Welcome to this week’s edition of breakfast in bed, a free newsletter delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning. The intention behind the newsletter is to serve as a distraction from your existential Sunday dread—AKA the Sunday Scaries. It is broken into five categories, each of which represents one of the ways I distract from my own Sunday Scaries. Thank you for reading!
This was not supposed to be my only post in the past seven days, but after a short trip to Denver, travel delays, and a crazy work week, this was all I could manage. I’ll be back to my usual schedule on Tuesday and Thursday this coming week, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this week’s breakfast in bed!
reads
books
Starting with our romance recommendation, we have Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation (You and Me on Vacation for any UK based readers). I think PWMOV is Emily Henry’s least popular book, but prior to Funny Story’s release, it was my number one Emily Henry novel. If you are an Emily Henry fan — or a romance fan in general! — I highly recommend giving it a read before summer is over.
For this week’s contemporary fiction recommendation, we have Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. Queenie is coming-of-age story about a young black woman living in London who is, quite frankly, a hot mess. And as someone who was a hot mess in my twenties, I love reading about other hot messes, it makes me feel less alone in all of my bad decisions, mistakes, and regret. It tackles heavy themes — miscarriage, racism, sexual trauma, and anxiety to name a few — but does so in a way that never made the book itself feel too heavy or sad, if that makes sense?
And last, for this week’s wildcard recommendation we have a historical fiction book — Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus! A lot of you have probably read this already, but I recently binged the TV adaptation and it made me excited about the book all over again. It is such a unique feminist story, and I loved the main character, Elizabeth Zott, and all of her eccentricities. If you are one of the few people who hasn’t read Lessons in Chemistry, add it to your TBR list. It’s a great fall read because, although it isn’t set in the world of academia, it feels academia adjacent and thus, a great back to school season choice.
substacks
how do I want to spend my time on earth? by
In the waiting room of life by
Are your twenties really that great? by
To All The Friends I’ve Loved Before: 06 by
William Thacker Where Are You? by
The 17 Best Tim Walz Quotes by
other reads from around the internet
The Power of Women’s Abortion and IVF Stories at the DNC by Andrea González-Ramírez
Kelly Rutherford Loves When You Call Her ‘Birkin’ Mom by Jessica Roy
The Doug Emhoff Model of Masculinity by Belinda Luscombe
eat
The beginning of this past week was a little cooler in Boston and I felt like making a dish that matched the weather. This pearl couscous with tomatoes, chickpeas, and feta from Pinch of Yum is one of my favorite weeknight meals. It’s easy, healthy, filling and so delicious. Make it this week or save it for when the weather cools down wherever you are!
shop
Reformation is having a sale!! I repeat, Reformation is having a sale!!!
And considering Ref rarely has sales, I highly recommend taking a look at it.
I am eyeing a few things including:
this sweater dress and this sweater dress
new corduroys
and a pair of loafers
scroll
listen
If you didn’t spend every spare moment of your weekend blasting Sabrina Carpenter’s new album at top volume, what did you even do with your time?!
Kidding… kind of… but it is so good. The perfect pop album.
Please, Please, Please is one of my favorite songs from this summer, but the whole album is sassy, fun, and fresh.
Following my first couple listens my top three songs are — not including Please, Please, Please which is still my number one — Good Graces, Lie to Girls, and Slim Pickins. Have you listened yet? If so, let me know which songs you’re loving!
And that’s all for this week, talk to you again on Tuesday!
XOXO,
Maddie
Um that chickpea dish sounds amaaazing. Also yes to eldest daughter energy!!! 🙌
Ahhh thank you for the mention!!! 🖤 that couscous dish looks SO good and like such a good meal prep
Also Reformation what?!! I’ve had a store credit for there for forever and this seems like a very good time to use it!!