So, I’m reading a book about sourdough.
It’s fiction, and no, the main character isn’t a loaf of bread (in case you were wondering). Bread does, however, play a silent but omnipresent supporting role as a very tasty cast member, ha ha!
The book’s called Sourdough, by Robin Sloan, and it’s about a young woman who moonlights as a sourdough bread baker by night, while she works as a programmer for a robotics company in San Francisco by day.
No, really, I’m serious! You can’t make this stuff up!
Well, I mean, you can…
Anyway, the glutinous puns are glorious! — although I recognize that it might be a Karen thing to enjoy passages about feeding live yeast starters and building backyard brick ovens this much. I stayed up late reading it last night and dreamed about rising dough and proofing baskets into the early morning.
Oh, and check this out…
Don’t you love books that have maps in them?? I do. This one has a map from right around here because it takes place in the Bay Area. As we speak, I’m typing this from Novato, which is slightly northwest of the little drawing of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the town I grew up in, Union City, is just south of Alameda.
If you need me today, I’ll be reading this. I’ll have my nose between the pages, and if it’s warm enough, I may even read a chapter by the pool.
Ah… ??️
For a little light reading, here are some of the stories from around the Interwebs that caught my eye this week…
- The only Kylie I keep up with is Kylie Minogue, but kudos to Kylie Jenner for making it onto the cover of Forbes. Her makeup line is worth an estimated $800 million, and she’s only 20 (!).
- Have you seen these in your Facebook feed yet?? Because I haven’t. Using Augmented Reality (AR), you can virtually try on clothes and makeup before you buy. It looks a lot like a Snapchat or Instagram filter, so it’s not like going into a dressing room and trying something on, but still… Kinda cool. Makes me wonder how kids today will be shopping when they’re my age.
- I can’t be the only person who’s always looking for more makeup artists to low-key stalk, so here’s a list of the 2018 Emmy nominees in the makeup and hairstyling categories. See anyone you know? I’m happy to see Glow on the list!
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GO, JACKIE, GO! I’ve been a huge fan of vlogger Jackie Aina for years now, and I’ve been happy to see her beautiful face all over the beauty world lately, even recently teaming up with Too Faced to formulate darker shades for the Born This Way Foundation line.
- These six gadgets are supposed to contour and sculpt your face without makeup.
- Why are some scents more expensive than others? This very detailed piece walks through the differences between pure perfumes, eau fraiche, and everything in between.
- Fave read of the week.
- Is Lady Gaga launching her own beauty brand a la Fenty? She’s quietly working on a new beauty startup, and it already has Silicon Valley investors.
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As someone with a kid who occasionally appears on Instagram doing (what I think are) cute things, and as someone who loves seeing other people’s kids on the ‘gram doing cute things, I have mixed feelings about “spawn con,” also known as sponsored content featuring children.
On the one hand, kids born today can’t escape technology, and it ain’t cheap to raise a child, or maybe build a college fund.
But on the other hand…would it be better to wait until a kid is old enough to make his/her own decisions? With cameras, and wearable devices and the Internet everywhere, does it even matter?? Will anyone be able to avoid having their pictures online 10 years from now? I don’t know.
- Go, science! And goooooooo women in plant science! Alice Tangerini is the first and only botanical illustrator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, where she has been making her mark for 46 years.
Here are a few of her favorite beauty products for women of color.
I feel totally weird if I don’t read enough during the week. For me, it’s like working out, and the more I read, the better I feel.
Which reminds me…Saturday HIIT class. Soon. (Like in 15 minutes, whoops!)
You wanna go do some burpies with me? NO!?
Alright, alright. You have fun reading, then. 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your day, OK?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I LOVE that book!!! My mother’s name is Lois, so she liked the parts about the Lois Club, too! His other books (one may be a novella. . .) are great too, especially if you are “book people.” Enjoy your reading!
Sometimes I feel selfish for reading, like I should be doing something else more productive like cleaning or doing laundry. What I really don’t get is people who don’t read at all! Weird!
I loved Sourdough too! You should also try his other book “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” which is also awesome. If you pick up the audio version of Sourdough it includes the music of the Mazg if you’re curious.
A Lady Gaga makeup line… hmmm. That could be really interesting. She sometimes creates looks with makeup that are almost art. (Face art?) I would expect it to be more impressive than Fenty, which underwhelmed me. While I appreciate the ground-breaking range of colors available, the quality of the products didn’t live up to the massive over-hype for me. Good, but not better than anything I already use.
No burpies today, thanks. 🙂 I served food at a repast after a funeral. Believe me, a Southern funeral is a workout like no other. Now I’m going to eat pizza and watch Season 4 of Shetland.
Ugh … I don’t like the idea of babies and kids ‘selling’ stuff, but on the same token, it’s no different than kid models in a magazine or ad. So, it’s a null point maybe? However, I do think it’s important for parents to always be considerate to how their child will feel when they’re older. What will my child think of this baby photo of them being online when they’re 21? If that makes sense. It’s tough to think that way in the moment, I know, I have to remind myself to do that, but it’s probably an immensely valuable thing to do. 🙂