Downtime (Newsletter)

Happy Friday! How was your week? We’re all hyped about TLOASG aka TS12, yes? (*The Life of A Showgirl by Taylor Swift). 🧡 I’m breaking format with today’s post and sharing a few simple moments that have brought me joy lately. Maybe it can serve as a reminder to create your own list of what’s making you happy. These are moments and observations that can’t be purchased or consumed. Just sparkling scenes that make me feel warm, comforted, and happy when I remember them.

I’ve clearly got fall on my mind, as most everything I’ve been drawn to these past two weeks sits neatly under “fall basics.” Have you started thinking about autumnal wardrobe choices yet, or is it too soon? Onto today’s edit… 1 // A cardigan + vest set. A matching set feels so ’90s in the best way. The vest will also work with shorts now, while it’s still hot out.

This is the Friday recs post at Downtime, a weekly roundup of culture, books, delights, and things on my radar for my paying readers. You should subscribe, if you haven’t already! Today’s email is long and will cut off; see the full version on the web. Hey, happy Friday! The weather is looking gorgeous, and we’re planning to spend lots of time outdoors this weekend celebrating our daughter’s second birthday.

My reading life has felt really good lately! I’ve continued my routine of getting into bed early most nights to read for an hour or so, and that’s helped me finish more books this month than my usual (which is realistically, more like two books on average). I’m a very slow reader, mostly by choice. I love to read carefully, dog-ear pages, take notes in the margins—unless I’m reading something purely for fun, like a romance or a thriller.

Happy Friday! How was your week? I’ve been wearing nothing but linen in this brutal heat wave, and we’ve gotten into a new fun show (more on that below).

Hiii! I’m back from my mini break and wanted to share a few things on my radar. But first, need to catch up on your Downtime reading? Start with last week’s pantry favorites post, which unexpectedly blew up and features a pretty epic comments thread with tons of delicious new snack ideas from fellow readers. Or take a look at this summer book recs postif you’re ready for your next good read.

I love peeking into people’s fridges and pantries. How they organize and store things, what they buy, and how they prep is all fascinating to me. There’s something intimate and revealing about seeing how someone shops, eats, and cooks.

This is the Friday recs post at Downtime, a weekly roundup of culture, books, delights, and things on my radar for my paying readers. You should subscribe, if you haven’t already! Hey, happy Friday! We’re entering week three of hot, soupy, stormy weather here, which imo makes for the best reading weather. ⛈️ I’ve got a new book, These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean queued up, which has been marketed as Succession meets Clue, with romance in the mix. What about you?

Welcome back to another installment of our interview series with creative people we admire. Today’s edition is free for all readers. To access the weekly Friday recommendations post, essays + bonus content, and our reader chat, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to Downtime. I had the joy of chatting with writer and author Olivia Muenter, someone I’ve loved following online for years.

This is the Friday recs post at Downtime, a weekly roundup of culture, books, delights, and things on my radar for my paying readers. You should subscribe, if you haven’t already! Today’s email is long and will cut off; see the full version on the web. Hello! First, if you’re one of the hundreds of new paid subscribers who upgraded this week, thank you.