I spent most of last week ping-ponging between afternoon naps on steep-duned beaches and long, meandering walks in the pine and oak woodlands of Cape Cod’s National Seashore. The former was abetted by hefty, sun-warmed sandwiches, while the latter was much enhanced by a pouch of MyFeelium’s Magic Coconut Creamer stirred into my morning coffee. Each dose contains 100mg of MyFeelium’s magic blend, as well as lion’s mane, cordyceps, and maitake mushrooms for added focus, energy, and immune function. I know I was on vacation, but I returned from those walks with a sense of ease, clarity, and bliss that carried well into the following creamer-free days. The crew at MyFeelium was kind enough to give me a discount to share with you, so if you’re interested, type opensesame to access the site, and use code ######## for 18% off your first purchase.
-VvP
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I was vaguely aware of the Never Too Small YouTube channel, but I wasn’t all that familiar with the media company until I stumbled upon the fourth volume of their print magazine. (I also promptly bought two back issues.) The magazine is a celebration of small spaces and the ingenuity of people’s abilities to make them feel, if not big, then at least like enough. As you’d expect, the design of each issue is excellent and the content feels like just the right mix of copy and visuals (a much harder balance than one might realize). I’ve yet to go back and delve deep into their videos, but at some point I’ll find the time.
-DW
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Growing up in New York City, my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon was called A Hare Grows in Manhattan. It wasn’t our shared heritage or the illustrations of familiar buildings that drew me to this episode but a simple, shiny contraption that briefly appears in the beginning: Bugs’ cigarette case of carrots. I can still picture it perfectly: Bugs looking his most Clark Gable-esque, reading a copy of Variety, and pulling out a sparkling gold case with a big “B” etched on it. Inside is a neat row of carrots. Bugs plucks one, closes the case, taps the top with it (as if the carrot were a cigarette needing to be packed), and delicately digs in. The whole act lasts maybe 10 seconds, but the effect on me was indelible. As I got older, I’d occasionally flirt with buying a vintage case of my own at a flea market or second-hand store somewhere, but I never found one that lived up to the original. Until now.
The Judd Joint Case by AMITHA is the first and only case that has met my admittedly very specific standards. It’s thin and beautiful and refined and can be carried with me comfortably everywhere from a black tie wedding (where having joints is paramount) or a simple walk in the park. I’m partial to the brass version as it has the look I’ve truly been searching for for decades, but the silver finish is also very nice for silver people (you know who you are). So, yes, this High Praise recommendation is in partnership with the company behind it, but as I’m sure you can tell from my writing, this isn’t simply a random ad. We don’t endorse things we wouldn’t spend our money on anyway, but this item in particular is one I wholly endorse and that has made me personally very happy.
-DW
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Whoever came up with the logline describing this short novel as “The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides” deserves a raise, because I’ve never hit a buy button faster. I read The Hounding in a single breathless sitting last week, and then immediately texted every likeminded reader I knew to do the same. Xenobe Purvis’ debut novel tells the story of five enigmatic sisters in Nettlebed, a 17th century village in Oxfordshire, England. One night, a neighbor claims to see the sisters transform into dogs and you can probably guess where things go from there. Purvis’ tale unwinds through the richly distinct perspectives of five town residents, each of which feels more alive than the last, but none so much as those five entrancing girls who chafe at the stifling boundaries impressed upon them by their surroundings. I finished the book feeling like I could smell the drought-wracked scents of the haunting river town, even as I recognized many of the similarities between their world and mine.
-VvP
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I bought these on a whim at a Stop n’ Shop in Orleans, MA, forgoing my go-to beach chip flavor, Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream. It felt fitting to experiment with the New Orleans-based brand while in a town with a shared namesake. I’ve been done dirty by other attempts at cheddar-flavored chips (Cape Cod, I love you, but your White Cheddar and Sour Cream could never), so I was pleasantly surprised by the heavy coating of neon orange dust and the way these Big Cheezys delivered on their name. It’s a relatively new flavor for Zapp’s and I have yet to see them on shelves in my neck of the woods, but hopefully you can find some in yours.
-VvP
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I haven’t read this book yet, but I went to college with the author so it’s getting a plug. Plus, I love the subject and the reviews are good. Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource by Sam Bloch is an in-depth history of something we see all the time but really don’t think much about. Tracing how humans have used and cultivated shade over millennia as well as investigating where it all went wrong (at least in the U.S.), Bloch casts a light on an important topic in our current climate. I’m in the middle of a different sustainability and global warming-themed book (more on that in a week or two), but this has been bumped up to the top of my stupidly long “to read” list.
-DW
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