Maybe I have a shopping problem
Books, Beauty, and Bean
Somehow, it’s November. I don’t know where this year has gone. My long/post covid update is that I feel utterly terrible and exhausted still, so forgive me for being incoherent. I read recently that nicotine patches may help with the fatigue (shout out to the long covid subreddit for being super informative!) so I’ll be trying that out shortly. Picture me covered in them like that episode of Ab Fab when Patsy tried to quit smoking.
Seriously, y’all, wear masks. Get boosted. Covid has kicked my butt for months and I’m so sick of being sick. I’d like to get work done on my new book (!!) but it’s very slow going.
Okay enough complaining!
Books!
This week was an amazing week for books and for me. First, Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie is out and I can’t wait to read this one. (It’s here! I’m just not able to read for very long right now.) The details: “A visceral and compelling mystery about a Cherokee archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is summoned to rural Oklahoma to investigate the disappearance of two women…one of them her sister.” Vanessa—who many of us know from bookworld—is indigenous and I’m excited to dive into this one.
Buy at Amazon or Bookshop.org or your local!
This next one is for all my witches out there. The fabulous Bri Luna (of Hoodwitch fame) has a book out —Blood Sex Magic—and the cover alone is so freaking stunning. I love all things witchy (y’all should see my book collection—which my father started me on as a kid). The details: “Blood Sex Magic is an invitation and an awakening—a guide toward a life of connection to self and spirit, to the seen and unseen realms, and to magical traditions past and future. Bri Luna honors traditions from her African American and Mexican roots and celebrates magic that is ‘from dirt and blood, jewels and bones, moon and sun.’” It’s never too late to get your witch on!
But at Amazon or Bookshop or your local!
Some excellent news on my front—Almost Surely Dead got a rave review from Kirkus! By rave I mean they didn’t offer a backhanded compliment like they usually do. If you’ve ever read their reviews you know that means good things. So I’m partially amazed, wondering if this is real, and still low-key panicking about this particular book coming out because it’s by far the most personal one. But Amina, you may wonder, it has jinn in it? I said what I said, okay. (Shhh, jinn are real.)
The link isn’t up yet but here’s a summary: “Akhtar’s novel has one foot set firmly in folklore and the other in fast-paced action as Dunia questions whom she can trust and what she will have to do to survive. Though the suspense is real, Akhtar deftly weaves in levity with the campiness of the podcast, and the earnestness of Dunia’s voice keeps the reader rooting for her to outrun her demons.
A nimble and eerie thriller.” Pardon me while I lie on the floor and just enjoy this.
Beauty!
The reason I needed to get this newsletter out is the Sephora sale is on. I wanted to share what I got and what I’m loving while you still have time to shop.
So the covid acne thing has been a bummer but it’s clearing up (I hope) and now I have hyperpigmentation to deal with. Fun! I picked up two products that are already making a difference. First is Farmacy’s Brighten Up 3% TXA Dark Spot Toner with Azelaic Acid. This stuff claims to work within seven days and I’m using it in the mornings—and the dark marks are fading. Definitely a buy. $34 at Sephora.com (not including the sale)
The second product is a new one: Lion Pose’s UNSPOTTED 4X Dark Spot + Hyperpigmentation AHA Serum. You’ve probably seen this on Mindy Kaling’s instagram. She was so impressed by the product she invested in it. Lion Pose is developed by Harvard trained dermatologists and it works. It also makes my skin feel soft and also hydrated, which is needed because all the adapalene I’m using is stripping my skin. I’m probably buying another one just to stock up. $79 at Sephora.com (not including the sale)
Beanie!
If you follow my socials you know it’s been not a good week for Bean. We found out she has a heart murmur and at her age (13!) it can lead to heart failure. But we’re on it! So please enjoy her from this week!