Newsweek #3: BookTok, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, 9-1-1, and Gardening Books
This week's finds: Ditch the snobbery & rediscover reading! Plus: comfort TV, gardening for beginners, a shopping decision I need your help with.
When I opened my laptop this morning I didn’t plan to write anything. All I wanted was to go through my substack inbox and read the latest newsletters while drinking a cup of coffee. But my brain had other ideas. Anytime I started a sentence, I stopped reading. So I guess writing is what I needed this morning. Sometimes the need to write is stronger than the ideas in my head, so instead of writing utter nonsense, you are getting a newsweek substack from me today. I keep a note on my phone where I add all the things I want to share with people. Whenever that list is full enough, I start writing. I actually didn’t think I had enough because I felt I didn’t note much down, but I guess I was wrong.
This newsweek comes to your inbox full of great substack reads, comfort TV, nostalgic influencers, and a deep dive into the world of gardening for beginners.
Newsletters/Articles
“There are no Good/Bad Readers. There are Good/Bad Writers: A Discussion About Privilege.” by
Amanda makes the great argument that being a good reader or writer is not about education or social background. A good writer is not someone who knows all the big words but someone aware of themselves and the world around them and writes about what they know. She makes a great point that too many people on social media are jerks these days and look down on others’ tastes. She also introduces several great writers from different backgrounds.
The quote that stood out to me the most is this one:
In a world where what you're SEEN reading matters more than the act of reading itself, some people just want the opportunity to be literate.
I loved this! Because all those girls posting “silly little photos” of their bookshelves, who recommend the latest romance books or thrillers, are the girls that got me back into reading. After high school, all I read was books for university or non-fiction books. I stopped reading for fun for over a decade. Picking up a book just for entertainment was groundbreaking for me at the time.
I hate this elitism that has been going around for a long time now (this certainly didn’t start with BookTok). That elitism stopped me from picking up a book for fun because it is “not what smart people do”. And it is not just on social media. Some people still give you the side-eye when they spot you in the romance section at the bookstore. I highly recommend Amanda’s piece if you feel the same way.
But for now, please excuse me while I sit on my patio with a glass of wine and a silly little romance book for entertainment.
Some book accounts that I enjoy:
TV/Movies
I am a lover of simple things. A good procedural TV show is like catnip to me. Think Criminal Minds, Castle, Bosch, Bones.
I watch these shows over and over again. Some I probably watched over 10 times by now. The knowledge that at the end of the episode, a case will be closed (most times) is pure comfort.
Whenever I discover a new show like this, I am often pretty hesitant to start watching. What if I waste several hours for bad television? What if it is the best thing I ever watched, and can’t stop watching it? Do I have the time for that?
The show 9-1-1 was recommended to me on Disney+, and I felt adventurous the other day and started. Thinking I would hate it. And then I didn’t stop watching until I finished the last season and now I even subscribed to a new streaming service just so I can watch the newest season that is currently airing.
It reminds me of the old Grey’s Anatomy when it was still about character development, true stories, and great medical cases. 9-1-1 follows the lives of a group of L.A. first responders (police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and dispatchers), as they face emergencies and rescue victims in thrilling situations. But beyond that, it has a heavy focus on character development, which is just chef’s kiss.
Crime Scene Berlin (on Netflix)
It is rare to find a good series or documentary that authentically depicts crime-solving in non-English countries. There are tons of crime shows set in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia - but rarely in other countries.
They do exist, but they often only do so on local national networks. And you can hate Netflix for their non-password sharing policies and price increases all you want, but if there is one thing I truly appreciate about them is their international approach to making good shows. Local Netflix productions have taught me a great deal about different countries and their cultures.
Crime Scene Berlin is one of those. As someone born and raised in Germany, I know shockingly little about our crime-solving processes and laws. And yes, I have access to German TV of course, but most German shows are just bad. Cringeworthy bad. This one however wasn’t. It was a great production, educational, thrilling, and entertaining to watch. Highly recommend.
Music
Some songs and artists that I’ve listened to on repeat for the past we weeks:
Wicked Games (cover)
Main Girl (stripped)
Faufile
Yann Tiersen - Rue de Cascades (this version on YouTube is better than the one on Spotify)
Taylor Swift - Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? I am not a Swiftie by any means, but I do listen to many songs on repeat. This newest one is one of them. And I can’t wait for the new Reputation album - it is my absolute favorite.
Things (indoors)
Somehow, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy made it onto my TikTok feed recently. Before last week I had no idea who that woman was, nor had I heard of the viral L.L. Bean Tote Bag before that. But now I am obsessed.
Whenever I see content about fashion icons like Carolyn, the items are usually completely out of my price range. This bag however was a pleasant surprise. It retails at only 30 to 45 Euros (depending on the size).
I LOVE a large bag where I can throw in all my stuff with lots of room for more. At that price, the decision to buy one was made pretty quickly. The problem? What color?
And watching all of these TikToks inspired me to write an article about timeless fashion icons (currently in draft mode). So far it includes Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Sienna Miller, the Olsen twins, and Alexa Chung. Not sure who else will make the list, but stay tuned!
Things (outdoors)
Hostas (the plant). My husband and I bought a house last year (yay!). It still feels pretty surreal if you ask me. We moved back in October, so the garden wasn’t really on our priority list for the first few months of living here. As someone who has never had a garden (apartment person from day 1), being responsible for a garden is daunting and exciting! Daunting because I have no idea what I am doing. Exciting because I love learning and discovering new stuff. And one of the things that got me really excited are hostas, plants that grow in the shade. I aced photosynthesis in bio class at school, so discovering that there are plants that love the shade was pretty mind-blowing.
Books
I spent a great deal researching the best gardening books to learn all about gardening from start to finish. As someone with zero idea about any of it, I needed some books that don’t assume you already know all about the basics.
These are the books I ended up with:
Gardenista by Michelle Slatalla
Garten Gestaltung - Inspiration, Planung, Praxis by Kosmos Verlag (doesn’t exist in English)
Gardening Through the Year: Month-by-month Planning Instructions and Inspiration by Ian Spence
Gartenplanung so einfach wie noch nie by Ivette Grafe (doesn’t exist in English)
People
Charlotte, aka charhairchar, is one of those content creators that hit a specific nostalgic note for me. She shares her normal life in a very unfiltered and authentic way. What outfits she wore to work that week, books she enjoyed, etc.
As someone who grew up with the internet, I was there for the unedited version of “influencing”. It was a time when being an influencer wasn’t even a thing yet, and people simply posted whatever they wanted to post, unfiltered.
I miss these days sometimes. While I do appreciate a good aesthetic, I feel it is overdone. It strips away the character, and unique style and somehow makes it all look exactly the same.
Charlotte is a nice reprieve from the sameness of social media and when I put her name down in my notes app, it inspired me to write about my journey with the internet and how it shaped me into the person I am today.
xoxo
Annika
Oh my god!!! Thank you for the mention!! So honored! Loved this SO MUCH!! 🥹💌🫶🏻⭐️✨
I’m looking forward to your fashion icons article. I’ve got them all over my Pinterest fashion wall.