What I Read in May and June
Remember when I said I’d post here at least once a month?? Whoops. I could blame the ~lack of content~ here on being too busy from transitioning to doing nails full time, but let’s be real: I kind of just forgot.
Anyways, let’s check in, in case you’ve been dying to know what I’ve been up to. It finally actually feels like summer here in Chicago (which is to say, every time I go outside I say/think something like, “Wow, it feels like a microwave out here”), and I’m adjusting to a schedule where I’m not working a traditional office 9-5. What this actually means in practice is that I’m trying to learn how to best utilize small chunks of downtime in between appointments. Mostly, I’ve tried to fit in going to the gym during those gaps, but also, I’m trying to get back to reading more. When I worked in an office I had built-in reading time during my morning and evening commutes on the train, and while I don’t miss going to an office, I do miss having that semi-forced time to read.
In May and June, I read five books:
1
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams
So, we can all agree that the people behind Facebook and “Meta” (who even calls it that?) are pretty corrupt and evil, yeah? Yeah. There were some bananas claims made in this book and if I’m being honest, part of the reason I wanted to build a website for my nail stuff was because I wanted a non-Zuckerberg place to put all of my work. Social media has its uses, but it’s so far removed nowadays from what it was when I was younger. Anyways, if you’ve never seen The Social Network, you should probably go watch it. And if you’ve already seen it, a rewatch never hurt anyone because that movie is a banger.
2
Hey Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy and Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson
I feel like the title tells you everything you need to know about this one. So many people who have been involved in MLMs have gone on to write exposes similar to this one and y’all, I will read any and all of them.
3
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
What you may think, based on the cover art, is that this will be a cutesy little romcom of a book. You would be wrong, however (I sure was). I won’t spoil it for you, but the theme of trying to find a path toward actual happiness was, uh…. A little on the nose for me. Anyways, I liked this one.
4
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
Ok, here is the romcom. It follows an audiobook narrator who decides to take on the reading of a ~romance novel~ alongside another (male) narrator, but this book isn’t just a straightforward romance novel. I liked how it kind of played with the different tropes that are in romance novels, while simultaneously calling out that it was doing just that. I’m not entirely sure how to explain this concept. Anyways, if you’re looking for a fluffy book that isn’t too heavy on the ~sauciness, you’d probably like this one.
5
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
I read this in three days because I could notttttt put it down. It follows four sisters who live in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood and where their lives take them. There were like six different types of heartbreak and loss in this book that I can’t really go into too much detail without ruining plot points, but: I looooved this book.
A lot of other things have happened in the last two months (for instance, I had a birthday), but in an attempt to keep this somewhat brief, I’ll stop here. Check back soon for actual nail content—I bought some new colors, charms and chromes that I’ve been loving and can’t wait to show you!
