Hi! I hope you’re staying cool in this intensely hot weather we’re having in the U.S. Due to some fun illnesses going around in our household :), I’ve had to switch up my content schedule. Part two of the travel issue will be moved to next week. Instead, this week, I'm sharing a shorter letter. Thanks for your patience, and stay tuned! x Alisha

Before we dive into today’s newsletter, I'd like to introduce our sponsor, author Maggie North, and her debut novel. She’s graciously unlocked the newsletter for everyone today.

• If you enjoy romance novels with a little extra oomph (like those by Emily Henry and Annabel Monaghan), Rules for Second Chances is for you. This debut romance—about an autistic woman, by an autistic woman—features Liz Lewis, an introvert lost in the boisterous world of wilderness expeditions and flailing in her marriage with popular adventure guide Tobin Renner-Lewis. After a humiliating 30th birthday, Liz turns to improv class to reclaim her life. As she navigates lessons and reconnects with Tobin, Liz questions everything—especially her social awkwardness. With eight weeks to embrace "yes, and," she must choose between rekindling love or chasing her dreams. Praised for its wit, prose, and emotional depth, this romantic, steamy book is both funny and poignant.

Things I noted this week…

1. Reading: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (out July 2nd). I'm only a third of the way through, but this book has completely blown me away and feels like the perfect summer read. Think: summer camp in the seventies, dynastic American family, a disappearance. I talked about the book in this recent podcast episode. I don't want to give too much away, but I highly recommend reading it when it's released. Here’s an atmospheric “trailer” for the book from the publisher, as another teaser:
   

   lizmoorebooks

   

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2. Wearing: Given the 90-degree temps here lately, I’ve been living in these linen shorts. I wore them three days in a row, paired with a simple tee, a tank top, and a puff-sleeve blouse, in that order. I like the wider and angled hem at the bottom. It’s a wardrobe workhorse that doesn’t make me think—exactly what I need right now. (Someone DM’ed me about these, which look similar and are at a lower price point.)

3. A new book on my radar: The Myth of Making It: A Workplace Reckoning by Samhita Mukhopadhyay. (I shared my evolving thoughts on ambition here last year.)

4. If you’re looking to freshen up your art collection: May I recommend this online shop by local (to me) artist Carolyn Misterek? Her botanical paintings are especially beautiful. I just bought two pieces for my office.

5. In my cart: I’ve been in the market for a bright day dress that is a little more exciting than a solid white color and ended up getting this dress. (It hasn’t arrived, so I can’t vouch for it yet…) I wanted to fill a gap in my closet for a crisp “one and done” casual dress for this hot, hot heat that’s also friendly for bopping around with our infant—and could be dressed up or down. I was also looking for something that would feel “at home” in D.C. (would love to write more about how where we live shapes our personal style…or is that too obvious?). It's funny that most of my "summer dresses" are black, and now I want to add some lighter colors to my collection.

Here’s an outfit formula for how I’d style a day dress for hot weather:¹

Looking for more recs? Take a look through the archives. You can also give and receive recommendations in our subscriber chat, which has been poppin’ off lately with travel recs, style dilemmas, and more. 💬

PREVIOUSLY ON DOWNTIME

The Downtime Travel Issue, Part 1 Alisha Ramos · Jun 14 Read full story

The books on my summer reading list and an escape to the South of France Alisha Ramos · Jun 7 Read full story

Priya Krishna Wrote A Fun New Cookbook for Kids May 23 Read full story

Thanks for reading, and have a good weekend. I hope to share meatier newsletters soon! In the meantime, a post I needed to see, below. x Alisha

davidshrigley

A post shared by @davidshrigley