Around May
Shopping, books, recipes and more from around May
Hi! Hello!
May has come has come and gone and June is now almost over. It’s been hot in NYC and luckily I was able to install the replacement for my recalled AC before things got too sweltering. If you also have an AC unit, I implore you to check to see if your unit was impacted by the recall.
Let’s take a look back at everything I read, watched, shopped and more from around May.
📺 Watching Around
Seven
I am potentially one of the last people to see Seven. If you too haven’t seen it, I promise, no spoilers here - I won’t tell you what’s in the box. A classic American crime film, Seven stars Morgan Freeman and a young Brad Pitt. This was on our movie watchlist and it is easily one of the scariest movies I’ve seen in a long time. Not because of blood and guts or jump scares but because of the psychological thrills.
North of North
A friend shared the trailer for North of North with me and I was excited to watch it when it began streaming on Netflix. Siaja is a young Inuk mom who dreams big and spontaneously decides to divorce her golden boy husband. This breakup is unfortunately very public and everyone in their far north town Ice Cove is talking about it. This show had be laughing out loud and has so much heart. I cannot recommend it enough.
Étoile
I started watching Étoile from the creators of Gilmore Girls and Bunheads and in theory I really loved the concept of the show. Two ballet companies make some ambitious changes to their dancers in order to save the institutions. The show weaves between English and French. I watched the first episode and enjoyed it but because of the language, it needs to be a show that you sit and watch and not try to multitask while watching. And I guess I didn’t like it enough to go back and watch more episodes.
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning
Don’t worry, we went to opening night of the newest Mission Impossible. And like all the others, Tom Cruise preforms outrageous stunts. And they say that this is the last Mission Impossible but I don’t see how it could be. The ending was very open ended and spoiler alert, Tom Cruise *doesn’t die* which for sure would be the ending of the franchise. This wasn’t my husband’s favorite of the series but it was a fun night out to the movies.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is back and you watch these girls’ frontal lobes develop in real time. The mormon wives know drama, feeding it online and on camera. It’s so fascinating to watch this group navigate traditional values and Mormonism while being the bread winners by posting on Tiktok. Each season has created a new villain and formed new cliques. As far as reality shows go, the season is short and there’s not a lot of context to know going in. Truthfully, keeping up with Love Island US sounds exhausting to me!
Sirens
I like everyone else watched Sirens last month. Worried about how close her sister’s relationship is with her billionaire boss, Devon tries to step in. This show has an all-star cast, starring Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock. It’s got the right amount of suspense, drama and cultishness. It’s set in a rich beachside house and I highly recommend binging it!
📚 Reading Around
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Emily Henry’s newest promises to be one of the biggest books of the summer. Alice is contacted by an anonymous source that leads her to an infamous heiress who hasn’t been heard from in years. But she has to compete with another author to win the chance to write the memoir that is sure to change her career and her life. GBBL weaves through past and present as we learn more about the tragic past of Margaret (the heiress) and Alice’s competition in the present. I really loved this book although the reviews were mixed. Many compared it to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books which quite frequently take an interview format and oscillate between past and present.
How to Come Alive Again by Beth McColl
How to Come Alive Again is a practical guide for anyone with mental illness or for anyone who knows and loves someone with mental illness. The author shares what has worked for her and what hasn’t. She also speaks with such openness about how to take care of yourself when you’re struggling and provides advice from how to get through a bad day to how to know when medication is right for you. I took a lot away from this book and I don’t think you need to read it cover to cover to find something valuable for yourself.
The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy
The Magnificent Ruins was my pick for India for my reading around the world challenge. When Lila’s grandfather unexpectedly passes away and leaves her the ancestral home in Kolkata, she returns to what she once called home. When her boyfriend (white boyfriend) surprises her, her old life and new life collide. This book taught me a lot about Bengali culture and traditions and made me think a lot about my own identity and the places I have called home over the years. This book was so, so good and I need someone else to read it so we can talk about it.
Scam Goddess by Lacey Mosley
I’ve long listened to Lacey Moseley’s podcast Scam Goddess so I was really excited to read her book by the same name. I maintain that podcasts hosts make some of the best narrators. Her book is part autobiographical and builds on many of the stories from her podcast.
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
Another graphic novel to the list! Pumpkinsheads follow two friends who met working at the greatest pumpkin patch of all time. This is their last year working together before they graduate so they decide to have one last great shift and do all the things at the pumpkin patch they haven’t before.
I wish I had waited to read this one until fall because it has peak cozy fall vibes. I read this book in one sitting on a Sunday afternoon. Can’t wait to read my next graphic novel!
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
Samantha and Xavier meet when Samantha brings in a cat she’s rescued to Xavier’s veterinary practice. Xavier is having a bad day but that doesn’t excuse the way he treats Samantha. But then they go on a perfect first date. The only problem? Samantha is moving to California the next day and Xavier is staying in Minnesota. If Samantha had stayed in Minnesota they would for sure be dating.
Abby Jimenez’s latest book Say You’ll Remember Me is a true mushy book! I do wish that the ending was a little more drawn out - some additional pages would have been great.
I would also like to say that Samantha’s mother has dementia in this book and it hit really close to home. So just a content warning.
🗽 Adventuring Around
We spend a fun afternoon in Greenpoint! We had brunch at Oxomoco - for sure order the chips and salsa. It comes with seven different salsas. Then we checked out Last Place on Earth, a board game cafe which was a really fun place to spend a couple of hours. Then before heading home, we picked up some goodies from Edy’s Grocer and Polkadot a Polish cafe which unfortunately appears to have permanently closed since we visited. I am also planning to do a Greenpoint mini guide so stay tuned.
We visited the Brooklyn Botanic Garden when the bluebell hill was in bloom. This time of year there’s always something new to see each time you visit. They are also celebrating 100 years of bonsai at the gardens which I can’t wait to check out.
We went camping in Catskills and even though it rained, we still had the best time. We visited the world’s largest kaleidoscope, ate at the famous Phoenicia Diner and more!
We spent Memorial Day weekend in Los Angeles for a wedding. A post coming soon on our west coast adventures!
🥣 Cooking Around
Molly Baz’s cae sal from Cook This Book is a favorite in our house. I love making it for friends and I recently modified the dressing to make it vegetarian. I replaced the anchovies with chopped capers and a little miso. And did you know Worcestershire sauce wasn’t vegetarian? I just learned myself! So I substituted that with a little soy sauce.
Each year for Sayak’s birthday I make a Bengali meal, usually borrowing recipes from his mom. This year, I picked up Monsoon from the library and made my best luchis yet! Can’t wait to cook more recipes from this book.
🛒 Shopping Around
I picked up Make Believe: Poems for Hoping Again by Victoria Hutchins from Greenlights, one of my fav independent bookstores. Next door, I picked up a graduation present from Yours Truly, Brooklyn, a truly great stationary store. I could spend so much time here just poking around.
I picked up a new pair of Converse platforms as well as this pair of Clarks to replace a similar pair I already had.
I bought a replacement travel toiletry bag because the last time I traveled with it, my travel perfume broke in it and I couldn’t get the strong smell out. I love, love this toiletry bag for travel!
May was a Nuuly month! I rented three dresses for a wedding [one shoulder|drop waist|brown flowy] and these three dresses for work/fun [square neck|puff sleeved smocked|Ophelia dress]
If you would like to try Nuuly for yourself, you can use my link to get $30 off your first month!
I have long been getting monthly facials at Glowbar - they’ve expanded their locations over the years and the monthly maintenance is what keeps my skin looking so good. Anyone new to Glowbar can get $15 off their first facial, which is the member pricing without the commitment! Use my referral link if you would like to try out Glowbar for yourself.
👂 Heard Around
I read this article from The Cut about how much it costs to workout in NYC and I was curious about how much I spend monthly on fitness. I did the math: Obe Membership which I use for sculpt, strength, boxing and yoga classes - $169 annually ($14.08 monthly); Peloton membership which I use for cycling classes, daily meditation, yoga and the occasional barre class - $44 monthly (my share $22 monthly); Yoga class pack at local studio ($220 for 10 classes, lasts me 2.5 months, averaging 1 class a week); additional in-person barre and pilates classes typically one class a week - sometimes through Classpass, sometimes through the studio directly, we’ll round up and say $98 per month. That’s a total of $222 monthly on fitness, less than the average NYC woman but still a lot when you think about it! I’m curious how much you are spending on health and fitness!
I found a 30-day guest pass if you would like to try Obe for yourself!
And on a very different note, some practical advice on what to do if ICE approaches you. I hate that we’re here and I am holding tight to my friends, family and community.
Take care,
Savannah
📚 Currently Reading: It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan
🎧 Currently Listening: The Genius of Judy by Rachelle Bergstein
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!
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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Nothing like a hot dog in the wild!