Throwing pebbles
The pebble in the pond, creating ripples: publications I have enjoyed this month
March is coming to an end, and I am already halfway through my Easter holiday - its been a really nice break from the usual routine, time to slow down, take a breath and read. So far I have read my two Nordic noir books, picked up more from the library and decided I need to get myself back on track with my fantasy project.
So many books and so little time!
However, before I do all that, this is the last week of the month! This weeks newsletter is my pebble in the pond. The holidays have given me time to catch up on some reading here on Substack and I have found a couple of publications that I would like to highlight. Some are freshly typed out and others are a couple of months old. I am not sure how exactly the algorithm works here - but I am getting a fair mix of old and new posts on my discovery page.
There is one thing that I have decided to do differently on my monthly recommendations. I am not in a place where I can afford supporting other writers through a subscription. I do hope that I will be able to upgrade to a paying subscription in the coming year on a few publications. However, right now I am not in a position to do that, something that also had me thinking more on how I would like to do the monthly recommendations. My recommendations will therefore mainly focus on free publications or posts rather than the publications that are behind a paywall.
So without further do, here are five posts that caught my attention this month:
Sorry I unsubscribed, I still like you by Girl With Antlers
This post caught my eye right away, because it tapped into something I realised I was struggling with on Substack. Just like Instagram, I was suddenly following so many people, but not really enjoying everything I was subscribed to. I might have enjoyed one or two posts, and in my excitement to be part of the community I subscribed. Later on it turned out that, well, that publication was just not my cup of tea.
It became clear that, I do want my inbox to be filled with posts that inspire and I look forward to reading, to feel excited about discovering a new post from a publication I enjoy - not something that feels like a chore. So, sorry I unsubscribed, but I still like you!
Lessons we should take from Katespiracy by The Fascinator
I do love a good conspiracy theory, I really do. However, watching the internet go absolutely batshit crazy over The Princess of Wales in her absence and the British monarchy has been a wild ride. It is absolutely baffling me how horribly wrong their PR teams have been handling this situation, yes, the internet is a crazy place to be and it can quickly derail. Nevertheless, I am just amazed on how far this has gone, which then led my down a rabbit hole on the topic. Katespiracy and the lessons one should take from this are nicely summarised in this post.
Try This When You Aren’t Sure What To Do by A Year of Mental Health
Its been a rough couple of years for me mentally. I have struggled and still struggle with it, it goes up and down and back and forth - and sometimes you really are just stuck. This post found me at just that moment, and served as a nice reminder on how to approach a situation when you are finding yourself unsure on how to move forward.
Is This What Emotional Unavailability Feels Like? by Hauwa’s Newsletter
What do you mean you don’t want love?
I have been enjoying Hauwa’s Newsletter a lot since I came across it and this weeks post really had me thinking hard on this topic. Honest and raw and well, so human. Wanting love but being unable to let it in. How do you deal with that? I found myself debating the thought of it and I loved seeing the advices and exchanges of experience in the comment section. Substack at its best!
Bookish Diversions: Do Audiobooks Count? by Miller’s Book Review
Ah, the ever going debate: do audiobooks count as reading? In my opinion yes, without a doubt they count. I really enjoyed this one as it debates on the topic, pulling in thoughts and quotes from editors and others on what constitutes as reading and not. It was a delightful read on a topic that is really interesting to me. Highly recommended!
As always, feel free to share some of your favourite posts or publications with me.
Until next time,
happy reading! ✨
These are some great recommendations. I always appreciate seeing what stuff others are enjoying as there is so much out there and it is hard to discover it all. However, I also agree that we can subscribe to too many things sometimes. I learned early on to give myself that freedom to unsubscribe if something is just not working for me anymore. It isn't personal at all. We only have a finite amount of time.