"Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true" - Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Hey you,
How are things? I'm asking because I really want to know, how are things?
My week has been a little off and frustrating. We're both aware of Israel terrorizing Palestine so I'm not going to go into the details, but if you need more info, check HERE. I've been so angry and frustrated, and unable to be as social as I usually am online, which is okay. I realized that I was being hard on myself.
A lot of us are being really hard on ourselves lately. Yes, it’s a privilege to be able to seek joy and happiness in the midst of all the darkness but wouldn’t it be a shame to abuse that privilege by wasting it and sitting in the dark?
So, do whatever you need to do re-center. I believe it’s an act of rebellion to try as much as we can to find positive moments.
And that’s why I’ve been burning through books like crazy. Today is the 14th day of the month and I’ve already read 15 books! So, I have some recommendations.
Would I Lie To You? by Aliya Ali-Afzal: It will be out July 8th. It’s about Faiza, who has secretly spent her family’s emergency savings fund. When her husband Tom loses his job, she must do everything she can to keep him from uncovering her secret. As she becomes ever more desperate, she starts to realize that she’s not the only one whose perfect life hides something much darker.
Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Sutanto: When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy's great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos.
The Madams by Zukiswa Wanner: When Thandi decides she’s done with being a Superwoman in her life, she realizes she needs to concede to the great South African bourgeois accessory: a maid. And since she doesn’t have the heart to boss a ‘sister’ about in her own home – and would love to see the look on her best friends’ faces – it’s going to have to be a white maid. The arrival of the charming ex-con, Marita, catalyzes a chain of events that forces Thandi and her two closest friends to confront their assumptions about relationships, history, and each other.
I promised you the Zobo(Hibiscus) Iced Tea recipe and here it is. You’d need regular black tea, some hibiscus leaves, ginger, and sugar. I don’t have any precise measurements, you’re going to have to listen to the voice of your ancestors, okay? It’s so easy!
Boil some water and pour into a heat-resistant mug, add in 2 bags of black tea. I used Lipton Earl Grey cuz that’s what I had. Let it sit for like 15mins.
Cut up some ginger, put that into a pot of water and boil the life out of it. Okay, just boil it until the water turns yellow. This is when you add the washed zobo leaves. Let it boil for 10mins, turn off the heat and let it sit until it’s warm.
Pour the tea and zobo mix into a jug, add sugar to taste. You can chill it in the fridge or pour it into a glass with ice and lemon wedges.
My sister said it’s like a mindfuck because you can taste the tea and the zobo at the same time and these are very strong ingredients. I realized that the ginger separates the flavours. It’s amazing. Try it and let me know, okay?
Okay, this email is getting longer than I thought, so imma leave you with a fun fact. TURKISH PEOPLE CONSUME THE MOST TEA IN THE WORLD: China is by far the largest consumer of tea, at 1.6 billion pounds a year. But per person, Turkey is home to the world’s biggest tea drinkers. Turks consume an average of almost seven pounds of tea per person annually. The Irish, in comparison, the world’s second-biggest tea drinkers, consume less than five pounds per person a year. To keep up with its citizens’ insatiable demand for tea, Turkey grows one-fifth of the world’s supply. Pretty cool, yeah?
Okay, byeeeeeeeeeee! x