You’re looking at the first installment of Reveriez Records!!
Here you’ll find a weekly round-up of the things I’ve been doing/what I’m into including podcasts, movies, music, and more. I have always loved reading other writers' weekly or monthly notes, and I thought I would try it out myself.
I hope this new series will allow me to connect with you guys a little more and serve as a quasi-accountability partner. As I try to find more enriching and slower sources of entertainment this weekly record will help me focus on prioritizing more fulfilling media. And I get to share it with you, so we can go along this journey together.
So welcome to the first edition of Reveriez Records!!!
Enjoy
What I’m Reading…
Books
Boy Erased by Garrard Conely
This book caught my eye while wandering around in a bookstore, a pastime I’m falling in love with at the moment. I had already watched the film it was adapted into, but with the mantra, “The book is always better than the movie” in my head, I decided to pick it up.
It’s a beautifully written memoir from Conely reflecting on his experiences as a closed gay teen who goes to conversion therapy. Throughout this book, I felt seen as some trying to balance their religious beliefs with their orientation. Conely has a way of making the mundane magical and transporting the reader into some of his darkest moments.
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
I’d been meaning to start reading more of Baldwin’s work (and Black author’s work in general) for a while now I thought this book would be a great start. Like the previous book, I had already seen the film adaption before picking this up, but I didn’t think that would ruin the experience for me.
I’m not too far in, but it’s been refreshing nonetheless. Despite the book being written long before my time, I still find each character I’m introduced to extremely familiar. I love the dynamic the main character, Tish, has with her family. Despite the circumstances of the story, I love how Baldwin grounds the story in Black love, not Black tragedy.
What I’m Listening To
This podcast has been on my fee forever but for some reason, I neglect to listen to enough. Whenever I do decide to stop and listen I find healing and encouragement from another strong Black woman. Finding sisterhood and solidarity with other Black women is something I want to cultivate in my real life, and this podcast is a great first step.
The episode I listened to this week was about being in survival mode and how destructive of a mode it can be when we stay in it out of fear. After listening, I felt empowered to invest in things that help me move from surviving to thriving.
This podcast will change how you see health and wellness. The hosts, Michael and Aubrey, dive deep into several misconceptions about health and the discourse around it in a way that’s both comedic and provocative. Through all the laughs and debunking, they also offer a lot of great advice and empathy for their listeners. Great listen for folks who want a more nuanced take on health.
Lots and lots of Playlists
In my quest to rebuild my attention span and decrease mindless consumption, YouTube has become an unlikely hero. Like a phoenix from the ashes, YouTube comes to give all the study playlists I could ever ask for. Themed playlists are the best in my opinion. They can really help with romanticizing just about anything you are doing, which makes studying and reading much more enjoyable for me at least.
Nobody (the creator’s name) is a master of curating songs that perfectly match the title (theme) of the video. Any possible occasion you could think of, there's a playlist out there for you.
What I’m Doing
Running has become a big part of my workout routine and I’ve been loving it so far. Something about pushing through the pain of a run makes me feel like I can do anything.
As someone who hoards a ton of notebooks, I’ve been trying to find ways to use them so they don’t just collect dust. While I was on a trip to Canada, I bought a notebook that had a beautiful cover depicting the Empyrean from Dante’s Inferno. And because of the religious undertones, I decided to make this notebook a prayer journal. I think this will be great for building my relationship with God.
Thanks for reading xx
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