Need some pick-me-ups in your life while you struggle to get the kids to school, your beach body back to work, or the boards on your windows before the next hurricane? Look no further, because it’s that time again. Recommendations from Ashleyne based on what’s going right in her life. Hopefully they bring joy to your life, too.
Books:
If you haven’t read anything by Douglas Adams, you’re going to need to fix that. Yes, I’m at least 30 years late to the party on this recommendation, but he really never gets old. (His writing doesn’t, I mean. Douglas himself has unfortunately been dead for quite a few years now.) I just finished Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, and loved it. If you like quirky, witty writing, this guy’s for you.
Another great (and less dead) author I’m continuing to enjoy: Ann Voskamp. Even if you don’t have time to fully enjoy her amazingly descriptive sentences and meaningful imagery, stop and read chapter 3 of The Broken Way. Worth the 20 minutes, FO SHO.
Movies:
I recently discovered what I firmly believe to be the worst movie ever made. Country Crush, a made-for-tv movie about a young female country singer and a teenage mechanic, is sincerely awful from start to finish. And I LOVE made-for-tv movies! So you know it’s bad. It’s so bad, that I promise you, you straight up need to watch the first 5 minutes. 5 minutes, that’s all. Just do it, for me. Your brain will explode.
While we’re talking about made-for-tv movies, let me throw a good one your way. (Yes, there is such a thing. Really.) The Matchbreaker was quirky, funny, and cute. Basically, a pleasant surprise. And a great tribute to Christina Grimmie, since it was her only film role.
Miscellaneous:
I’ve finally gotten on the podcast bandwagon, like a real millennial. And there are some great ones out there. The one I’ve found to be the most consistently interesting and challenging is called BackStory. It comes from a group of historians, and each episode they explain the history behind something that’s currently in the news. As a young American, I fully admit to being almost entirely historically illiterate. So I’m trying to fix that, one podcast at a time. And it helps when the history is directly related to what’s happening in the world right now.
Downsizing. I packed a zillion times this summer, and moved to a new house, so I am painfully aware of just how much stuff I own. Do I need it? No. Will someone else give me a couple of dollars for it? Maybe! And then I can buy ice cream, and I really like ice cream. Plus, getting rid of things really does feel freeing. I know they’ve been saying it for years, but turns out it’s actually true!
What are you loving lately? What’s the good stuff in your life right now?
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