Taylor Swift’s new album, “Lover”. You can tell Taylor is in a strong and happy place. When Taylor Swift stands up for LGTB rights, puts her beefs to rest and and asks for people to stop pitting women against each other all in one song…  you know you’re in for a great Taylor Swift era. You know what you’ve also got? GROWTH. I stan a confident, loving QUEEN. 

 

Taylor has stated that ““Lover” is “a celebration of love in all its complexities”. This album is a fun and beautiful transition from the “reputation” era, and it just makes me so happy. Let’s face it. Taylor always makes me happy. This album just makes me extra happy. It’s hard for me to chose my favourite songs, I’ve made an effort, ok? Here ya go: “I Forgot that you Existed”, “Cruel Summer”, “Lover”, “The Archer”, “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince”, “You Need to Calm Down”, “Cornelia Street” and “Daylight”.

 

 

Also: Lana del Rey’s “Norman Fucking Rockwell!” OH-MY-GOD. Dim your lights, light up some candles and pour yourself a glass of wine. You are now ready to listen to this album. Listening to Lana del Rey is always a sultry experience. It requires careful attention and an open heart. Her music will surely hit you in your feelings.

 

After the first couple of in depth listens, I’ve been listening to this album while writing and it’s really inspiring me creatively. I am currently obsessed with this album. What are my favourite songs, you might ask? If I have to choose, it would be:  “Norman Fucking Rockwell”, “Mariners Apartment Complex”, “Venice Beach”, “Fuck it I love You”, “Cinnamon Girl”, “The Next Best American Record” and “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it”. 

 

Finally, HAIM. I knew about HAIM, I probably had listened to a couple of their songs, but just recently, I heard “Summer Girl” and fell in love. I knew then I had to listen to them more. I’m currently starting to listen to their albums. 

 

 

 

Honestly, my anxiety has been acting up this month. I guess getting back to work has been hard. Anyway, I read “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt over the summer break, which I really liked. Truthfully, I did not expect it to enjoy it this much. I just loved each one of the characters in this book. They’re all so beautifully written and well rounded. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this immersed in a fiction book. Fun fact: I read a big chunk of it over a five hour plane ride from Las Vegas to Newark while listening to “Lover” (the song) on a loop and now, every time I hear “Lover”, I can’t help but think about “The Goldfinch”. 

 

Anyway, in order to calm my anxiety I felt like I needed something different so I started reading “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… and it’s all Small Stuff” by Richard Carlson. And it really did help. 

 

A few months ago I read Mohsin Hamid’s “How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia” and really enjoyed it, so I decided few days ago to start reading “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”, also by Hamid. So far, so good. I love Hamid’s style of writing. Both books are so different but similar in the same way. He uses the second person in “How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia”, as if it were an actual self-help book. In “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”, the protagonist is having a conversation with an American tourist and it’s practically one sided. Both are interesting from a formal point of view but more importantly, I love the themes he deals with. I highly recommend you pick up any of his books.

 

 

After finishing “Chernobyl”, my boyfriend and I decided to start watching “The Sopranos” (David Chase 1999 – 2007) again and I am alternating it with a little a bit of “Mr. Bean” (Rowan Atkinson & Richard Curtis 1990-1995). Finally, after having the amazing opportunity thanks to Serializados Fest to see Steve Pemberton talk about “Inside No. 9” (Steve Pemberton & Reece Shearsmith (2014 – ?), I decided to rewatch this masterpiece of a show too. More on that in a separate post. 

 

 

 

My meditation habit (thank you, Headspace), and self care. I really needed it this month.