-uber, I paid a pizza delivery guy to take me and Kat home from a club in Dallas on NYE, and it's possibly my greatest achievement). Well, this year I was in Rio, on a boat in the harbor, with people I love so dearly (Kat, this is the Kat newsletter now), dressed in all white because that's the Rio tradition, watching fireworks just above. It was totally magic, and such a special way to celebrate the closing of one wild year, and the opening of another. I don't try and architect my new year with big goals or resolutions, but I do know that being with people I love is the entire plan!

Woman on xx