What's got my attention this week?
Want some ideas for things to read, watch and listen to this weekend? Look no further... (P.S. this is a Boris-free zone – ish!)
Bodyform's Periodsomnia ad – this image could just as easily apply to menopause
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SCROLLING*
• Bodyform has followed its groundbreaking Womb Stories ads with one about Periodsomnia (Opens in a new window) using thermo-imaging. Can we have a menopause series please?
• The woman who was Roe. (Opens in a new window)
• Is your smartphone ruining your memory (Opens in a new window)? (Obviously don't put it down until you've finished reading this...)
• One woman's poignant story of how talking to her dead mother's voicemail (Opens in a new window) helped ease her sorrow.
• The arab women finding community (and income) cooking online (Opens in a new window).
• How to help your friend through divorce (Opens in a new window).
• Why Gone With The Wind (Opens in a new window)has a lot to answer for.
• Celebrity couples can no longer have a row in peace (Opens in a new window). Thanks social media.
• As if you were in any doubt, Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife, was the one with the brains. (Opens in a new window)
• Is Elon Musk trying to populate Mars himself?! (Opens in a new window) (If he isn't, perhaps Boris Johnson is... Sorry, I promised no Boris!)
• How Hollywood's greatest dresses (Opens in a new window) were discovered shoved into a shoebox.
• Why bravery not recklessness (Opens in a new window) is the key to being more content. Apparently.
• Learning to love an induction oven (Opens in a new window). (I'm including this because I know at least one member who really hates theirs!)
(*Some of these links appear to be behind a paywall, but most will let you read for free if you sign up.)
READING
In this week's spirit of wish-fulfilment, I've been reading Just. Got. Real. by Jane Fallon (Opens in a new window), queen of the revenge comedy. (Look out for Jane on The Shift podcast in the next few weeks.) Just Got Real is a brilliantly spiky read about three women who unexpectedly find themselves "back out there" and tackling the murky world of online dating in midlife. But when one of them discovers her "too good to be true" date is precisely that, she refuses to take it lying down. Loved it.
•Bookclub members! There are still a handful of free copies available of the July bookclub title This Is Gonna End In Tears by Liza Klaussmann. Email me at the reply-to address at the top of this newsletter to get one. And don't forget to put July 28th 7pm in your diary now for our chat with Liza.
WATCHING
Only Murders In The Building, Disney + (series one on demand, series two drops tuesdays)
After the tennis (of course!) although without Rafa it's much less fun, I'm newly hooked on Only Murders In The Building, Steven Martin's brilliant spoof on true crime podcasts and the people who love them. Its mockery to reverence ratio is pitch perfect, but OMITB is so much more than a parody, it also has a compelling murder plot that really stacks up. Also check out this brilliant piece about the real Manhattan building (Opens in a new window) it's based on.
BUYING
I'm a bit obsessed with American independent brand MZ Wallace's bags. They're kind of what magazines would call mid-price, which means a bit too pricey for most of us, but it was my birthday so... Pictured is the crossbody Micro Crosby (Opens in a new window) and it's the perfect size for your iphone plus the tiniest bit of can't-live-without junk. I am now the proud owner of one in black. Find out more at MZWallace.com. (Opens in a new window) #NotAnAdJustAFan
LISTENING
What a week! If you're fully sick of doomscrolling and still don't really understand WTF is going on – Has Boris gone? Has he not gone? How can he still be PM if he's no longer leader? Did he become president when we weren't looking? Has he changed the locks? Is it all Carrie's fault?! – news podcasts are your friend. Here are a few that might be (slightly) illuminating:
• The Lies And Fall Of Boris Johnson (Opens in a new window) from The Guardian.
• BBC Newscasts's Resignationcast series (Opens in a new window). (If you only have time for one, this is probably the one it should be.)
• The Rest Is Politics (Opens in a new window).
• Thems The Breaks from The Times' Red Box podcast (Opens in a new window).
• Is Boris Being Too Bullish? (Opens in a new window) Coffee House Shots from The Spectator. (This is a week old, but interesting in the context of what we now know.)
And if you just want a bloody break, why not listen to this week's episode of The Shift instead...
...starring the outspoken author of the global bestseller Three Women, Lisa Taddeo. In this chat, Lisa turned her attention (her frustration and her fury) to the way success is stacked against women and families, how power is given with one hand and taken with the other and why it makes 'people' uncomfortable when women ask to be paid what they're worth. She's also fascinating about her mother's attitude to ageing (not good) and how it affected her. Listen here. (Opens in a new window)
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