Liking Lately - JANUARY '24

Things I'm into and liking lately. From books to music to random amusements, get my perspective on what's worth your energy.

Listen, I’ve been sitting on sharing a periodic list of things I like or recommend for a while now. For months, I’ve been hemming and hawing over it all: the timing (should it be weekly? monthly? as I trip on something great?), what it should include (books are a no-brainer), and, honestly, whether anyone would even care what I do or don’t like. I really let my inner-critic get the best of me because I certainly think I have good taste but… who actually wants to know what stuff I read or watch or listen to? Who cares?

Then there’s this thing where, as a librarian, I feel a real responsibility to highlight the best and most useful sources of media and entertainment when… thing’s I consume and even like don’t always fall into those categories. I mean, I am a human female living in these wild times, after all.

But then… I love when other people share their recommendations! And through them, I’ve been introduced solutions and public figures and frames of mind that have remained in my life ever since. And you know what? None of us have to be an expert to have a valuable opinion or point of view on a piece of media or writing or music. And I’m not working as a librarian right now, so I can give myself some wiggle room when it comes to esteem and cultural significance and, quite frankly, political correctness (see: Real Housewives).

And so, with that, I’ll share.

Because why not? What if something I read is the thing that springboards someone’s next big venture? Something I’m randomly into makes the difference in a person’s day to day? Something I’ve listened to changes the trajectory of someone’s life?

So, as lifelong learner, a purveyor of information, a crafter of stories, an unabashed teenybopper, and a generally interesting person of the human species, here are some things I’ve been liking lately:

Books

The theme of January seems to be nonfiction books about parenthood and assorted niche interests. By women named Stephanie.
And books that are now TV shows or series.
Interestingly, there are zero duds on this list and I would recommend any of these reads to anyone’s eye they catch!

Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
by Dr. Becky Kennedy

The People We Hate At the Wedding
by Grant Ginder

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive
by Stephanie Land

Not Drinking Tonight: A Guide to Creating a Sober Life You Love
by Amanda E. White

What You Are Looking For is In the Library
by Michiko Aoyama (translation by Alison Watts)

Swipe Up for More!: Inside the Unfiltered Lives of Influencers
by Stephanie McNeal

Daisy Jones and the Six: A Novel
by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Podcasts

Interestingly, some of these podcasts really mirror the books I’ve been reading and not just because they are by some of the same people! But even the topics are intimately intertwined in a way that really gave me focus and positivity with my motherhood and self-worth moving forward.

You’re Wrong About Ep Influencers with Taylor Lorenz

Good Inside with Dr. Becky Ep Self-Care is an Inside Job with Dr. Pooja Lakshmin
Ep Trying to Be Everything (“real” parent interview)

Recovered-Ish with Amanda E. White, LPC Ep Self Pleasure is the Antidote to Self Sabotage with Katherine Morgan Shafler

Minimalist Moms Ep313 Buying Less is the KEY to Loving Your Wardrobe with Alison Lambatis

Heart of the Story with Nadine Kenney Johnstone Ep Bonus Crossover from And So, She Left Podcast Anti-Striving

Believe In Magic with Jamie Bartlett (BBC series)

Clothing/Accessory

Though I am trying to pare down my closet, I find that the more I thin out the herd, the more items I truly love surface and are more utilized than ever before. So these things may not all be new or even available anymore, but

Have you heard of the Amazon coat? It’s, in fact, called the Women's Thickened Down Jacket by Orolay and it had a MOMENT a few years ago. Please don’t ask for specifics, because time means nothing to me post-pandemic-and-baby, but trust- this thing was everywhere for a hot minute.

I’m not sure how it took off or why, really, but I know the moment. I saw it I thought: meh. It was big and boxy and as a shortie, not something I felt I could pull off if I was even in need of a new coat. Which I was not.

But then let’s fast-forward to aforementioned baby who was due in June. This means that the winter and cold weather prior to his arrival -which, in Chicago, could last until mid-May…- would warrant pregnancy-friendly cold weather gear. Enter: The Amazon coat.

she may not look happy, but I bet she’s warm

Not only is this baby warm (and as a survivor of many a polar vortex, I do mean WARM), but it has approximately MILLION pockets where I store not only my gloves and hat, but sometimes keys, wallet, and even sunglasses. But wait, there’s more! It has side zippers PLUS snaps down the front panel that allow the whole coat to expand in a way my growing belly needed. It was amazing during that time in my life and now, a year and a half postpartum, it is still the coat I reach for on those more frigid days.

Is it my most fashionable look? Probably not. But us Midwestern girls aren’t afraid of looking a little wild in the name of avoiding frostbite, and now I have a reason to not drop $$$($) on something more fashionable in the name of warmth.

Random

Truly, this is random, but for a few weeks now I’ve been alternating starting my day NOT with coffee (which is especially fortuitous as my coffee maker is on the fritz… again…….) but alternating between kombucha (favorite flavors TBD and shared later!) and a freshly squeezed lemon in ice cold water.

Of course I still have coffee afterwards, but it’s nice not to roll out of bed and immediately think of how soon I’ll be getting my caffeine fix (and how much more I’ll need to get me through the day!).

And on that note, if anyone has a recommendation for a coffee maker they love…

FIN

And that’s it for January! I’ll see you next month with some more things I’m liking (or maybe I won’t). But either way, in the meantime, what have you been liking lately? Did anything on my list catch your eye? Let me know in the comments…