Friday Five

The happiest of happy Fridays to you, readers! What a lovely late summer day we have ourselves, here in New England. I've had a fantastically busy week filled with formals, dinners with friends, preparing for summer term finals and a lot of reading. As I gear up for an equally busy and fun weekend, here are the things that have made my week so wonderful:

via newyorker.com

1. I have enjoyed reading articles on the New Yorker's re-vamped website over the past few weeks, and this week a piece titled "The Pleasure of Reading to Impress Yourself" by Rebecca Mead caught my eye. The article chronicles the author, Mead's, reading habits, recorded in her private journal over a period of time. Mead filled her brain with literary classics, which she read not as guilty pleasures, but in order to become "well read." Mead argues that literary classics are often perceived as cognitively-demanding, and are often not read for pleasure, unlike contemporary works. However, when one redefines what type of books give a person pleasure—or more accurately, fulfillment— to encompass a sense of accomplishment and "well read-ness," the literary classics are an obvious addition to an end-of-summer reading list.

via Allure

2. Furthermore, I have departed from my typical nude nail polish this week in favor of Essie's shade of ballet pink, "Mademoiselle." This is the perfect, feminine color that is still neutral enough to go with any outfit.

via jamesblake.com

3. In terms of music, I have renewed my love of James Blake (especially his track "Retrograde") this week, as well as finally hopping on the Ed Sheeran train (Grade 8 is so good!).

via bumbleandbumble.com

4. Another favorite of mine this week is curling my hair. I had two formals to attend, and wanted to add a little oomph to my pin-straight hair. I applied heat protectant (love Bb's Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Primer for this), and then divided my hair into sections. To curl, I used a curling iron with a 1-inch diameter barrel. I curl from the roots outward (watch this video for tips), and then applied a lot of hairspray (for lasting hold and a great smell, try Bb's classic hair spray). Accessorize with a few sparkly hair pins or a headband and you're good to go!

via amazon.com

5. Another literary love this week is Toni Morrison's Beloved, which I am writing a final paper about for my Contemporary American Fiction class. This is a tragic book, but is incredibly thought-provoking. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, and am looking forward to wrestling with some of its more complex themes in the paper.

TGIF!!

xoxo