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Books:
Don't come at me for what I'm about to say. I tried to read White Teeth by Zadie Smith and just couldn't get into it. The vibe of it felt strongly similar to Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie and since I had to read that book for class once I'm scarred for life.I got Matilda from the library and I loved it. I never read it as a kid which I'm glad about, because I know child-me would actually not have enjoyed it. I need my young adult nostalgic hindsight.
On Thursday I walked to Waterstones and spent thirty minutes trying to find Becoming by Laura Jane Williams because it just came out in paperback! I've been wanting to read this book ever since it was published but I a) prefer paperback and b) haven't been in the UK until now so I couldn't buy it. I really, really think this book is what I need to read right now.
I also bought When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi and SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. I'm super excited about both of these.
Articles:
For all my broke as a joke ladies out there: 30 places to travel cheap in 2017The story of a woman who had a late term abortion, made more difficult by Virginia's regulations (my home state)
A study shows that regular exercise helps kids with ADHD just as much as medication. I'm not one of those people that says "oh you're depressed? Just try yoga!" because actual chemical imbalances do need medication, but for myself personally I do believe regular exercise helps EVERYTHING. I think that's why I've been feeling so shitty lately, because I haven't been getting enough of it. I'll make that my February goal: go to the gym!
Read the letter that got Senator Warren silenced by Republicans. Also the #ShePersisted hashtag on twitter is my favorite thing.
Being single at 28 is a lot easier than being single at 21.
An essay from a woman who used to be in a cult that led to the death of her best friend.
How to sustain your ambition in the Trump Era (watch out for burnout, we can't quit)
If I ever get married I definitely don't want to change my last name, so this article made me royally pissed off. Half of Americans think women should be required by law to change their last name after marriage. Over my dead, unmarried body.
"Was there a woman who didn’t recognize herself in the specter of Elizabeth Warren silenced by a roomful of men? Tuesday night was another reminder, as if many women needed it, that speaking up remains an arduous and necessary task."
60% of studio leaders at Lucasfilm are women. Hell yeah.
Many of the articles I referenced this week I found through the "This Week in Lady News" newsletter. Subscribe here.
Blogs:
Ohhhhh myyyyy gooooood this is exactly the type of post I want to write, the direction I want to take this blog in. It's about leaving and how little we need to survive. I've done a lot of clicking around on Candie's blog and it's safe to say that she's one of my new favorites.Obsessing over page views just holds you back. As a new blogger (not even two months!), I'm a tiny bit obsessed with growth. I know it takes time but I am actually the most impatient person in the entire world. But, I need to listen to the wise words of Bianca Bass! Stressing over page views doesn't help anyone.
Brenna hits it on the nail again with "When Did Travel Blogging Get So Boring?". I think about this a lot, since at first I was really discouraged of making a travel blog because SO MANY of the "popular" ones bore the crap outta me. Hopefully people will follow Brenna's direction and bring blogging back to a more personal level.
Videos:
Beauty & Lord Voldemort. This is actually a cinematic masterpiece.
Life:
I know it's a controversial site among bloggers, but I've started using UpWork. I know, I know, it's a shitty site where writers are treated like dirt and no one earns the amount they truly deserve. But I'm a college student in a country where I'm not allowed to work so this is the only thing I can actually do. I need a little padding in my bank account, as discussed in my post on budgeting for travel, so this experience will hopefully be good for me. I'll let y'all know how it goes.Quote:
“She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”Thank you, Mitch McConnell, for giving us a new feminist mantra. Also, fuck you Mitch.