reading + listening: january digest

Jan 25, 2026

∙ Paid

Hi friends—

When I initially sat down to write this week’s newsletter, I thought I’d be in Miami, enjoying some sun, eating well, and checking out Unrivaled. But the weather had different plans. It’s snowing. It’s expected that we will get between 10 and 22 inches of snow, and while I was initially upset about not being able to travel, I’m actually enjoying the stillness and coziness that come from staying home, eating snacks, and lounging on the couch with my throw, next to the window.

Yesterday, I spent the day watching the final season of Queer Eye, which was filmed here in the DMV, and as always, I cried-watched (happy tears). While I hate all the drama with the cast, the show is heartwarming, and I’m sad it is coming to an end.

I also spent much of the day going through articles I saved on Readwise and looking through newsletters on Substack. One thing is clear: there are so many great writers on Substack. Here are some pieces I read this week that I think you should check out, and if you’re not already subscribed to these newsletters, you absolutely should be:

One of my favorite people Heather Faison launched her new newsletter, Tender & Trying and I loved, loved this read on why she stopped dating mean women.
Ingrid Haring-Mendes’ review of Flesh by David Szalay which is currently on my TBR list.
SNOBHOP on The Legend of J. Cole and The Year Blog Era Became Mainstream - what a time!
I LOVED reading Tembe Denton-Hurst’s new Book Date with Thelma Golden. So many of the things that Thelma said, I wrote in an Apple Note.
MYLEIK. on being busy, and nothing is moving. I feel like Myleik’s newsletters always me think really, really hard about how I’m showing up in different areas. This line in particular had me say, welp. “distractions are much harder to spot. They don’t look like wasted time anymore. They don’t look like binge-watching Netflix or endless scrolling. They look like being responsible. They look like… productivity tools that don’t actually produce anything.”
Mike W on the cost of leaving home and the influences that made it possible. “Life happens quickly when God delivers what you prayed for.”

Speaking of reading, for today’s newsletter, I wanted to share a list of some of the things I read and listened to throughout the month of January, which for me, was a month full of rediscovery and intention setting. Also, good eating, and much needed family time, see below: