Monday Musings

Happy Monday! Does anyone else love that February starts on a Monday this year? It’s the perfect clean slate to kick off a new month and the best way to launch the first Monday Musings of the new year.

one // a better way to track books

If you’ve been waiting for Goodreads to improve their interface since you were in middle school this is your sign to make the switch to The Story Graph. It tracks your books and provides book reviews but in a smarter and cleaner-looking way than Goodreads. When you review a book, rather than simply typing your feelings on it, the app prompts you to add keywords relevant to the pace, characters, and genre with readily available options and yes/no questions. These reviews allow The Story Graph to provide customized recommendations based on your preferences and actually defines your reading style as well. I now know mine is mainly medium-paced fiction books that are emotional, reflective, and lighthearted.

Need one more reason to switch? In case you didn’t already know, Goodreads is owned by Amazon which why despite the ample amount of data available and the high volume of users, the app will never improve. On the other hand, The Story Graph was created by Nadia Odunayo, a Black, female tech entrepreneur.

In case you couldn’t tell, I am so excited about this app and highly recommend it. You can also track reading challenges from other users, not just the yearly one Goodreads offers. The only caveat is it’s currently only a web-based app, not on mobile.

two // a kombucha kick

Over the past two months, I’ve been on a total kombucha kick. I didn’t know what to expect when I bought my first bottle but I’m a huge fan and always reach for it in my fridge. However, not all kombucha is created equally. Some flavors are definitely better than others. A few of my favorites are the Health-Ade pink lady, which tastes like carbonated apple cider, and Synergy’s Cosmic Cranberry, which is great because it’s one of few I’ve found that’s caffeine-free. If you’re big into the buch, what other flavors are worth trying? 

three // a subscription candle service

Over the holidays I started making a conscious effort to shop small. Shopping small for the holidays is of course, amazing, but it’s important to support small businesses all year round. I ended up purchasing a monthly subscription to Brooklyn Candle Studio. It’s been 3-4 months now and it’s been absolutely worth it. Since I spend so much time at home I burn candles much more frequently and now I get a (surprise) new one delivered monthly. They come in cute glass jars which I need to find additional uses for because they’re so easy to wash clean and re-use! So far my favorites have been Apple Cider and Montana Forest.

four // affordable, customizable shampoo & conditioner

I finally made the switch to clean shampoo & conditioner and can’t go back to my formerly beloved Tre-Semme any longer. When I find something that works I’m much less tempted to keep trying new brands, but since I’m now pivoting away from my tried and true classic I’ve been experimenting with a few different brands. I started with Kristen Ess (which I like and highly recommend!) but was so excited to see Function of Beauty at Target and couldn’t resist adding two new bottles to my shelf.

Function of Beauty traditionally makes custom shampoo & conditioner based on a quiz you take describing your hair type and issues. Now, instead of ordering online, you can get it at your local target while still tailoring it to what you need. The base bottles are broken out by hair type (wavy, curly, straight, or coily) and then you can pick 2-3 boosters to add-in for a custom formula. I got the wavy shampoo and conditioner which have fermented rice water and argan oil respectively. I paired them with the strength booster, which has pea sprout extract, and the lengthen booster, which has hops extract. They also sell boosters for anti-frizz, volume, deep conditioning, shine, color protection, and more. It’s such a fun way to change up your hair care routine and so far my “formulas” have been working well. 

five // the best sweatpants

After months of wearing leggings daily instead of sweatpants amid the pandemic, I finally asked for new sweatpants and go the best pair for Chanukah. Let me tell you, these are the softest sweatpants ever and I wish they had more sizes and colors in stock because I would buy all of them. They come in short and long sizes and if you want to complete the quarantine look you can get a matching cropped or oversized sweatshirt in the same color.