At BYT, we like stuff! (We even LOVE stuff!) And we think you might, too, so here we’ll share with you what we’ve been reading, watching, listening to and more. (Sometimes there will be guest stars! Exciting!)
This week’s guest is Esther Boykin, LMFT, CEO of Therapy Is Not A Dirty Word and host of Therapy Thursdays on BYT’s IG live!Â
We also wanna know what YOU are loving right now, so let us know in the comments, or share with us on social media! (@brightestyoungthings on IG, @BYT on Twitter)
HERE WE GO:
SVETLANA LEGETIC
Book you’re currently reading: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, so that I can stop being the only person I know that has not read it this summer. It is VERY good. I also recommend reading her debut novel “Mothers” if you haven’t already.
Tune of the week: “Can I Call you Tonight?” by Dayglow (musically, I am ongoingly regressing into teenagehood).
TV show you recommend: TED LASSO TED LASSO TED LASSOÂ – truly, this show is the solution to everything (I keep threatening to write an essay about it but I keep not having time. But seriously, SEE IT)
Movie you recommend: I just saw Blow The Man Down on Prime and it was small and weird and cinematic and I quite enjoyed it.
Something you’re excited about: TED LASSO?
Thing that is helping you COPE in the quarantimes: TED LASSO? (seriously, i’ve seen all the available episodes 3 times already).
MEGAN BURNS
Book you’re currently reading: I just started reading Sara Pascoe’s Sex Power Money, which is about male sexuality, sex work, the evolutionary biology that informs these things, etc. I’m only like one chapter in so far, but Sara is BRILL DOT COM (like, generally, as a human), so I have very little doubt this will be good reading.
Tune of the week: Does a two-hour DJ set count? Because I am LIVING for the Ellen Allien B2B Matrixxman stream that happened on HÖR Berlin’s YouTube today.
TV show you recommend: I binged Hjem Til Jul (Home for Christmas) on Netflix over the weekend; it’s a Norwegian show about a nurse in her thirties who embarks on a rapidfire series of bad dates because she promised her family that her boyfriend (who doesn’t exist) would be joining them for Christmas. I feel like it’s an off-brand thing for me to be into, but I enjoyed the mindlessness of it, and also any/all Christmas content is REAL COZY. (AND I AM OKAY WITH THAT.)
Movie you recommend: Can I just recommend the trailer for Ammonite? That’s p. much all I care about re: cinema this week.
Something you’re excited for: Pretty pumped for Wolfsburg to (hopefully) kick Lyon’s ass in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final this Saturday. The US Open also starts on Monday, so I guess you could say I am mainly stoked on sports right now. (Wow, so cool!)
Thing that is helping you COPE in the quarantimes: I mean, if I’m being honest, not a whole lot lol! I do find a certain amount of joy in dancing to DJ sets, watching British TV (shout-out VPN) and cooking (I made a lobster roll for the first time the other day and realized it’s stupid that I haven’t done it before, it’s so easy), but until the weather sorts itself out re: heat, I’m staying p. miserable. (Sorry if that’s not the answer everyone was hoping for!)
MARISSA RUBENSTEIN
Book I’m currently reading: Okay so it is STILL Winter of the Witch, the third book of Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy I am drawing it out as much as possible because I just do not want this trilogy to end.
Tune of the week: “ONLY” – Zhu/ Tinashe, so perfect for an evening dance party in my apartment while I try not to kick my roomba.
TV show I recommend: Â Riviera(Amazon Prime). Oh my goodness this show! I don’t know how I hadn’t heard of it as it is truly a show where JULIA STILES runs around murdering people on the French Riviera! Also there are things like a great plot, romance, more murder, etc. but again – early 20’s them Julia Stiles! Also it leaves prime on 8/31 so I 100% very strongly recommend bingeing all 10 episodes this weekend.
Something I’m excited about: I just recently found out about Drag Out the Vote, and what a great org! Excited to watch them through these next few months.
Thing that is helping you COPE in the quarantimes: Writing letters! One of my best friends is currently working on a trail crew in Yosemite National Park and she doesn’t have service so we truly have to WRITE LETTERS to each to other and it is kind of the most fun thing (and makes it so exciting to check the mail). Her most recent letter contained a whole bunch of pine needles and smelled all pine-y and made me think of hiking and the wilderness and truly being anywhere but my apartment. Also I can’t emphasize enough how nice it is to receive a real letter in the mail vs just the normal junk and bills. Such a treat!
ESTHER BOYKIN, LMFT
Book I’m currently reading:  Still making my way through Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler which I love although it is dark and eerily prophetic. It’s not ideal bedtime reading but I’m listening to it on Audible and the narrator, Lynne Thigpen, has the most soothing velvety voice that I listen to go to sleep at least a few times a week.
Tune of the week: “23″ by ESTA (ft. Rayana Jay) is the perfect song to start the day.  Who doesn’t love a song with an easy vibe and lyrics to remind you that you want to be as great as Jordan too.
TV show I recommend: Lovecraft Country (HBO) and P-Valley (Starz) completely different concepts with amazing character development and the kind of surprising depth I like from my tv.  Scary creatures, racism, and family drama sold me Lovecraft in episode 1.  And P-Valley has turned into my favorite show for it’s thoughtful storytelling in the most unlikely of settings, a strip club in a tiny Mississippi town.  Trust me there’s so much more to the show than naked women and acrylic heels.
Something I’m excited about: 3 weeks of vacation next month! In an effort to practice what I preach, I have finally committed to 3 full weeks of vacation time.  Giving without resting to replenish myself is a recipe for disaster so I’m excited not only for the break but because I made a big commitment to my own self care in doing this.
Thing that is helping you COPE in the quarantimes: Time with friends.  As much as I need time alone, seeing my friends for even just a quick 15 minute coffee or socially distant dinner is definitely the thing that is getting me through.  I get to feel like my pre-pandemic self in those moments and it really helps.
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