media consumption: articles, video essays, podcasts to make you smarter (vol. 8)

hello.

i’m sharing this week’s media consumption a few days late. to my fellow students studying for final exams and preparing for the rush that is the end of the semester, how are we doing?

this week has been… intense. but today, i’ll finally be reunited with my books, my bed, and my belongings. a sigh of relief, despite the stress from work, exams, moving, and everything in between.

also, i’m forcing myself to get into the holiday spirit before christmas comes and goes, but it feels especially challenging this year. i’m hoping that once i decorate my apartment and do more christmasy things this weekend, i’ll feel better. gingerbread house making, cookie baking, christmas tree decorating, and a charlie brown christmas watching should do the trick.

weekly report:

reading:

sex, love, and letters: writing simone de beauvoir by judith coffin is a fascinating exploration of the deeply personal and intellectual dialogue between simone de beauvoir and her readers from the late 1940s through the 1970s. drawing from a treasure trove of letters, coffin unveils how readers engaged with de beauvoir’s work—particularly the second sex—to share their own lives, struggles, and aspirations. this correspondence offers a rare glimpse into the intersection of private life, politics, and the evolving feminist and gay liberation movements. alongside insights into de beauvoir’s intimate circle, including sartre and hannah arendt, coffin reveals how literary and intellectual life became a collaborative and deeply human endeavor. it’s a poignant reflection on the enduring power of literature to bridge the personal and the political.

hour of the star by clarice lispector tells the story of macabéa, a poor, unremarkable woman who lives on the margins of everything—society, love, her own life—and yet lispector writes her with such raw, unflinching honesty that it feels impossible to look away. it’s existential without trying too hard, devastating without being sentimental. lispector’s prose is strange and piercing, and this book somehow feels both tiny and infinite all at once. it’ll sit with you for a long time.

either/or by søren kierkegaard (still chipping away at this and taking my time)
kierkegaard’s either/or is a philosophical book that explores two distinct ways of life: the aesthetic, defined by pleasure and personal fulfillment, and the ethical, grounded in responsibility and commitment. it’s part fiction, part essay, blending sharp wit and deep existential musings. through its dual perspectives, it challenges readers to reflect on the choices that shape their lives, making it a timeless meditation on freedom and identity.

(not many books this week because of exams!)

eating:

hot chocolate, but specifically this one in the french vanilla flavor with extra marshmallows. my mom used to give this to me when i was a little girl and i recently stumbled upon it again. pure nostalgia.

roasted chestnuts with salted butter and caramelized sugar

cheese danishes with raspberry jam and black coffee for breakfast

bonne maman chocolate hazelnut spread on toasted bread

playing:

nyt cooking cookie week videos

carol (2015)

conte d’hiver (1992)

the great british baking show: holidays

bossa nova christmas music <3

winter lofi

jazzy christmas

obsessing:

slow, quiet, winter days spent indoors reading when the sun goes down, watching a christmas film, making a comforting soup, eating a little treat before bed

emotional support winter coats that are two sizes too big (for comfort)

clarice lispector, my love

i’ve been on a bit of a youtube bender

recommending:

i think this is the first bottle of perfume i’ve ever bought that i’ve used up completely. it’s also my most complimented fragrance.

my tried and true $16 hand cream that is saving my skin from the winter weather. and this other bedtime lotion that makes me feel like i’m sleeping on a vanilla bean cake cloud.

the new savant candle ~ only in new york (almond extract, caramel macchiato, cashmere musk, frosted fir) i think this might be my favorite candle i’ve purchased all year.

treating:

should i get a cat for christmas?

this week’s media consumption is filled with articles, video essays, and podcast recommendations. we’re covering: a lost interview with clarice lispector, our obsession with dating icks, sabotaging our own best-laid plans, the luxury smells of hotel lobbies, the youth mental health crisis, the science of underconsumption, and more. thank you for supporting this newsletter every week. it truly means the world to me.