Weekend Reads for the Start of June

Yesterday was our 22nd wedding anniversary. We actually began dating in 1993, but did college, the Navy, broke up, got back together, got jobs, got a “temporary” place to live together, and then got engaged a year later. And now, we have a rising high school senior, are still living in that temporary place (though we have made it more permanent with a renovation), experienced joys and loss and hardship and growth, and built a true life together. I'm proud of us.

Weekend Reads

The RealReal Seller's Guide. (Inventory via Substack)

No surprise, I love the color of this dress.

The Finsta Renaissance Is Here. (Nylon)

I love this ring, and I love that it goes up to a size 10, too!

The Average Guys Outsmarting Wall Street on Prediction Markets. (New York Times – gift link)

For my fellow creatine consumers, these are brilliant for travel. I got them, I am a fan.

Speaking of which… Can Creatine Really Help With Menopause? (New York Times – gift link)

Midlife Crisis–ing in the End-times. (The Cut)

The ‘Vibecession’ Is Over. The ‘Permacession’ Is Here. (The Atlantic – gift link)

I saw this tee on Instagram and gotta say, I'm a fan.

A Luxury Survivalist Community Is Tearing Itself Apart. (The Wall Street Journal – gift link)

For far-right extremists, the rise of a new enemy: Women. (NPR)

We inherited my mom's outdoor furniture; it's brown weatherproof wicker with blue cushions. I'm thinking about getting this to go with it.

A book about how AI shapes perceptions of reality came under fire for using AI-generated quotes. Its problems go beyond that. (Wired)

Does your furbaby need some bling?

The Loneliness Influencers. (The Cut)

Did you see Universal Standard came out with swim coverups? If you loved the Thames, it's back. I also dig this gauze beach shirt and matching shorts.

With Nostalgia In Full Boom, Younger Music Fans Are Turning Back the Clock. (The Hollywood Reporter)

I hardly ever wear heels but my 40+ friends have been raving about these. Have you tried them?

At Glamour, a Once-Mighty Magazine, a Skeleton Crew Churns Out Shopping Links. (New York Times – gift link)

Style Inspo & Sale Alert

Turquoise is a classic summer color. It looks so good with brown, tan, wood, and raffia. It makes red and coral pop. It adds a certain something to cobalt, lime, and navy. And shades of turquoise, teal, aqua, and seafoam are plentiful this year.

dress (0-18) | bikini top and bottom | striped bag | rashguard (XS-XXL) | tortoise sunglasses | pendant bead necklace | refined tee (XXS-XXL) | sweater (XXS-XL) | earrings | swimsuit | long necklace | round sunglasses | pants (00-18 & petite) | beaded bag | woven leather bag | stacked rings | bead necklace | linen shirt (XS-4X & petite/tall) | primer | oval sunglasses | clutch | raffia bag | bracelet | watch

Sale Alert

Lilly Pulitzer has 40% off wear-now styles at this link. Spoiler alert: I have a capsule coming next week with a Lilly clutch in it and while it's not part of the sale, it got me perusing the site and seeing plenty of cute things. I'm partial to this dress, this dress, this UPF jacket, and this reversible poplin wrap skirt.

Bluemercury is having its Summer Shopping Party Sale through June 14th. This is Bluemercury's biggest sale outside of Black Friday. Save 20% off $200+, 25% off $500+, and 30% off $1,000+. If you don't know about Bluemercury, it was started in 1999 in Georgetown, D.C. by husband-and-wife team Marla Malcolm Beck and Barry J. Beck. It curates a collection of high-end, research-backed lines for skin, hair, beauty, and fragrance. This means you can get Augustinus Bader, Oribe, SkinCeuticals, Byredo, Dyson, Elta MD, and more for less!

True Botanicals, the science-backed “clean” beauty brand loved by celebs like Brooke Shields, Laura Dern, and Olivia Wilde is having 30% off sitewide. I have yet to try this brand, but those I know who have recommend the Pure Radiance Oil and the Chebula Active Serum. Have you tried this brand? I'd love your feedback.

Through the 7th, Baublebar has its custom phone cases for $50. These are really cute and make great gifts for teens and college kids.

The DEAR FRANCES Summer Sale is on with select styles at this link 50% off. A luxury sustainable brand, these shoes are made in Italy from the finest materials and this sale makes them the price of shoes with half the quality and care. While it is a lot of fall/winter styles (stock up), the Tye Slide is included in this sale which is known for being uber comfy while also being uber chic.

Paula's Choice is celebrating 31 years with 30% off sitewide + FREE shipping on all orders. This blows my mind, because it feels like yesterday that Paula Begoun's Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me was my Bible when I worked in beauty apparel. And now Paula's Choice is a highly rated effective skincare brand loved by many. I have used this line off and on over the years and honestly, everything is good. Other brands are more trendy, but Paula's Choice is a safe bet with quality ingredients.

Hear/See/Read

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood was available on Libby. Em and I are planning to watch the Hulu series based on it together this summer so I decided to listen to the book. I don't know why I didn't think. had read it yet; how could I have not read a Margaret Atwood? Since reading The Handmaid's Tale in 11th grade, I have been a fan and read most of her work. But I borrowed it, quickly realized that yes, I did read it already, but continued to enjoy it.

The audiobook is narrated by Ann Dowd (who plays Aunt Alice in The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu), Bryce Dallas Howard, and Mae Whitman with Atwood introducing each section.

As for the screen, we watched The Bride!, a movie by Maggie Gyllenhall starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale. A retelling of the The Bride of Frankenstein, the concept is that Mary Shelley had a story she wanted to tell but died too soon. So in 1936, she possesses a young woman, the woman dies, and is brought back to life to be the life partner of Frankenstein.

This was too much story to fit into one film. It felt like a thick novel that you read for weeks. There was the life of The Bride/Ida before she died, the black & white moments that Mary Shelley talks to the screen/Ida, Frankenstein meeting Dr. Cornelia Euphronius (Annette Bening), The Bride being brought back to life, Frankenstein's obsession with actor Ronnie Reed (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), choreographed dances, a feminist overthrowing of New York City, a mobster that collects the tongues of young women, a detective (Penélope Cruz) who is both famous and revered and completely ignored for being a woman, her assistant (Peter Skarsgard) who has a past with The Bride, a Bonnie and Clyde montage, a hint of Rocky Horror (especially Greta, played by Jeannie Berlin), and an overlying theme about female rage, the male gaze, and the patriarchy.

Whew, that was a long paragraph and I didn't even delve into everything in this film. That being said, we enjoyed it. It was creative and fun and thoughtful and after seeing so many shows and movies with plot holes and stupid scripts and desperate attempts to be “deep” and missing the mark… this was refreshing. The acting is stellar; if you're not already in love with Jessie Buckley, who IMO channeled Lady Gaga for this role, you will adore her. Christian Bale put his all into this role, as did everyone else.

For Your Entertainment

I shared this song with my husband and asked him to guess who was singing. He guessed Liz Phair. But then, we both feel like the 90s were only 20 years ago. Well, 20 years ago Dave Grohl and his wife had a daughter and her name is Violet and she is the singer of this song. So I don't know if that makes you feel old or nostalgic or what, but the song is a bop and has a bit of Liz Phair meets 2026 vibe.