I’m back with another neighborhood mini-guide! One of my favorite places to visit in the summer is Red Hook, a neighborhood in Brooklyn.

The best way to reach Red Hook is by ferry - it really leans into the day trip vibe! Download the NYC Ferry App - you can buy tickets, check schedules and more. I love checking the names of the ferries anytime I’m near the water. A group of second graders named them and my personal favorites are the Tooth Ferry and Lunchbox.

My first stop is always Red Hook Winery for a tasting. All the wine is made from grape to bottle in Red Hook and they work with exclusively NY grape growers. Definitely book in advance to make sure that you can get a table. They stay busy on the weekend. I recommend ordering a flight - it’s a fun activity for a girls’ day.

If you can’t get into Red Hook Winery or are more of a beer drinker, head over to Strong Rope Brewery. They’ve got lots of tables, great views over the water, and usually a couple of rotating food trucks.

Red Hook Winery has a sister Cidery next to Strong Rope. I enjoyed a flight here when we had friends visiting from out of town last summer. We enjoyed drinks on their patio and I loved trying their variety of ciders.

Much to my husband’s chagrin, I love drinking Widow Jane with Coke. A little Jane & Coke if you will - 10 times better than a Jack and Coke. Their distillery is in Red Hook and they have tours and tastings if you’re looking for a fun weekend activity. Next door to the distillery is their bar - Botanica - a great place to stop in before or after any tour.

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Now that we’ve got the drinking spots narrowed down - let’s talk food. Red Hook Lobster Pound is a favorite of mine on a trip to Red Hook. Something about eating seafood just screams vacation to me.

Hometown BBQ serves Texas style bbq and arguably serves up some of the best bbq in the city - and this is coming from me, who is very biased when it comes to bbq. I grew up in NC so I have high bbq standards. Be prepared to wait on the weekends - it’s part of the fun of going to a bbq joint. You can grab drinks and enjoy them while waiting in line. They often have live music too. Get a little of everything to share with the table.

My pro-tip if you REALLY want to try Home Town is to go to their Industry City location.

If you can grab a reservation, Red Hook Tavern has one of the best burgers in the city. The dry-aged burger is a must order.

We stopped into The Good Fork Pub while waiting for our table at Red Hook Tavern. While we only had drinks here, the food looked really good and I would love to come back and order it.

If you’re feeling in the mood for a sandwich, Defonte’s Sandwich Shop is a beloved neighborhood spot. They’ve been open since 1922 - these people know sandwiches!

For a little sweet treat after eating, I love going to Steve’s Key Lime Pie. I love the swiggles, a mini key lime pie with raspberry dipped in chocolate. Louis Valentino, Jr. Park and Pier next door has some of the best views of the Statue of Liberty.

A few spots I haven’t been to but want to go: Sunny’s Bar - a neighborhood bar, Pioneer Works - a cultural arts center, Cafe Kestrel - a cozy looking bistro

You can check out my other neighborhood mini guides below:

Red Hook has so much more to offer than just Ikea!

Until next time,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

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It has been a minute since I’ve shared where I’ve been eating in New York City. And that’s probably my favorite part about living here - the food! So let’s dive in:

Located in Red Hook, Steve’s Key Lime Pie is always a good idea. The swiggles are my favorite - chocolate dipped mini-key lime pies. I especially love the Raspberry swiggle. Enjoy on the picnic tables or walk next door to Louis Valentino, Jr. Park and Pier to enjoy your treat with a beautiful view of the water and the Statue of Liberty. The Swiggle is especially good on a hot day!

Pommes Frites has long been a favorite of New Yorkers. When I first moved to the city, their location was on St. Marks. But a fateful gas explosion destroyed this location. They rebuilt on MacDougal and it’s been a favorite of drunken college kids since. This place sells one thing - Belgian cut french fries. My favorite part of Pommes Frites is the variety of dipping sauces. The War Sauce and Pomegranate Teriyaki are my favorites but get the sampler of sauces to maximize dipping.

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I am forever looking for good places to eat before a show. I was craving sushi and ended up at Imasa Nori Sushi Izakaya. New York is oversaturated with overpriced omakases so I am also eager to find an affordable sushi place with really fresh fish. The food was quick, fresh and well-priced and was a great pre-theater meal. Another favorite of mine for affordable sushi is Takahachi in Tribeca).

Saraghina is a special place for me - it is where my husband and I had our first date. It’s also where I shared many meals and liters of wine with my friends when we were just out of college. The back patio is particularly nice in the summer. Everything is delicious here and the menu rotates often, in tune with what’s in season. I recommend at least one pie and a handmade pasta to share. This is a place to linger over a good meal with good company.

I met a friend at The Chocolate Room after a doctor’s appointment to have a little treat to look forward to on the recommendation of another friend. The perfect spot for a lil treat, this place has chocolate in every form. I loved my hot fudge brownie sundae with a scoop of coffee on the recommendation from the owner. My friend ordered a decadent hot chocolate.

Have you eaten anywhere delicious lately that I should try? Let me know in the comments!

Also, from now until August 20th (with some restaurants running their menus through September), it is Restaurant Week in New York City. Check out my previous post below about why I love Restaurant Week. There’s also some of my recommendations from previous years. Right now I have reservations booked at Passerine, The Dining Room at Gramercy Tavern, Narkara, and Benny John’s to take advantage of these deals!

Take care,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

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As I have transitioned back to work after surgery, my days have been filled with doctor’s appointments and ramping back up professionally, which means I haven’t had the expendable energy or headspace to post here lately. I wanted to continue my endo series and you can read my first post about my journey to diagnosis below:

I have gathered the things that really helped me post-op. I was fortunate to take a month off of work, though truthfully, I could have taken even more time. The first two weeks post-op, I was completely zonked. Everyone’s recovery is different, but I slowly worked up to getting through the day without needing a nap.

Even now, a few months post-op, if I over exert myself (which I do, because the days I’m feeling really good which I haven’t felt in a long time, of course I want to do ALL THE THINGS), I pay for it.

So if you or someone you love is going through endo surgery soon, here are the things I found really helpful and worth every penny:

1. An excision specialist This is number one on this list for a reason. Finding a true excision specialist (not just a gynecologist who does surgery) makes all the difference in your surgical outcome and reoccurrence rate.

2. Wedge pillow A game changer for sleeping post-surgery. I myself am a stomach sleeper and you can’t lay on your side comfortably for a while post-op. This beats trying to prop yourself up with regular pillows and provided support long after surgery.

3. Heating pads If you’re an endo girlie, a heating pad is probably already your best friend. I already had multiple around the house before surgery, and they were really helpful with gas pain.

4. Gas-X The gas pain from laparoscopic surgery is SO real. For me it was worse than the surgical pain itself. Stock up on this.

5. Abdominal binders These provide support and compression. I wore mine constantly the first week and could really tell the difference. Now months post-op, I still wear them to work, on very active days, and for travel.

6. Peppermint and ginger tea Great for nausea and digestive issues post-surgery. The peppermint also really helped with the gas pain.

7. Pelvic Floor Therapy I started pelvic floor therapy post-surgery and really wish I had started before. It’s been invaluable for overall recovery and managing my ongoing symptoms and pain.

8. Low-lift Crafts Think: Woobles, coloring books, word searches. You need things to do that don’t require much physical or mental energy. I was too foggy to read or watch anything but reality tv the first two weeks.

9. Electrolytes Staying hydrated was crucial, and electrolytes helped me feel better faster than water alone.

10. Cotton Period Pads You’ll likely have bleeding/discharge post-surgery, and the hospital-grade pads were uncomfortable. I preferred soft, breathable cotton pads which were much gentler on my body.

11. A Bedside Basket I made one with all my essentials: phone charger, medications, chapstick, lotion, make-up wipes, facial spray, snacks, remotes, Kindle, books, crafter etc.—so I didn’t have to get up constantly and everything was corralled in one place.

12. A List of Shows and Movies I made this list pre-surgery so I didn’t have to use brainpower choosing what to watch and gathered recommendations from friends. Comfort shows and easy-to-follow movies were clutch as was reality tv.

13. Guilt-free Food Delivery My friends and mom prepped some meals for me, but I also gave myself full permission to order delivery whenever I wanted. Recovery is not the time to worry about cooking, spending, or cleaning.

14. Deep Cleaning Service I paid someone to deep clean my house the days before surgery. Coming home to a clean space meant I could focus entirely on recovery.

15. Postpartum undies (or high-waisted underwear) You need something that won’t interfere with surgical scars or rub on your abdomen. The hospital actually gave me some, and I also loved the high-waisted styles I already had from Harper Wilde [Boyshorts|No Show].

16. Shower Wipes I’ve long bought shower wipes from Megababe for after workout classes when the studio doesn’t have a shower and I need to run to the next thing. These came in clutch after surgery so I could feel fresh when I wasn’t allowed to shower yet.

17. Shower Stool Was this completely necessary? No. But it certainly made showering the weeks after surgery so much easier. Washing your hair is exhausting no matter what! I bought a bamboo one with the intention of putting it in the entry way as a place to sit while you put on your shoes. But there are still days when I use it to shower because being in chronic pain is exhausting!

18. Easy Stomach Foods I stocked up on gentle foods like crackers, broths, applesauce, etc., expecting I’d need them. But honestly? After surgery I was HUNGRY and all I wanted an Italian sub. For the most part, I could eat whatever I wanted post-op.

    Interestingly, the bowel issues I’d been having before surgery disappeared almost immediately—turns out my bowel was stuck to my pelvis. If you’ve been dealing with digestive issues alongside your endo symptoms, there’s a chance you might actually feel better in this department.

I hope this helps someone preparing for surgery feel a little more equipped. Recovery is difficult, but getting a diagnosis is the hardest part.

What would you add to this list? Drop your tips in the comments!

xo,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

Today’s note is deeply personal as I have been unpacking my experience the last six months. This is my story of finally getting a diagnosis after nearly 17 years of suffering in silence. I am a little over month out from surgery for suspected (now confirmed) endometriosis and I’m ready to talk about my experience. If you don’t want to read about the intimate details of my reproductive health, I suggest you skip this one.

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At 11, I got my first period. My neighbor and best friend at the time was over for a sleepover. I remember feeling weird and went to the bathroom and saw blood when I wiped. At the time I don’t think I really knew what a period was. After telling my mom, I was devastated by the news that this bleeding would come back monthly and that I would have to feel this uncomfortable for a week every month. I remember my friend went home early, and the great sense of relief I had to be alone with my changing body.

Later that school year, I had an overnight field trip coming up at a hotel with a pool. I remember crying in the bathroom, trying to understand how to insert a tampon. Even the slimmest and most petite tampons hurt. My teacher assured me if I was on my period during the field trip, she would sit by the pool with me, our legs dangling in the water. I anticipated all the questions from my classmates with anxiety, “Why won’t you get in the pool?” How could I possibly explain that it felt like my body rejected tampons.

In sixth grade, I remember my period lasting for weeks. The other girls in my grade were finally getting theirs. Was mine syncing with everyone else’s, an endless loop of bleeding?

At 14, I went to the doctor because my period had become so debilitating. They shrugged their shoulders and said the only thing they could do was to put me on birth control. It wouldn’t help the pain really, but at least it would regulate my period so it wouldn’t come and go as it pleased, sometimes staying for weeks at a time or then not coming at all. I remember the doctor telling me to not tell anyone I going on birth control, as if it was a shameful thing. That boys would “look at me differently” and “pressure me to have sex” because I was on birth control.

At school some months later, I remember my bible teacher going on a rant about how bad birth control was and these parents were putting their daughters on it because they were allowing their daughters to be sluts instead of actually parenting them and teaching their kids about purity culture. I remember not having the courage to raise my hand and say that some people use birth control for health reasons. Instead, I let the shame build, as if my suffering was meant to be done in silence.

At 16, I remember my guy friends finding my pill pack. They didn’t even know what it was and I begged them not to tell anyone lest I be branded with a giant scarlet “A.”

For years, I lived with pain, pain that I myself dismissed because doctors, family, and partners alike told me I was dramatic. I missed out on life, on school, on work, on fun because I just couldn’t just push through the pain. Because I failed. Because it wasn’t really that bad, I should be able to take an ibuprofen and move on with my life. That I should stop complaining.

At 23, I went to a doctor and tried to advocated for myself for the first time in my life, pushing for a diagnosis about why my periods were so bad. A deep knowing I felt in my body, as if I’ve always known that something wasn’t right, that the symptoms and pain I was experiencing were not normal. The doctor explained that the only way to get a diagnosis for suspected endometriosis is surgery. Why not try a IUD? They’d prescribe one for me anyways after surgery if they found endometriosis. Not one but two failed IUDs later. The doctor asked if it was painful when the IUD fell and I replied, “No, not any worse than the pain I usually feel on a day to day basis.” Anyone who has had an IUD knows the pain that comes with insertion. When I indicated this pain was normal for me, why didn’t the doctor do more for me? Instead I remained silent and I was back at my desk at work an hour later bleeding out with a heating pad turned all the way up.

At 25, I went to the gyno for my annual visit. In the last year, my mother had been diagnosed with estrogen fueled breast cancer so I asked if I should consider not taking birth control anymore for preventive measures. The doctor asked if I would prefer breast cancer or cervical cancer, as if choosing between the lesser of two cancers was the only possible option. She tells me all of my symptoms - the sharp pain in my ovary, the painful bowel movements - would go away if only I would lose weight. I take myself out for ice cream after the appointment and consider what it would take to lose weight. I’m already doing so many things right: exercising regularly, eating a varied diet, not smoking and avoiding red meat. The only thing really left to do in order to lost weight would be to stop eating. Instead, I resolve to find a new doctor as I polish off my ice cream cone, another tick on a long list of doctors who neither listened to nor believed me.

At 27, I started taking my birth control continuously because my doctor at the time said there was no medical reason for me to get a period, especially when each month, I was still suffering even on the pill. I gained so much of my quality of life back that it was actually astounding. Those around me asked: “How will this impact your fertility?” as if my ability to conceive is the only thing that matters, not how much of my life I had just regained.

At 29, I am bleeding and I shouldn’t be. Antibiotics are prescribed for a suspected UTI, but the pain only grows more intense, the symptoms worse. Test, after test, after test. Begging my insurance to approve medications that might make my life a little better or at least a little more comfortable. Waiting on an appointment with a specialist who will hopefully provide some answers as all of my tests have returned inconclusive. My mobility and quality of life slowly slipping. I gather a team of professionals, from my therapist to my nutritionist to my acupuncturist to my current gynecologist who tell me I am doing everything right, that’s something is seriously wrong with my body, it’s been left untreated for years, and we won’t stop until we figure it out.

By my 30th birthday, I am walking with a cane because the pain is too great. After many months, I have the long awaited appointment with the specialist. I am diagnosed with endometriosis and something else, adenomyosis. This diagnosis is something I’ve long suspected but no doctor has confirmed until now. I have a diagnosis. At least I know I’m not crazy, it’s not all in my head. It’s taken years to find doctors who listen and so much anguish on my part to push back against the professionals who are dismissive of my experience and frankly fatphobic.

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It hasn’t escaped my attention that as a married woman of 30 who may want to have kids - or rather who should want to have kids one day - that I am finally being believed and am finally being taken seriously, medically at least. As if my intrinsic value as a human being is directly tied to my ability to reproduce.

Prior to surgery, we discussed all the possible outcomes and I made peace with every scenario. Truly, I think one of the most worrying parts of the surgery was that I wouldn’t know the extent of my surgery or my illness until I wake up. But I trusted my doctor and I trusted that I had done everything in my power to take care of myself. I cried in the hospital bed as the surgeon, the anesthesiologist and the nurses came to check on me before surgery. I made it to the finish line. All that was left was to go to sleep and waiting for me on the other side was relief.

Earlier drafts of this post were angry. I am angry because it’s taken so long for doctors to take me seriously. I knew, in fact I’ve always known, deep down that something was wrong. A quiet whisper and then all at once a roar. My feminine rage, full force. How dare they not listen? How dare they allow this disease to grow in my body because I wasn’t believed?

This year, I’ve collected diagnosis like trading cards. Currently, surgery is the only way to get diagnosed with endometriosis - there is a blood test pending but it is not yet widely available. While I am grateful they found endometriosis, worried that the surgery would once again not lead to answers after so many inconclusive test results, I now need to figure out how to live with this disease. How to live with this body that constantly betrays me and make changes that will hopefully help me live a more comfortable life. A month out from surgery, as I wait to build my strength and stamina back, I will continue to repeat my mantra:

Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.

Take care,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

Spring (then summer, then spring again) is finally here in New York City, and I couldn’t be more excited. After a long winter spent mostly hibernating, I’m really looking forward to getting outside and trying some new places.

In pursuit of finding good and affordable (or what counts as affordable these days) lunch spots in Midtown, I tried Every Daily, a Korean grab-and-go restaurant. Everything is fresh and well-priced, and I really enjoyed the kimbap and takboki. They have a great seating area in the back if you’re looking for a place to hang out for a while.

Another great lunch spot near Herald Square is The Picnic Basket. I have loved every single thing I’ve tried on their menu - from the chicken Caesar wrap to the French goat cheese sandwich. Trust me! On a nice day, you can take your sandwiches and eat them in the park across from the Macy’s in Herald Square.

A few blocks from Penn Station is Witch Topokki, an all-you-can-eat topokki buffet. Like hot pot, each table has a burner with a pot which they will top up with broth from time to time. There is a buffet with so many options of topokki, fresh vegetables, fried items and more. There’s even an instant ramen bar! My favorite topokki were the sweet potato and the cheese filled. There’s various toppings and powders to make the sauce and you can switch out the whole pot if you want to try out a new flavor. I have been dreaming about going back and will wear stretchy pants next time because I left so full!

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If you’re looking for a pre-show dinner near Times Square, may I recommend Obao. I love everything on their menu, especially the khao soi, a Thai noodle soup with a curry broth. The food comes out very quickly, and if you let them know you’re there for a show, they’ll get you in and out even faster. Definitely order the kimchi fries for the table.

Greenpoint has long been called “Little Poland,” and there is no shortage of Polish restaurants. Pierozek hand-makes all their pierogis, and the menu has a mix of traditional flavors and more funky flavors like Jalapeño and Murray’s Cheese, which is filled with Murray’s savory Irish Cheddar. This place is vegetarian-friendly, so order a bunch of things to share! They also have an excellent selection of flavored vodkas, and I always order the Czarna cocktail, which is made with black currant vodka!

Nacho Macho Taco has several locations across Brooklyn, and I love them, no matter if I am dining in or ordering delivery. They have a location near the Brooklyn museum so it’s a great spot to stop after seeing an exhibit. I love their mole either on enchiladas or in a burrito. They also have delicious micheladas. And there’s nothing chips and salsa for the table can’t solve!

Have you eaten anything delicious in New York City lately that you recommend I try?

Take care,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

As a kid, I made an annual pilgrimage to Old Navy with my mom to buy shorts for the upcoming summer. After a school year spent in a uniform, this shopping trip always held so many possibilities. I could wear whatever I wanted for three whole months, and no one would pull me out of class to comment on the length of my skirt.

However, this shopping trip never turned out how I imagined, and I always ended up in tears in the dressing room. Upon entering the store, I’d head directly to the women’s section - I don’t ever remember shopping in the kids section. I was “tall” for my age, a label I’d soon outgrow when everyone else had their growth spurts, and I just stopped growing. But my body always felt different than everyone else’s around me, or maybe that’s a side effect of adolescence.

Instead of bringing a bunch of different styles of dresses, tops, and shorts to try on in the dressing room, I was relegated to the same pair of shorts in three different sizes, unsure what size I was after a school year spent growing. Limited by the strict number of items per dressing room, I could take maybe two styles at a time, eating up my allotted number of items in duplicates because I was so unsure of my size.

The first pair would go on, the aspirational size. This pair of shorts was the same size as last year or just one size bigger. Inevitably, the aspirational pair never fit my changing body.

If it were a good year, I’d fit into one of the three sizes I brought with me. If it was a bad year and none of the sizes I brought with me worked, and I was back to the drawing board, praying they had my size in the style I wanted back on the racks. Because no matter how early we shopped, I’d always have a limited selection of shorts to pick from.

Every pair of shorts I wanted to buy required the same three-size protocol, no matter if it was the same style and size as before. The same shorts in another color or wash may alter the sizing on the piece. Better try it on - if we buy it, we’re keeping it. Rinse and repeat until I find two, three, maybe four pairs that fit, a few tears slipping out on the best of shopping trips, a full-on meltdown in the dressing room on the worst of trips. Maybe in the back seat of the car on the way home, if I could keep it together.

Two decades later, I am still shopping for shorts at Old Navy, only this time, I’ve ordered them online, delivered to my house. Instead of picking my way through rack after rack, hoping to find my size, I can simply add the size I want to cart. Instead of waiting in line for a dressing room in the crowded store with the unflattering fluorescent lights glowering down on me, the same ten songs on a loop blaring, and squeezing in a tiny space where my elbows can touch either wall, I can try on clothes in the safety of my apartment with all my lamps on, a soft glow.

The shorts I ordered from Old Navy this season came in two separate packages. I got the second package today. But what’s strange is that when I try them on, I can barely button them, and I definitely can’t zip them up. I rush to grab the shorts I received a few days earlier in a different color that fit when I tried them on. Several thoughts run through my head. Did I order the wrong size? Maybe I ordered two different sizes and was planning to return the pair that didn’t fit. I picked up the pair of shorts that came in the mail earlier this week. No, these shorts are the same size and the same style as the pair I just tried on that didn’t fit. When I lay them next to each other, I discover nearly an inch difference in the waist. And instead of crying, I am incredulous at this! How could there be an inch, nearly an inch and a half difference in the same pair of shorts!

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And this is not an Old Navy-sized problem - in my closet currently, I have clothing in every size from a S to a 2X. Women’s sizing is so inconsistent, something most of us have just learned to accept.

The thing is, I always thought there was something wrong with MY body. But tonight I know that it was never about my body. I’ve long repeated the adage that “clothes are meant to fit your body” and not the other way around, trying not to blame myself when something doesn’t fit when I try on clothes at a store or pull out an outfit I haven’t worn in some time from my closet and it doesn’t fit the way I remember. But today, today I really felt it.

So I will be returning the shorts - an errand I can be annoyed by. I am not allowing myself to be happy or sad about a piece of clothing that doesn’t fit. Because in the past, I would have felt SO good about returning something because it was too big and devastated by something too small, fixated on the size on the tag.

Maybe I’m not meant to wear shorts. Or maybe I just haven’t found the right pair yet. But I’ve been working really hard not to cry in the dressing room, even if that dressing room is the comfort of my own home. These days, I’m having fun getting dressed, no matter the size of my body that day. And that feels like a huge win, shorts or no shorts.

Xoxo,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

A few weeks ago I had surgery, and it’s taken those weeks for my mind to clear. Now, I am just waiting for my body to catch up. I have long believed that I had endometriosis, and it has taken me many, many years to finally get a diagnosis. I won’t get into that journey right now, but know that it is coming because I really want to tell my story. The past couple of months have been really tough, but on the other side of surgery, I am feeling less pain than I have in a very long time. But for now I wanted to check in, say hello, and share some of the books I have been reading the last couple of months.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Wild Dark Shore was a buzzy release and the Book of the Month “Lolly” winner (Book of the Year 2025). Expectations were high when I picked this one from my stack. A family is living on a remote island near Antarctica and is tasked with taking care of a global seed bank similar to the one that actually exists in Svalbard, an island near the North Pole. A woman washes up on shore, and she brings with her secrets and a connection to one of the scientists who used to live and work on the island. I feel like you would like this book if you love Emily St. John Mandel’s books and vice versa.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Another full-cast audiobook from Audible! Each character has a different narrator, and there is full sound design, so these audiobooks are a true listening experience. I’ve slowly been making my way through each book in the series, breaking my usual reading pattern of listening to a non-fiction book while reading a fiction book (or the other way around). Truly, these have accompanied me everywhere - on my morning commute, folding laundry, and even at the gym. For those of us who were raised on Harry Potter, this full cast narration is a treat.

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

Book 2 in the Game Changers series, this one captures the story of Shane and Ilia, the couple at the center of the Heated Rivalry HBO series. If you were a fan of the series, the book dives into even more details about their love story as well as even more spicy scenes. Thank you to the library for making these ebooks available for all in February!

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Tough Guy by Rachel Reid

Book 3 in the Game Changers series, Tough Guy follows Ryan Price, an often traded player who never stays on a team long enough to make friends, much less fall in love. But when hockey brings him to Toronto, he reconnects with an old friend, Fabian, who makes him feel more at home than he has in years.

Little One by Olivia Muenter

I am a dutiful weekly listener of the Bad on Paper podcast, so I had Olivia’s newest book on pre-order, and I couldn’t wait to pick it up when it released. I love anything about cults, so I was really looking forward to reading Little One, a cultish novel set in Florida. This book weaves between past and present day when a woman, trying to escape her past, is approached by a journalist looking to crack her world wide open.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Book 4 of the Harry Potter series has to be my favorite. What’s not to love - a Triwizard Tournament, a Yule Ball, and more! Dobby and Sirius Black become central characters, and the return of he-who-must-not-be-named is cemented.

Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli

Someday, Maybe has to be, without a doubt, one of the saddest books I have ever read. It follows Eve who is navigating the grief of her husband’s death and the trauma of being the one to find him. I can’t remember ever reading a book so raw and honest depicting love and loss. On the topic of grief books - I read Alison Espach’s Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, which I think is another excellent depiction of what it means to mourn.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

If you love Crazy Rich Asians, this book is for you! Years later, Anna Green finds out that not only is she still married, but her husband is a billionaire. But in order for him to receive his inheritance, the two must stay married for five years. To avoid suspicion from the family, Anna must accompany her “husband” to his sister’s wedding, an absolutely outlandish affair on a private island in Indonesia. This book has two of my favorite romance tropes - forced proximity and fake “dating” or, in this case, fake marriage!

Bad Asians by Lillian Li

Lilian Li wrote Number One Chinese Restaurant, a favorite of mine, so I was excited to read her newest novel, Bad Asians. A close group of friends comes of age during the recession of 2008, and none of them can meet their parents’ impossibly high expectations. When a neighbor makes a YouTube video that goes viral, depicting them each as an Asian trope, these stereotypes follow the four well into adulthood.

The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett

The Windsor Knot has long been in my TBR stack. It is the first in a cozy mystery series where Queen Elizabeth II investigates crimes happening right under her nose. The first book centers around a murder at Windsor Castle. I don’t think I will continue the series, but if you liked The Maid, I think you would also like this one!

Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian

Seduction Theory is a novel about two professors whose lives quickly unravel when one of their MFA students captures their affair in her thesis. I didn’t quite love this one; maybe it was the unreliable narrator. This book reminded me of the pace of Andromeda- so if you liked one of these, perhaps you would like the other.

Book-to-Screen

Some very exciting book-to-screen adaptations have released trailers in the last couple of weeks. Verity, which looks absolutely terrifying and is out in October. Remarkably Bright Creatures, which is streaming soon on Netflix. Elin Hilderbrand’s The Five Star Weekend- which feels like a 13-Going on 30 reunion.

Until next time - take care,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

There’s always something delicious to try in New York City.

I’m always looking to find a fun drinky drink and loved this shiso peach matcha from Kettl Tea in Greenpoint. They take their matcha very seriously here and even have a tasting bar and classes you can make reservations for.

After a refreshing beverage, we headed over to Taku Sando to grab some absolutely delicious sandwiches. This spot serves Japanese style sandwiches on traditional milk bread that they bake in house fresh daily. We ordered the Ramen Egg Sando - an egg salad sandwich with a marinated egg in the middle as well as the Korokke Sando which is a sandwich with potato croquettes. I can’t wait to go back and try the katsu sandos.

We visited Grace Street in Koreatown with some friends and shared a number of their desserts. We of course had to order one of their Basque Burnt Cheesecakes but I was most excited to try their Shaved Snow. We ordered the Mango Madness and the X.O.X.O. which was almost like a strawberry shortcake flavor. I would definitely come back here!

Masalawala & Sons is one of our favorite Indian restaurants in the city. They have a Bengali dish forward menu and we go here frequently for holiday meals (like Durga Puja) and special occasions like birthdays. The KOSHA MANGSHO is an absolute must order with a side of LUCHI as is the BHAPA MAACH and BIYEBARIR FISH FRY. If you’re looking to step outside of the guise of butter chicken and garlic naan and try a regional Indian cuisine, you gotta check this place out!

Grabbed dinner with a friend at Marseille a French restaurant in Hells Kitchen before seeing a Broadway show. They have a theater prix fixe menu which I think is an excellent deal and also they made sure to get us in and out with plenty of time to get to the show. I ordered the French onion soup, a delicious fish in a white wine pan sauce and profiteroles.

Ongi has quickly become one of my favorite lunch spots in Midtown. A Korean bowl restaurant, the food is always fresh, filling and an incredible price. Don’t be intimidated by the line, it gets busy at lunch time but the line moves quickly.

Also holding space for the news about the closing of one of my favorite happy hour deals in the East Village - The Gray Mare was always a reliable spot with a long happy hour with drinks and food on offer. You will be missed!

Have you eaten anything tasty in the city recently that you think I should try? Let me know in the comments below.

Take care,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

Let’s talk books! I’ve been keeping tabs on what everyone has been reading on their morning commutes and taking notes. I finished the third book in the Heated Rivalry series and to be honest, I hope no one was reading over my shoulders because some of the chapters were VERY steamy to be reading at 8 a.m. on a Tuesday. Anyways - let’s get into what everyone else has been reading!

• Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

  This was a MASSIVE book! But a lot of Brandon Sanderson’s are very long. This is book 4 of the The Stormlight Archive series. I am not a big fantasy reader but I know Brandon Sanderson is one of the greats. I have also been intrigued by the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman. Do you have any recs for a girl wanting to dip her toes into fantasy?

• The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins

  Let them! Mel Robbins’ most recent (and viral) self-help book was everywhere, especially in January when everyone has “new year, new me” on the mind. I can’t say that every situation calls for “letting them” but for people pleasers like me, it is certainly ground breaking!

• The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller

  Lots of Madeline Miller on the train! I read Circe and understand the hype. But to be honest, I am not a big lover of Greek mythology so I can’t say I raced to read another of her books. If you however grew up on Percy Jackson, you would definitely love any or all of her books.

• The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker

  The winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1974, author Ernest Becker explores the why of the human existence. From the sound of it, the topics explored in this book are timeless - exploring man’s own mortality, how acts of heroism and religion and culture make us feel like we can transcend death.

• The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey

  This book is about more than just tennis - it’s about leaning into your body to concentrate on its knowing and trusting in that concentration. Folks from all over from Billie Jean King to Al Gore to Itzhak Perlman have cited this book as influential to them. If you’re looking for something inspirational to help you go after your goals and dreams, add to cart.

• Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

  I have regrettably never read anything by Toni Morrison and anytime I see any of her books out in the wild I am always reminded of that. A coming of age story set in the rust belt, Song of Solomon is a classic!

Happy reading!

Xoxo,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

It’s been awhile - let’s talk about where I’ve been. If you believe in astrology, my Saturn returned and a lot of big things shifted in my life. If you don’t believe in astrology, maybe you believe in Stanley Tucci a la The Devil Wears Prada - “Let me know when your whole life goes up in smoke. Means it's time for a promotion.” Over the last couple of months, I moved in to a new place, got a long awaited promotion at work and finally have a diagnosis and surgery planned next month. And that’s what you missed on Glee.

Winter has seemed to drag on and yet I’m thankful for cozy days at home as I have not been feeling my best. I watched a lot of movies and enjoyed some very good books. I haven’t had much energy for cooking so I have been making a weekly soup. For low energy times, soups are great because you chop once and eat off of it for days. February called for leaning on meal delivery services ahead of the big move.

So without further ado, let’s catch up on everything from around January and February.

📺 Watching Around

Streaming

People We Meet on Vacation on Netflix was a great book and a pretty good book-to-screen adaptation. Poppy and Alex’s annual vacations are the center of this story in this friends to lovers rom com. I, like everyone else, fell head over heels for Heated Rivalry on HBOMax and downloaded all the books to my Kindle immediately (thanks Mr. Mayor!). Run don’t walk to this one. The Pitt is back with Season 2 on HBOMax and I love diving in to this medical drama. They’re teasing a motorcycle accident which my heart is absolutely not ready for and I hope they prove me wrong. To work through all the 2026 Oscar noms, I watched Train Dreams. Based on the novella by Denis Johnson, this movie follows Robert Grainier in the Pacific Northwest during the rapidly changing world of the 20th century. I watched Dhurandhar, a record breaking spy-thriller, the highest grossing Hindi film of all time. I have tickets to see part 2 in theaters over the weekend! The last best picture film I had to see was Bugonia - a truly bizarre movie that I watched while putting together a bar cabinet. Anyone else find a lot of joy and satisfaction while building furniture?

I’ve got my fill of streaming reality tv lately. Love is Blind season 10 made me very thankful that I don’t live in Ohio and also thankful for my female friends. The new season Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is going to be very messy, and frankly we could use less of Dadtok. Taylor Frankie Paul had me really interested in watching this season of The Bachelorette - but ABC pulled the plug on her season days before the premier. I tried to watch Age of Attraction and something about it just made me feel weird.

In Theaters

I took full advantage of my AMC A-List in January. I finally saw Wicked: For Good and it was…good. Lots of new songs and unsurprising (at least to me) Oscars snub. A fun afternoon matinee date with a friend to see The Housemaid starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. Booktok has been obsessed with this series for awhile - and now I can see why. All the easter eggs were fun to read about (I mean the chandelier - HELLO?) No Other Choice by South Korean director Park Chan-wook was pretty good and anyone who has ever been laid off feels this deeply. Marty Supreme starring Timothée Chalamet was not the sports movie I was expecting. There was a little table tennis and a whole lot of madness. Finally, The Secret Agent may be one of my favorite movies of the year. A beautiful film, I want to know more about each and every character’s stories. This film deserves all the hype and acclaim. I watched Sentimental Value in a very full theater and it was fine - I wanted The Secret Agent to win the Oscar.

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📚 Reading Around

Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler

I picked this book up after two friends also were reading it and I instantly fell in love. This book made me remember all the feelings and anxieties about dating - not feeling safe enough to actually say how I was truly feeling. If you liked Dolly Alderton’s Ghosts or Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie, this one is for you.

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

This is the first book of Coco Mellors’ that I have read and boy do I want to read more! She perfectly captures the relationship of sisters and how easy it is to fall into old patterns and assumed roles.

Semi-Well-Adjusted by Alyson Stoner

Alyson Stoner was a part of some of my favorite things as a kid - Mike’s Super Short Show to Cheaper by the Dozen to Camp Rock. In Semi-Well-Adjusted she reflects back on her career and childhood. I found this book to be the glass-half-full version of I’m Glad My Mom Died. I really enjoyed listening to Alyson narrate the audiobook and really admire all the work she’s done to be, well, semi-well-adjusted.

She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena

When a woman disappears from a luxury condo, the obvious suspect is the husband. Or is it the man down the hall who was accused (but cleared of all charges) of violence against a woman. The colder months make me want to reach for thrillers and I’ve loved every book I’ve read of Shari Lapena.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

The Radium Girls was recommended to me as a non-fiction book for people who don’t love non-fiction. As they were known the “Radium girls” were the envy of their time, glamorous working girls who almost seemed to glow. But they were in fact glowing because of their close contact with radium, what we now know as a truly dangerous substance.

Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachael Lippincott

My library had a little display to celebrate Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary so I couldn’t help but grab something from the display. A time-traveling, fish out of water book about a teenage artist who has lost her will to create. She is dropped back in time - during the regency era - and struggles to fit in to the times and expectations of a young lady.

The High Dive by Chelsea Fagan

Alexandra was a scholarship student and she spent her four years of college desperately trying to fit in with her wealthy college friends. Years later, one of her college friends is getting married and invites the group on a luxury yacht trip through the Mediterranean. Unfortunately her love interest turned rival Danial was also invited on this trip. If you love enemies-to-lovers and rich people problems, this book is for you!

Game Changer by Rachel Reid

For everyone that fell in love with HBO’s Heated Rivalry, Game Changer is the first in the series that inspired the show. This first book is about Kipp and Scott’s story, and I loved diving deeper in their story. This book is very spicy and if you haven’t dived into the romance world yet, you’re in for a real treat.

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

This historical fiction book follows Annis, a young enslaved woman from the rice fields of the Carolinas is sold by her white father. The book follows the brutal journey as she is brought and sold in New Orleans and her life on a sugar plantation in Louisiana. The novel highlights the brutal separation of families and highlights how important it is for us all to remember history.

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino

Margo will do whatever it takes to buy her forever home. After seeing and putting offers on too many houses to count, Margo gets an inside tip from her real estate agent that her dream home is hitting the market soon. Desperate to do a deal before the house hits the market, a chance encounter turns into some more sinister. One of my friends is currently searching for a house and truly it seems like nothing short of murder is required to land the perfect place.

Told You So by Mayci Neeley

I am obsessed with the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and momtok is everywhere so I was very interested in reading Mayci’s book. Her book dives in to her life before she became a reality show star. From her freshman year at BYU on a tennis scholarship to getting pregnant at nineteen and losing the father of her son. The book makes its way to present, including some juicy stories about momtok.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Full Cast) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Full Cast) by J.K. Rowling

Audible has completely re-voiced the Harry Potter books and these kept me company while packing up my home. The new audiobooks include a full cast and sound design and for a kid who learned to love to read because of Harry Potter, I cannot stop gushing about how much fun these audiobooks are!

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🥣 Cooking Around

Ahead of moving, I wanted to make do with what’s in the cupboards and really focused on eating down our pantry. I made this delicious spicy coconut slow cooker lentil soup aka dal. A version of this Mediterranean vegetable soup which is made with a bunch of frozen veggies making it really easy. This Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe has been a favorite of mine for years. I also add a can of white beans at the end to make it even more hearty. I also love making this white chicken chili - using a rotisserie chicken makes it even easier.

📝 Posting Around

Catch up on some of my latests posts!

Take care,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

It’s officially the most romantic day of the year and I am very excited for all the rom-coms and book-to-screen adaptations that are dropping! If you’re new to my “Mushy Things series”, you’re in for a treat. Around twice a year, I round up all the romantic comedies and series that are out now or coming very soon. The goal is to gather things that will make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Or that I’m just excited for - it’s my newsletter after all.

Whether you’re planning a cozy night in the next couple of weeks or looking to take yourself to a night at the movies, here’s a round up of some of the best “mushy” things coming out the next couple of months. Let’s jump in!

Currently Streaming/In Theaters Now

People We Meet on Vacation (Streaming Now!)

The first book-to-screen adaptation of Emily Henry’s masterpiece is here and I for one was pretty pleased with this movie (something that’s certainly not the case with other book to screen adaptations). If you haven’t read this one, it is about best friends Poppy and Alex whose annual vacation gets complicated when feelings get involved. They made some serious changes to the story in this one (a wedding in Barcelona instead of Palm Springs), but definitely recommend watching it!

Relationship Goals (Streaming Now!)

Kelly Rowland plays the leading lady in Relationship Goals. A tv executive is fighting to become the first woman to run New York’s top morning show. Unfortunately, she is competing with her ex for the same role. In typical rom-com fashion, sparks begin fly with her ex, challenging her priorities.

Heated Rivalry (Streaming Now!)

If you haven’t heard of Heated Rivalry, where have you been! A secret fling starts between two rival hockey players and I binged the entire series in a day. Based on the second book by Rachel Reid in the Game Changers series, this show is surely a must watch. Through Valentine’s day the New York Public Library has gifted us instant access to all six books in series, a very good gift indeed.

Eternity (Streaming Now!)

I missed this one in theaters but I am very excited to stream it! In an afterlife where newly arrived souls are given one week to decide how they will spend their eternity, Joan finds herself facing an impossible decision. She must choose between her devoted husband and her first love who tragically died and has been waiting for her arrival for decades. How will she choose?!

Wuthering Heights (In Theaters Now)

The long awaited Wuthering Heights adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi is finally here! I have long been awaiting for this movie and cannot wait to see it in theaters! (Long live my AMC A-List). The reviews are mixed, but at the very least, I think the music by Charli xcx is something to get excited about!

Pillion (In Theaters Now)

Colin, a timid man meets Ray, a confident biker gang leader who upends his quiet world. Ray introduces Colin to a submissive relationship dynamic and it challenges everything Colin thought he knew about himself. What starts as an unlikely connection between two men, evolves into a story of vulnerability and self-discovery.

Dreams (In Theaters Now)

An American socialite (Jessica Chastain) becomes involved in a passionate but dangerous affair with a talented Mexican ballet dancer who is undocumented. When her lover secretly crosses the US/Mexican border to be with her, their relationship becomes increasingly complicated and risky. Desperate to protect both their love and his safety, she takes extreme and potentially dangerous measures to secure a future where they can be together without fear.

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Coming Out Soon

Reminders of Him (In Theaters March 13th)

Colleen Hoover’s books are consistently top bestseller lists and there are many adaptations of her books in the works (including Verity). This latest adaptation follows Kenna who returns to her hometown after being in prison for seven years. She hopes to rebuild her life and finds unexpected romance with a former NFL player.

The Bride! (In Theaters March 6)

Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Bride! brings the story of the bride of Frankenstein to life. This gothic, romantic horror film stars Jessie Buckley who, after being murdered, is brought back to life to be Frankenstein’s companion. I think this movie has the potential to go off the rails and I love the use of Florence and the Machine’s music in the trailer.

The Drama (In Theaters April 3rd)

I am really excited to see The Drama starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson but based on the trailer, I am really unsure where this movie falls on the “mushy things” scale. An engaged couple faces a crisis during their wedding week and their romance takes a dramatic turn. However the movie ends, it is sure to make me cry.

You, Me & Tuscany (In Theaters April 10th)

A classic rom-com through and through - I cannot wait to see this movie with my girls! Anna abandoned her dreams of becoming a chef and is drifting through her twenties. When she loses her house-sitting job, she decides to crash a handsome stranger’s Italian villa. In moment of panic, she pretends to be the stranger’s fiancé but the situation get complicated when she accidentally falls for his cousin. Drama!

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (In Theaters May 1st)

We finally got a trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2 and my excitement continues to build! Miranda Priestly is back and is fighting to keep print magazines relevant. I am looking forward to seeing what all our favorite characters have been up to and a hefty dose of one liners.

"Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking," - Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada.

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Later This Year

Girls Like Girls (In Theaters June 19th)

When Coley arrives as the new girl in town, she finds herself unexpectedly falling for Sonya, a local who already has a boyfriend. This attraction creates a complicated love triangle that threatens to upend the dynamic of their small town. Based on the YA book by Hayley Kiyoko which was based on the billboard-charting smash hit song and viral music video GIRLS LIKE GIRLS!, I am looking forward to this movie out this summer.

One Night Only (In Theaters August 7th)

In a highly restrictive society where premarital intimacy is forbidden except for one designated night per year, two desperate strangers find themselves searching for partners during this rare window of permitted freedom. As the clock ticks down on their only opportunity for romance and connection, their frantic search leads them through the chaotic and hilarious landscape of their repressive world. I think this potentially dystopian rom-com is going to be a very interesting.

Sense & Sensibility (In Theaters September 11th)

From the team that brought us the 2005 Pride and Prejudice, one of my all time favorite movies as well as the 2020 version of Emma, comes the latest Jane Austen adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. Directed by Georgia Oakley and starring Daisy Edgar Jones, I truly cannot wait for this movie to come out later this year.

Previous Mushy Things Posts

These posts are perfect if you’re looking to build out your mushy watchlist!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Xoxo,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

Life caught up to me and I haven't posted a monthly roundup in way too long! Between the holiday season, work getting busy, general winter hibernation mode, and a move, my posting schedule got completely derailed. But I've still been reading (of course), so let me catch you up on three months worth of books!

I thought I'd bundle November and December together into one mega-book-roundup. Here's what kept me company during those months!

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, Megan McDowell (translated by)

This book was my reading around the world challenge pick for Argentina. Truthfully, I don’t know a lot about Argentina’s history, so I certainly learned a lot in this book. But there’s also a supernatural elements as well as horror. If you like a dark book, this one is certainly for you!

Remain: A Novel by Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan

Two greats team up and write what can only be described as a paranormal romance. There’s murder, there’s ghosts, there’s a love interest. This book truly has it all so I think if you’re a fan of either Nicholas Sparks or M. Night Shymalan, you’d have a lot of fun with this one.

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand & Shelby Cunningham

To me, this was a perfect fall read! Set at an elite boarding school, Elin Hilderbrand teams up with her daughter Shelby Cunningham to write to create this new world, far from Elin’s beloved Nantucket. I really loved this one and can’t wait for whatever they write next!

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Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino

Sunny is recently divorced and is facing down potentially having to go to her brother’s wedding without a plus-one so she decides it’s time to love herself and get back out there and start dating again. To me this is a summer read, best with your toes in the sand or laying by a pool! Plus swimsuits play a major role in this book.

Heart the Lover by Lily King

I loved Lily King’s previous books Writers and Lovers so I was very excited to read Heart the Lover. In her senior year of college, our narrator meets two best friends who will change her life: Sam and Yash. Slipping through time, this book is a reflection on the choices we make when we’re young and how friendships can transform our lives.

Make Believe: Poems for Hoping Again by Victoria Hutchins

Victoria Hutchins is one of my favorite creators on TikTok. Time and again, she’s reminded me to love my body, to be thankful for it, to take a deep breath and remind myself that it is all going to be okay. So when I read she was writing a book of poems, I knew that I had to pick up a copy. I am sure I will find myself finding comfort in her words for years to come.

Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan

I have long wanted to read a book by Kennedy Ryan and I loved this one. I will admit that I believe I read this series out of order so there were a few characters whose backstories I didn’t know. I can’t wait to read more of her books - I love a good romance.

The Museum Detective by Maha Khan Phillips

I randomly picked this book up off the library shelf. It caught my attention and decided that this book would be my reading around the world pick for Pakistan. Gul is called in the middle of the night by the police to inspect a crime scene. When she arrives, she realizes that this is no ordinary drug bust as they have discovered a mummy and she is Pakistan’s most knowledgable Egyptologist.

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

Junie has spent her entire life on a plantation in Alabama. When guests come to stay, her sister’s ghost begins to appear to Junie. She enlists the help of the guests’ coachman to help her figure out what her sister is trying to tell her from beyond the grave. I first learned about this book on TikTok and knew I immediately needed to add it to my TBR. I also learned that this book is based on the author’s family lore.

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Burnout by Emily Nagoski PhD & Amelia Nagoski DMA

I read this book because guess what, I like so many others am experiencing burnout. This book offers practical advice for how to fight back against burnout and how to close the stress cycle. I recommend reading this book to everyone to learn how to change your habits to better take care of yourself.

February is going to be equally crazy so let’s see if I can get through the stack of books I haven’t read.

What have you been reading lately? I’d love to hear your recent favorites in the comments and maybe even add them to my TBR!

Happy reading,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

Welcome back to another round of subway book observations. As you know, I spend a lot of time commuting to work every day and this is where I do a lot of my reading (and listening). I love adding to this series to see what others are reading during their daily commutes.

I continue to see plenty of library books and Kindles during my commute. And let me tell you commuters on the F train are readers - this train is by far where I see the most books.

I continue to be surprised that I’m not seeing more buzzy new releases but maybe people are reading them on their Kindle. But I’d definitely expect to see at least one trending title making their rounds.

Here are some books I spotted fellow New Yorkers reading on the train last week:

• The Will to Change by Adrienne Cecile Rich

  A collection of poems from 1968-1970 which explores love, identity and social change. I want to resolve to read more poetry this year and I feel like this collection will definitely stay with you throughout the day!

• Creation Lake: A Novel by Rachel Kushner

  Initially the cover for this book attracted my attention. Then I read about the plot of this book - a secret agent who goes undercover to infiltrate a group of anarchists in rural France? Throw in a little noir and I am intrigued!

• Woody, Cisco & Me by Jim Longhi

  This title originally drew my attention because it is actually out of print! This memoir tells the story of Jim Longhi’s life during his time in the Merchant Marines in WWII and his encounters with some folk music legends. I wonder if this reader was inspired to read this after watching A Complete Unknown.

• Georges; Or, The Isle of France by Alexander Dumas

  A classic Dumas! This one is less well-known than The Three Musketeers but just as engaging. There's something about seeing someone reading a classic on their morning commute - it always makes me want to dive back into the classics myself. With the new Wuthering Heights movie coming soon, maybe I will take this as a sign….

• The Book of Stars by A Frederick Collins

  I had a bit of a tough time tracking down this book as it is also out of print. I really spotted some very unique books this time around. This book brings the cosmos alive and unravels the secrets of the stars.

Have you spotted any interesting reads while out and about this week? And if you missed my previous subway reading posts, you can catch up on what other New Yorkers have been reading!

Happy reading,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

It’s been a minute since I’ve shared a roundups of some great NYC restaurants I’ve been eating lately. So let’s dive in to the spots!

After running some errands near Union Square, we popped into Little Poland, a no-frills diner on 2nd Ave. To drink I ordered a Kompot, a homemade fruit drink that was refreshing and different than anything I’ve had before. We ordered both fried and boiled pierogis which I think taste even better on cold days. The whole vibe here is unpretentious and I can see why it’s a neighborhood spot!

We had an amazing dinner at Yellow Magnolia at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for their Bonsai 100 dinner. The food was incredible - I cannot believe in all my times visiting the gardens I’ve never eaten here. We also did a sake pairing hosted by Brooklyn Kura, a sake distillery in Brooklyn. Truly an incredible meal.

Probably the coolest thing was after dinner we got to walk around the bonsai exhibit and we basically had it all to ourselves! There's something so peaceful about wandering through those tiny, perfectly crafted trees after a great meal. And getting to see it after dark made it even more special.

I stopped by Lucky Rabbit Noodles to grab a quick dinner before a show at St. Ann’s Warehouse. Everything was solid here and quick. This would be a great place to stop into after sightseeing in Dumbo, especially to escape the crowds. You can’t go wrong with any of their dumplings and I particularly loved their garlic noodles. I am a garlic girl!

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Stopped into Interlude for an afternoon coffee and ordered their specialty drink the Cadenza. It’s espresso over ice with a Mexican coke and heavy cream and the texture this creates is truly interesting. Also I felt like a little science experiment as I was drinking it.

We had lunch at Paisley with a couple of friends, an Indian restaurant in Tribeca. We ordered a bunch of dishes and if I see dahi puri on a menu I am always going to order it. It was easy to get a reservation here and they definitely were able to accommodate large groups.

And to satisfy my afternoon boba craving I tried Xing Fu Tang. A chain from Taiwan, they’re known for their brown sugar boba which they make fresh and handmade. I also loved that you could take a fortune with you!

It’s that time again and NYC Restaurant Week is almost here! It’s running January 20th–February 12th and I love taking advantage. Here are a couple of places I am eyeing this time:

• Sea

• Delmonico’s

• Moono

• Dinner Party

If you want to learn even more about restaurant week or get some inspiration you can read my previous post about it below:

What have you been eating around the city lately? Always looking for new spots to try!

Until next time,

Savannah

You can shop my 2026 reads here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

Today, I am reviewing all of my reading data from 2025 - book nerds and chart lovers unite!

As with last year, I used both Goodreads and Storygraph. I mostly rely on Goodreads because it has so much of my years passed reading data and my vast library of books that I want to read and because I follow so many friends there. But more and more, I love Storygraph. Maybe one day I will make the switch to Storygraph for good.

I met my goal of 52 books by reading 68 books in 2025. In 2025 however, I did not pass the number I read in 2024, a personal best of 83 books. I believe I took things a little slower in 2025 and I also decided to read some books that were dense and personally challenging. As with every year, I will continue to set my goal at 52 books. At a book a week, this feels the right amount of challenging yet a still attainable goal.

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Now let’s take a deeper dive into my 2025 reading!

68 books is equivalent to roughly 22,117 pages with the average time to finish a book at 13 days. My finishing rate was up in 2025 over 11 days in 2024 and 6 days in 2023. I attribute this to some personal development books that I read over a few months, taking my time to full absorb them.

I typically read one fiction and one nonfiction book at a time and this held true in 2025. I tend to listen to more nonfiction books than I read physically. While I still love my Kindle, I definitely over-indexed on physical books this year. My local library reopened after being closed for many years. I discovered that holds on physical books usually moved a lot faster than digital holds for ebooks, especially on new releases so I ended up reading a lot more physical books this year.

The first book I read in 2025 was The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston, an author I have read previously and loved (The Dead Romantics). The last book I read in 2025 was Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan, an author I have been wanting to read for some time.

My biggest reading mood of 2025 was by far and away emotional with reflective and lighthearted following.

In 2024, my top reading moods were emotional, reflective, funny and informative. Lighthearted moved further up this list in 2025 and relaxing did not appear on in my 2025 mood list at all. Which is fair because 2025 did not feel very relaxed!

In 2025, the average length of the books I read was 329 pages.

I read two books over 500 pages - Our Share of Night and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. My longest read of 2025 was Our Share of Night at 588 pages.

The shortest book I read in 2025 was Make Believe at 144 page.

The average length of books that I read was 329 pages.

I try to balance my reading by reading one fiction and one nonfiction book at a time. The nonfiction books generally take me longer to finish than the fiction books. In 2025, I read 72% fiction (49 books) and 28% nonfiction (19 books). My fiction/nonfiction split was slightly better in 2024 at 66% fiction (55 books) and 34% nonfiction (28 books).

As with 2024, my top genre for 2025 was contemporary with 26 books falling under this category. Romance, literary, historical took the next three spots with LGBTQIA+ being the fifth highest genre.

Interestingly, fantasy was much higher in my 2025 reads than 2024 and in 2024, memoir ranked much higher as did thriller. Outside of my reading around the world challenge books, I read a lot of contemporary romance and definitely not as many thrillers as with years passed.

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Katherine Center was my only repeat author in 2025! In 2024, I was more of a repeat author reader - discovering Abby Jimenez and reading several of her books. I also read 2 nonfiction books by Oliver Burkeman in 2024 as well as a couple by my favorite Dolly Alderton including her newest book Good Material. In 2025 I read 54 new authors and discovered some new favorites!

January was my best reading month with 8 books read while July was my best page reading month with 2,229 pages!

On both Goodreads and Storygraph the most shelved of the book that I read in 2025 was The Maid, the least shelved was The Teardrop Island.

The highest rated book I read this year on Storygraph was A Little Less Broken which is about a woman learning she has autism. It made me laugh and it made me cry and I wish more people would read it! On Goodreads the highest rated book of the books that I read in 2025 was Nothing to Envy following the lives of ordinary people living in North Korea.

I rated the books I read in 2025 an average of 4.1. Not sure what this says about my scrutiny of books!

This was my second year of my reading around the world challenge and I read 12 books towards my challenge, traveling to 12 countries and diving into stories of people and places whose experiences are different than mine.

Let’s take a look at the list of countries that I read about in 2025:

North Korea | Italy | Sweden | Myanmar | Sri Lanka | United States | India | Japan | Argentina | Egypt | Nigeria | Pakistan.

If you want to read more about my favorite reads of 2025, you can check out the post below!

That’s it for my 2025 reading stats. I would love to know about your favorite book of 2025 and encourage you to set your own reading goal for 2025. It’s a really great resolution and a great way to get offline.

Happy reading,

Savannah

You can shop my 2025 reads so here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

2025 - what a year! Another one has passed by and before shifting to where I want to focus in 2026, I wanted to spend a little time reflecting on the best of the rest and all my favorite things from 2025. This is a snapshot of my year, rounding up some of my favorite places, things and memories shared with my favorite people along the way.

One of my biggest resolutions for 2025 was to be a better patron of the arts. I would say that I accomplished this goal for the year! Living in New York, I have access to so much wonderful art and it can sometimes feel like “Oh I can do it anytime” and so you end up not taking advantage. This year, I wanted to prioritize actually going out and seeing things. Some of my favorite shows that I saw in 2025 were in no particular order: Weather Girl, Liberation, John Proctor is the Villain, Mexodus, the Monet in Venice exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum and the exhibit celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen at the Morgan Library.

In March, I had to return to office 5 days a week (and I’ll reserve my thoughts for it offline) but I bought these Sony headphones in anticipation of that. My office has open and flex seating meaning that at times it can be very loud and disruptive. Not only do these over-the-ear headphones indicate that I am in focus mode, they also have amazing noise cancelation and battery life. Money well spent.

In that vein, any money that I spent on making my life a little easier this year was well worth it - from having groceries delivered to hiring someone to deep clean the apartment every month or so. Also, any money that I have spent on making my life a little more comfortable and helping manage my pain was worth it. For those of you dealing with chronic pain, I cannot recommend a topical CBD/THC cream and TENS unit enough. Also me and my heating pad against the world. And regular acupuncture has also really helped.

Lastly, any and all the money I’ve put in to my mental and physical health this year has been worth it. For someone who hates going to the doctor, I have sure spent a lot of time at the doctor this year but Houston we have a diagnosis!!!!

A very unsexy product that I fell in love this year were nose strips and my sleep has really benefitted from wearing them. I love these from Breathe Right and I am experimenting with this reusable one right now.

I still love Nuuly and have been using it every month for not only special occasions like travel and weddings but also for every day work outfitting. Hey - 5 days a week in office is a lot and Nuuly really eliminates the “I have nothing to wear” meltdown in the morning and for that I am grateful.

If you would like to try Nuuly for yourself, you can use my link to get $30 off your first month!

I bought this bubble cup from Nespresso for taking my coffee to-go and it’s an iced-coffee lovers commuting dream. Also, any money I’ve spent on things to make silly little beverages at home has been worth it.

I acquired a new crafty hobby this year - junk journaling! I’ve really loved leaning into my creativity and this photo printer that I bought a few months ago has been heavily utilized.

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Two hobby related resolutions that I made were learning to shuffle cards and learning to play chess. Shuffling cards has been something I’ve been working on throughout the year and I can do it now! Learning chess was something I only started working on in Q4 and I have been using Duolingo to learn to play. Yes, Duo is more than just a language learning app! And excitingly I drew in a game against my husband a few days ago - I haven’t won a game yet but I am hopeful.

We just returned home from an epic trip to Italy, Switzerland and France and my top restaurant and bar squeezed in before the end of the year. We had a quick 24 hours in Paris and we knew we wanted to have one nice (Michelin starred) dinner. And Paris has a million to choose from - but when I was reading about Virtus - I knew our one dinner in Paris had to be here. I am not a white tablecloth person, and everything about Virtus was warm and inviting. And I truly had one of the best bites of the year if not my life here. Each dish was so complex, combining many elements to create a cohesive dish. A truly amazing dinner.

My favorite bar of the year goes to Locale Firenze in Florence, Italy. We were amazed that we could just waltz in this Top 50 Bar. They welcomed us with a cocktail, served us some snacks alongside our drinks and sent us on our way with a final shot. I loved talking to the head bartender about cocktails and our favorite places in New York and couldn’t recommend this spot enough if you ever find ourself in Florence.

I had a lot of other amazing adventures this year and I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite moments throughout the year:

Lastly, I wanted to spread the love and share some of my favorite Substackers and maybe you’ll find someone new you love:

• for all things music and pop-culture

• for keeping me on trend and culturally relevant

• for the best bookish content

• , the sharer of smart things!

• for the coziest newsletter around

• with all the tips and tricks for getting my brain in check

• with eight great things weekly

• , a long time follower and fan of this food content

• for finance tips and tricks

I can’t wait to keep showing up here for myself and all of you in 2026. Hoping for a great 2026 for us all!

Also - I am so so close to 100 subscribers. If you’re reading this and not subscribed, I invite you to join the community - you’ll get all my great content straight to your inbox every week!

Happy New Years and take care,

Savannah

You can shop my 2025 reads so here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

It’s my birthday, wish me a happy birthday! And my 30th no less! All of my friends around my age have been pretty mixed feelings about entering this next decade. I for one am really excited. Do I feel older and wiser today? Not really. But when I reflect back on the person I was 10 years ago, I certainly celebrate the growth!

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Two questions I love to ask people on their birthdays are “what are you most proud of over the last year” and “what are you most looking forward to in your next year” so I will spend a little time reflecting on that here!

I’ve spent a lot of time in my twenties getting to know myself better and feeling comfortable living in my body. I think my thirties are when it’ll all click and I feel really good living in my own skin. And to be fair, I’ve spent a lot of my 29th year uncomfortable in my body - with pain and constant bloating. But I also advocated for myself a lot this year and didn’t give up until I had answers and for that I am so proud.

I’ve also spent a lot of time working on my mental health this year. I’ve found a lot of strength in talking to others about mental health and encouraging them to get help in whatever way they need.

I am also proud of myself for learning to play chess this year, something I have wanted to do for some time. I may have not won a match yet, but I’m learning and I’m certainly challenging my opponents and last night I had my first draw. One step closer to winning!

I am proud of myself for continuing to show up on Substack and building my community. Posting here about books, food, and travel has brought me a lot of joy.

I wanted to be a better patron of the arts this year and I am proud to say that every month I saw a show or visited a museum to see an exhibit - some months multiple times. I feel inspired and am so happy to use my money to further support the arts. I am so happy I live in a place where I have access so much of it.

I am also so proud of myself for celebrating myself and throwing a (early) birthday party. Every year I get in my head and never plan anything for my birthday. But this year, I made a point to throw a party, it is my 30th after all. I hosted it at Barcade and I enjoyed playing games with friends and eating cheese from Murray’s cheese!

In the next year, I am most looking forward to finding some relief from the pain that I’ve been dealing with the last couple of months. For years, my pain has been diminished, dismissed. I was told it was normal cramps, to take an ibuprofen and try birth control. But now I know that the white hot stabbing pain isn’t normal and I’ve been referred to a specialist.

I think the thing I will struggle with next year is not being able to plan much. Will I have surgery? Most likely and I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to it. But do I know when? Or what recovery will look like? No - and that’ll be a challenge because normally by this time I already have my next year planned out. So I think my word going into this next year is patience - patience with myself and with my body. And also to continue to work on asking for what I need.

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Lastly, I would love it if you would subscribe to my Substack - I am so close to 100 subscribers and that would be a lovely birthday present to me! Plus you’ll get all my great content straight to your inbox.

Until next time!

Take care,

Savannah

You can shop my 2025 reads so here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

With the end of the year coming fast, I wanted to round up some of my favorite books that I read in 2025. So far I’ve read 68 books this year - less than last year but it’s been a YEAR let me tell you. Now let’s dive in to some of my favorite reads!

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

I read The Favorite earlier in the year when I felt like everyone was talking about it but I feel like I haven’t heard much chatter about it since. Set in the elite world of figure skating, Katrina and Heath are hopeful for Olympic gold when a shocking incident breaks up their partnership. Ten years later, an unofficial documentary sparks public obsession with the “real story” of what really went down between them.

If you loved I, Tonya, you should read this for all the ice skating drama. I also think now is a perfect time to pick this book up with the Winter Olympics starting in February.

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

A friend has been recommending that I read Betty for YEARS. So I decided to read this as my United States book for my reading around the world challenge.

Let me just say this book is haunting. About a half-Cherokee girl growing up in the Appalachia of Ohio, Betty finds solace from the poverty and violence of her everyday life in writing. Truly an incredible book but be warned, there were tears.

The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy

A book agent living in Brooklyn must return home when her grandfather passes away and leaves her the ancestral home in India. This was my reading around the world pick for India and I had this book on my TBR list for months before it was published. I learned so much about Kolkata and Bengali culture and it made me think about the places we come from and the places we call home.

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Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore

Vacationland is my favorite kind of book - a dysfunctional family and rich world building. While reading I really felt immersed in summertime Maine. In the book, Louisa is spending the summer at her parent’s place with her three kids. She has a very important deadline approaching but not much to show for it. Kristie arrives on a Greyhound searching for the family she never knew. But as the summer unfolds, the two will ask themselves what they deserve, what they are owed and what family really means.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach

One of the biggest books of 2024 had to be Alison Espach’s The Wedding People so I was really excited to read another of her books. If The Wedding People is about depression then Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is about grief. For those of us who have ever lost someone, we know that grief is not linear and that is stays with you. I loved how Espach wrote about grieving and how there can be humor alongside sadness. I can’t recommend this book or The Wedding People enough!

Heart the Lover by Lily King

Years ago I read Lily King’s Writers & Lovers so I was looking forward to reading her newest book Heart the Lover. What I didn’t put together until after finishing was that the main character overlaps in Writers and Lovers and in her newest book. I read this book in about one day start to finish. I actually finished it on the train home from seeing Hamnet in theaters and if I hadn’t just been sobbing in the theater, I for sure would have really sobbed when finishing this one. A few respectable tears on the train. What can I say, I love a book that makes me cry!

Audiobooks

I wanted to call out some of my favorite books that I listened to in 2025! If you are curious about dipping your toes into listening, I suggest starting with a memoir, especially when it is narrated by the author because then I feel like they are telling me their life’s story. Here are 3 of my favorites that I listened to in 2025!

Remain by Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan

A coworker told me she was listening Remain and couldn’t stop so I quickly downloaded the audiobook. First, it’s dual-narrated by one of my favorite narrators - Julia Whelan. Also it’s cowritten by two powerhouses - Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan. What would a romance author and filmmaker write about? Well a paranormal romance of course with a little bit of thriller sprinkled in. This book has something for everyone!

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

You may know John Green for his young adult fiction books like The Fault in Our Stars or Looking for Alaska but he also writes non-fiction as well. A few years ago, I listened to The Anthropocene Reviewed and absolutely loved it so when Everything is Tuberculosis was published this year, I knew I wanted to listen. Once the disease of poets, now tuberculosis is seen as the disease of poverty. And while the western world has mostly eradicated it, it still kills millions each year. John Greene is an advocate for the need for better treatment and awareness in this book.

Burnout by Emily Nagoski PhD & Amelia Nagoski DMA

I recently listened to Burnout and wooooooof! A must read for women to learn more about stopping the cycle of burnout and actually dealing with your stress instead of allowing it to build and linger in your body. Full of practical advice and much needed reminders for me during a season of life where I am unable to do everything I want to because of pain and feeling immensely guilty about it. This book helped me challenge those thoughts and many other unkind things that perpetuate in my head.

What were someone of your favorite reads of 2025? I would love to know in the comments!

Happy holidays to you and yours,

Savannah

You can shop my 2025 reads so here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

October and November were filled with some of my favorite things. I visited several museums, saw a couple of shows, and got crafty. I swear I feel most alive as the weather gets colder and we move into winter. So here’s a round up of some of the things I did over the last two months.

🗽 Adventuring Around October

We celebrated Durga Puja this October by visiting a pandal in Times Square. Durga Puja is a major Hindu festival mostly celebrated by those in West Bengal. This holiday honors the goddess Durga and her victory over evil. It is important to wear new clothes on Durga Puja so that you are in your best to meet Durga. I wore a new sari and was very proud of my draping. After visiting the pandal, we had a delicious lunch at Utsav for some Indo-Chinese favorites.

I visited Governors Island on a beautiful fall day. We were too early for the pumpkin patch but still had fun exploring the island. We got to see some really cool art in progress. We spent some time lying in a hammock in the sun and got some delicious lunch from some of the food trucks! I love visiting Governors Island any time of year because it truly feels like an escape from the city.

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One of my favorite fall activities is painting pumpkins! It is notably less messy than carving and also the pumpkins last far longer than if you were to carve them. This is this year’s painted pumpkins.

My husband and I took a watercolor class at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. It was an intro to watercolor and we learned various techniques. At the end of class we were tasked with painting a bouquet of flowers. We displayed everyone’s paintings to observe and I loved how even though we learned the same techniques and pretty much everyone had the same materials, each painting ended up being so unique. I took another one of their continuing ed classes earlier this year (floral arrangement) and I look forward to taking another class in the future.

A friend and I saw Queen of Versailles on Broadway. It is closing relatively soon after opening which tells you everything you need to know. I think if the show had been more campy and less earnest it would have been a hell of a lot more fun. But I got to see Kristin Chenoweth hit a high c for a very reasonable price so I guess I can’t complain too much.

The next night another friend and I saw Death Becomes Her and I cannot stop gushing about how! much! fun! this show is. Based on the 1992 film, this show follows two women who are friends (rivals) and both drink a magic potion that promises eternal life and eternal beauty. I happened to be reading Rouge at the time we saw the show which was a really fun through-line of what I am reading and what I was watching.

I visited The New York Historical museum to visit the Dining in Transit exhibit before it closed. This tiny exhibit was all about the food served on planes, trains and on boats. I loved reading about all the “fancy” things they used to serve and was elated to see iced coffee on the menu as far back as the early 1900’s. While we were there, we stepped into The New York Sari exhibit currently on view until April 2026. This was also an amazing exhibit looking at how South Asians have shaped this city and how women have drawn on tradition to build a more inclusive and progressive future. A must see!

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October was also a big month because one of my closest friends got ordained! It was so wonderful to celebrate what she’s been working towards these last few years and I feel so thankful that I’ve been able to watch her pursue her calling.

Every year around Halloween we orchestrate a taste test for our friends and it has become a tradition that everyone looks forward to. Last year we tried and ranked our favorite sandwiches from around the world. Banh mi won! This year, we did an Oreo taste test! We managed to find around 30 different kinds of Oreos. The favorite flavor was Double Stuf, a classic and the least favorite flavors were Peach-Grape and Rose. Can’t wait to see what we taste test next year. Do you have any ideas or suggestions for next year? Let me know in the comments!

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🗽 Adventuring Around November

In November, I visited the Monet in Venice exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. For fans of Claude Monet, this is the largest showing of his art in New York in over 25 years and includes over 100 works. The exhibit begins with an audiovisual emersion of Venice and the exhibit includes pieces from his contemporaries to show Venice from their perspective. I cannot recommend this exhibit enough and you can catch it until February 1st, 2026.

We visited my sister in Clemson, SC for a football weekend. We tailgated all day for the evening game and they pulled out an impressive spread including an oyster roast, peel-and-eat shrimp and smoked turkeys. We partook in the pre-game rituals and had so much fun.

In November, I voted in a very important New York City election and celebrated a win. Man, I actually feel hope again!

I was very brave in November after attending a number of scary appointments and I rewarded myself with this amazing brownie sundae from The Chocolate Room. You too deserve a little treat today.

We hosted our first Thanksgiving and my husband created an amazing spread! I truly enjoyed a long weekend at home, full of good friends, delicious food and some good reads.

Last but not least, we got our Christmas tree. I love a fraser fir! We decorated for Christmas and I fully leaned into Craftmus like other girlies on TikTok.

Hope you’re staying warm and taking care of yourself this holiday season. Until next time!

Xoxo,

Savannah

You can shop my 2025 reads so here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.

You can submit reading suggestions for my challenge here - I am always looking for more ideas!

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

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It’s that time of year and I wanted to pull together another gifting list as the holidays approach. This is always a fun post to put together and I really enjoy reading everyone else’s lists to see what’s caught their attention this year. My tree went up early this year and I am soaking in as much of the season as I possibly can. We all need a little extra holiday cheer this year! As last year, this is a long one so you may need to open in the browser or read directly on the Substack app to read everything properly.

Favorite Gifts That I Received Last Year

Last year my husband gifted me the In Good Taste wine advent calendar. While they have several different sets on their website, I was gifted the Mixed 2024 Advent Calendar which included red, whites and rose. For 24 days you get the perfectly sized pour of wine and a video to guide you through the tasting. I feel like I learned so much about different varietals and discovered some new to me wines. Grapes grown in volcanic regions are my new favorite - jalapeño wine, not so much. I think this is a great gift for anyone who would like to learn more about wine.

I’d been eyeing a Kindle stand and page turner for a while and let me tell you, this is a real game changer! For any Kindle lover in your life, may I recommend gifting a stand. It’s made my reading so much more comfortable. For the reader in your life who may not already have a Kindle, I cannot recommend gifting them one enough. Yes, I still read both hardcover books and on my Kindle, but I love my Kindle, especially for travel.

A few years ago my husband gifted me a fountain pen. Not only has it made my handwriting better, it makes my daily journaling practice feel special and intentional.

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For the New Yorker Who Has Moved Away

Sometimes the best gifts are the ones that bring back memories of the greatest city in the world.

1. Cocktail Napkins Embroidered with NYC Landmarks - A little piece of the city for their new home.

2. Custom Drawing of NYC Restaurants - I’ve gifted a drawing of a favorite pizza spot to Sayak and to some friends we’ve visited. I love the idea of ordering and framing one of these pieces featuring a first date spot or favorite neighborhood haunt.

3. Bagel Making Kit or a Pizza Making Kit - Two things New York is known and loved for - bagels and pizza. So why not gift a kit that helps them recreate these at home! The pizza making kit even comes with a bottle of NYC tap water for that authentic taste.

For the *Insert Sports Team* fan

Historic Newspaper Books - Credit to my coworker for this brilliant idea! This company pulls together newspaper clippings about their team/favorite player/etc.’s biggest moments and binds them into a book perfect for any coffee table.

Experiences Over Things

Some of the best money I’ve spent this year has been on experiences - museums, shows, and adventures around the city. I’ve tried to prioritize seeing more shows and exhibits this year and it has brought so much joy so I think this would be an excellent gift for anyone in your life.

1. Tea Around Town - My friend and I gifted each other this experience and it was such a fun way to explore NYC together and also enjoy afternoon tea.

2. A Museum or Botanical Garden Membership - The gift that keeps giving all year long. [MOMA|Brooklyn Botanic|The New York Historical]

3. Tickets to a Show, Concert, or Ballet - Tickets make such thoughtful gifts because you’re giving someone an experience and a memory. Plus, it gives you both something to look forward to if you go together!

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For Someone Looking for a New Hobby

There’s something so satisfying about starting fresh with a new creative pursuit, especially as we head into a new year. So I think gifting someone something to encourage a new hobby is a wonderful idea!

1. Watercolor Workbook - I’m loving Emily Lex’s watercolor illustrations and this seems like a perfect gift to help someone dip into watercolor.

2. Woobles Crochet Kits - I still stand by these from last year - perfect for anyone wanting to try their hand at crochet.

3. Diamond Painting Kits - I bought a couple of these kits last year to make bookmarks and they’re surprisingly meditative and satisfying.

4. Omelet Pan - All the men in my life are on omelet TikTok right now, so this feels very timely!

For the Friend Who Travels Frequently

We all have that friend who’s always jetting off somewhere new or constantly on the road for work. These are the gifts that make those long flights and time away a little more comfortable.

1. Magnetic Travel Pods - Game changers for keeping small items and toiletries organized in luggage.

2. Trtl Pillow - This neck pillow has been a game changer for me for long haul flights!

3. Bombas Compression Socks - I love this gift set from Bombas that includes a pair of compression socks as well as a pair of slippers. And I love Bombas mission of giving a pair of socks for every pair that you purchase.

For the Cozy Queen

You know the type - they’re always wrapped in a blanket, have a perpetual mug of something warm in their hands, and their idea of a perfect evening involves soft lighting and zero plans to leave the house. These are the gifts that lean into that energy and make their cozy moments even better.

1. A Candle - I recommend anything from The New Savant - their new scents are incredible. I love the Architect’s Daughter candle and this set which is a collab between The New Savant and the Downtime newsletter.

2. The Perfect Blanket - I recommend gifting something luxurious they wouldn’t splurge on for themselves [Cozy Earth|ChappyWrap]

3. Tea paired with a fun mug - I’m obsessed with this smiley face cup from Studio Arugula or anything from East Fork.

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Cookbooks They’ll Actually Use

Here are some of my favorite cookbooks that I keep coming back to time and time again.

1. Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly - I got this as an early gift last year and have already made multiple recipes!

2. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat - A classic that teaches technique, not just recipes.

3. Cook This Book by Molly Baz - Her approach to cooking is so approachable and fun.

4. Big Dip Energy by Alyse Whitney - Because who doesn’t love a good dip? I’ve made the crab rangoon dip from this cookbook and it is a hit every time

I would pair any cookbook with some special spices from Spicewalla or Diaspora Spice Co.

Stocking stuffers

I believe stocking stuffers should be under $10, but let’s be real - $15 with inflation!

1. Very sweet photo booth magnet frames from Salad Days - so freaking cute!

2. Mini hot dog hair claw clips from Jenny Lemons - because why not?

3. Tadka Oil - I love this on eggs and it elevates any dish instantly.

4. Sugar Bear - Keeps your brown sugar fresh longer.

What’s on My List This Year

A few things I am hoping to find under my tree this year!

1. Hanni Splash Salve - This in shower moisturizer caught my attention and my winter skin needs all the help it can get.

2. Breathe Pebble Deep Moisturizing Solid Bath & Shower Oil - These eucalyptus look so luxurious and would be a welcome addition to leveling up my baths

3. A chess set - One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2025 was to learn to play chess. In October I redownloaded Duolingo because they now have a chess course! And while I still have yet to beat my husband, he said I haven’t made winning easy for him. Baby steps! Here are some sets that I think are really beautiful [Printworks|Travel Set]

Shop Local!

Two stores that I’ve discovered this year and fallen in love with are The Localvore and the Brooklyn Made Store for gifting locally made items.

I am always gifting books - especially for the kids in my life so I love shopping at near to me booksellers Cafe con Libros, The Word is Change and Greenlight Bookstore.

Also in my neighborhood is Peace & Riot, a great spot to shop for gifts anytime of year.

And if you’re looking for even more ideas, I stand by all my recommendations from last year - especially the poop related gifts!

Each year, Sayak and I prioritize gifting in each other’s name to organizations we care about. This year, please consider supporting your local mutual aid groups or organizations doing important work in your community.

Take care of yourself during this busy holiday season, and hold those you love most extra close.

Talk soon,

Savannah

☕ Want to fuel my late-night writing sessions? You can buy me a coffee and support me. I truly appreciate any and all investment in my work! ✨

🔗 This post contains affiliate links which means that in some cases I will earn a small commission from the things (books) that you buy at no cost to you! Thank you for trusting my recommendations.

❤️ If you enjoyed this post, please click the like button at the bottom or leave a comment, it really helps my content get discovered!

💌 Or maybe you would consider sharing this with someone you think might enjoy it!

You can shop my 2025 reads so far here.

If you would like to learn more about my Reading Around the World Challenge, you can read more about it in my previous post.

You can see my reading list for my Reading Around the World challenge here.