Good Things #20
Sorrow and Bliss, Love Island, Bad Bad Thing, lentil pasta, John Frieda and Slo Mo Gawdat.
Dear Friend,
Good Things is back! After a two week hiatus we’re overflowing with so much goodness I’ve had to brutally chop this down to SEVEN things.
Books: Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
The highlight of my two weeks off was reading Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason. I’m a slow reader who can’t concentrate and has two small children, but even I still managed to read this in two days. It’s the best book I’ve read this year and, to prove it, I’ve given it a special gold star in the notes section of my phone where I write down all the books I’ve read. The highest accolade indeed.
If you’re looking for a holiday-read that you get into from the very first page, but is thoughtful and in no way just summer trash, then this must be packed in your suitcase.
The reviews all say it’s “funny”.
And “funny” usually puts me off a book. I’m not reading for funny! I’m reading for knowledge and growth and stories! But the funny bits of Sorrow and Bliss mostly come from the realistic interactions between the character of Martha and her sister. Their texts, and the way they talk to each other, are hyper-realistic and yeah… pretty funny. I don’t have a sister, but if I did, I’d imagine it’s exactly how we’d be.
Synopsis: “Everyone tells Martha Friel she is clever and beautiful, a brilliant writer who has been loved every day of her adult life by one man, her husband Patrick. A gift, her mother once said, not everybody gets. So why is everything broken? Why is Martha - on the edge of 40 - friendless, practically jobless and so often sad? And why did Patrick decide to leave?”
Oh, Patrick. Why?! Strongly recommend. Big gold star.
Treasure from the internet: My favourite tweet of the week
Sorry you can’t see the headline unless you click through but it says: “Kim’s fury as West deploys 38 ships, 170 planes & 25k troops amid nuke fears”. Haha.
Beauty: John Frieda Detox Conditioner and Hydrate Shampoo
When I had my highlights done, I asked the hairdresser if it was OK to use cheap(ish) shampoo and conditioner? You know, like Pantene or Tresemme… or, let’s face it, Lacura from our beloved Aldi? And she looked at me like I’d just asked if it was OK to drown unwanted kittens in a sack in the river.
“I mean…I wouldn’t”.
That’s what she said. So, begrudgingly, and because I spent £88 pounds on my highlights and I thought I’d better take care of them, I’ve started buying shampoo from the good shelf in the supermarket and honestly, I don’t think my hair has ever been this soft and lustrous.
I don’t know why but I’ve bought the shampoo and conditioner from two different ranges: John Frieda Detox Conditioner and John Frieda Hydrate Shampoo. But you can get the ones that match and I’m sure it’s the same.
I mentioned this hair product recommendation to my Mum, who of course already knew, and she says John Frieda is actually 60s singer Lulu’s ex-husband. And if you look, says Mum, Lulu has FABULOUS hair. So that makes sense I guess…
TV: Love Island
Wait! WAIT. But I’m a TV writer aren’t I? So I’ve HAD to watch it this year or I’ll literally not understand my job for the entire summer. And while it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen… I have to admit… I do get why everyone looks forward to this show every year.
Basically, it’s not hard to understand. A group of young people live in a Majorcan villa for two months and see whether any of them fall in love with each other. But in a sort of aggressive, very accelerated way.
It’s on every single night, so it gives off that fun ‘everyone’s watching the same TV at the same time’ sort of vibe of those autumnal Saturday nights when we all watch Strictly.
Ekin-Su is the break-out star. But keep your man away from her when she’s back in the UK. She’s trouble.
Food: Lentil pasta
I love pasta. All the terrifying stuff in the news about social media and how the sinister algorithms just show you more and more of what you look at, so in the end your view of the world is completely skewed is true. My social media shows me 20% Kardashian content and then just 80% videos of people cooking up huge bowls of pasta with cheese. The algorithm has me nailed. When the machines eventually come for us, they will use pasta as a weapon on me for sure.
But while I do enjoy watching videos of pasta and cheese, and pretending it’s me eating it, the older I get, the more I do try to think about what I’m eating and whether it’s worth the calories. And pasta is just a big bowl of high calorie nothingness.
So, I was pleased to discover this ‘lentil pasta’ alternative. It still has quite a few calories involved, but less. And it’s high in protein and made from 100% lentils so is basically a LEGUME in disguise. Gluten free and tastes almost exactly the same as dried pasta. Maybe even a bit nicer with a sort of nutty quality.
Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat
I love this guy! He’s known as “the happiness expert” and features in not one but TWO episodes of podcast Diary of a CEO. I listened to both and then, wanting more Mo, I started listening to his podcast. He’s very clever (the former CBO of Google X) and talks to lots of clever people about interesting things. Think well-being chat meets technology and science. If you like Diary of a CEO, I think you’ll like this too.
Podcast: Bad Bad Thing
Bad Bad Thing is actually our 7th Good Thing. I’ve just started listening to it but already I love it halfway through episode one. For those of us who like a bit of true-crime, this is up there with the greats.
It follows the case of Jennair Gerardot who murdered her husband's mistress after finding out about their affair, and then shot herself. It was on the news at the time. The podcast contains real audio that Jennair secretly made of the lovers, and then of her own thoughts and feelings. Have a listen.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of Good Things. If so, please give me a like with the little heart <3 or email me back.
From now on, the Good Things newsletter will be fortnightly, so you can expect it to land in your inbox every other Friday packed with goodness.
Happy Father’s Day to all who celebrate and I’ll see you on Friday, July 1.
Love, Emily xx
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More stuff by me:
Velvet magazine (June edition) is out and I’ve written my column on the chaotic themes surrounding Father's Day: