1 My Library Card

Confession: this is my first ever public library card.

In my younger days, my school libraries had all of the books I needed, and I visited them at least once a week. In high school, I started buying books and ever since, I've just... kept at it. It's nice to have books on my bookshelves. They look good there. I've read some of those books a dozen times. Besides, I haven't lived in New Orleans consistently for the past six years, so returning books before incurring late fees wasn't a thing I wanted to worry about.

However, I've discovered that with Overdrive's new app Libby, I could send ebooks straight to my Kindle and download audiobooks on my phone.

All for free. All from the comfort of my sofa. When due, the books would even return themselves.

All I needed was a library card.

So I got one.

Not only are libraries with the times, but apparently I was incredibly behind the times. The library didn't have all of the books on my to-read list, but it had a decent number of them. I immediately downloaded three books, placed four audiobooks on hold, and--realising I was biting off more than I could chew--set eleven books aside on a to-read list.

Books I borrowed and loved this month:

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman
The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

2 Pumpkin Juice

I first made pumpkin juice back in 2014, armed only with a wacky idea and a deep jealousy of Hogwarts feasts. That autumn was the first time I'd ever lived in my own apartment, with my own kitchen, and could do wacky things without worrying too much about being judged. I had a constant stock of the drinkthat year, but in 2015 I was in England and didn't have my ingredients and in 2016 I was moving between continents.

This September was my first time making it in three years. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I think I've outdone Hogwarts, y'all. It's sweet and bubbly; you can taste the real pumpkin flavour; it has all of the wonderfully autumnal spices; and its colour is a rich, beautiful orange.

No wonder they serve it at every Hogwarts feast.

If you want to try it yourself, the recipe is incredibly simple:

DIY Pumpkin Juice

Ingredients

1 bottle of Trader Joe's Sparkling Clementine Juice
1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree

Supplies

funnel

Instructions

Drink a half a cup of the Clementine juice to make room in the bottle.
Funnel in the pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree
Re-cap bottle and gently shake until the puree has thoroughly incorporated.
Enjoy

Substitutions:

If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, any sparkling orange/clementine/satsuma juice will do. The sweet citrus/pumpkin flavors compliment each other well.
Pumpkin pie spice isn't widely sold outside of the U.S., but it's just a blend of ground: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice (myrtle pepper), and cloves. You can mix in some or all of these spices according to your own preferences/availability.
If you don't have a funnel, you can make the drink per individual cup by using this method:
1. mix the pumpkin ingredients together in a sealable container and store in a cool place.
2. When you're ready for a glass, spoon two tablespoons of the spiced pumpkin puree into a drinking glass
3. Pour the juice on top
4. Stir the ingredients until you can't see any more puree sitting at the bottom of the glass.

3 The Bold Type

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The Bold Type is a tv show centered around three women in their mid-twenties working at a Cosmo-like magazine in New York City. When I decided to watch the show, I was worried about it being #feminism fluff, something that wore feminism like a chic black dress, but had the soul of a 60-year old WASP of a man. I've been fooled before.

I was wrong.

While there are a few issues, for the most part the show treats its characters and the social issues it chooses to address, with great thought, respect, and sensitivity.

What's more, it showed me just how mysogynistic my expectations for female-driven narratives were. At least once an episode, I expected there to be a time when the women would fight amongst each other, or aspire too high and fail, or fall into some tired stereotype, and each time, my expectation would be subverted. And each time I was subverted, I'd be absolutely delighted.

Some of the show's feminism even extends beyond the camera. While the numbers aren't what they could be, women direct 4/10 episodes, and write 5/10 (with the creater, Sarah Watson, receiving a writing credit on all 10 episodes).

If you want to watch a fun, fashionable show about women supporting other women, I highly recommend giving The Bold Type a try. In a post-2016 era, I promise it's practically therapeutic.

4 This T-Shirt for My Cat

You have to love the little things.