Novis Newsletter - August Edition
Whilst I know officially we have twenty days left of Summer, September first marks the beginning of the season for Autumn enthusiasts, so happy Pumpkin Spice Season to all who celebrate!
Ending the Summer on a High
This is the highlight reel from the last (full) month of Summer. I started the month off with my dad and brother visiting me in London. I took them to all my favourite spots around the city (and also to a restaurant that had me enraged). I spent a weekend in The Hague celebrating my friend’s graduation, with an outdoor lunch that looked like a Pinterest board brought to life. This month, I also got my first byline, which was an exciting milestone, especially since I got back into writing this year as an unexpected but fulfilling way to fill my (extensive) free time. I’ve also been making the most of the nice weather (and especially the lack of torrential downpours) to explore Hampstead Heath before it turns into a muddy mess. My friends are bringing back the casual hang, and I’m loving going for walks or coffee or just sitting around in the park. I wrapped up the month with a perfect weekend full of coffees with friends, walks and runs around the Heath and a Coldplay concert that made me extremely nostalgic for my UCL days.
Running Around and Running Away
I also need to talk about marathon training. Sorry, I don’t make the rules! Running has officially taken over my life. I ran 172km this month (which is a lot for me) and my concept of what makes a run long has been completely distorted (who do I think I am calling a 10k casual?). With that being said, this is my open invite for anyone who wants to join me on my runs, as I have gotten to the point where music and podcasts are no longer cutting it (I did 30k with no headphones, which I think is certifiably insane behaviour), and I could use the motivation of someone running next to me.
Note: if you’re in need of a pick-me-up, I suggest looking at the Google reviews of this Hollow Tree
Julia’s August Recommendations - To Read, To Watch and To Eat
To Read - A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
This is Hemingway’s memoir about his time in Paris as a young writer. It’s my first point of contact with his writing (I know, I should be ashamed it took me this long, especially with a literature degree). Still, it’s very approachable, and as someone who knows Paris pretty well, it’s interesting to see how much has and hasn’t changed in a hundred years. As someone who loved the celebrity cameos in Patti Smith’s Just Kids, I was equally excited to read about Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, James Joyce and Ezra Pound living their lives as normal(ish) people.
To Watch - Overcompensating on Amazon Prime
I’m truly obsessed with this show. There’s only one season out, and I’ve binged it in its entirety three times so far (the first time alone, the second time with my best friend, and the third with my brother). I love watching people watch things I love, so who knows how many more times I’ll watch this. The episodes are pretty short, and there are surprisingly emotional moments for a comedy series. If you’re a fan of Ride (Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Berone’s podcast), you’ll definitely pick up a lot of self-referential moments. This is one of the funniest shows I’ve watched in a long time.
To Eat - This Blueberry Polenta Upside-Down Cake
I am a corn lover, and this feels like the perfect end-of-summer recipe. I also love cakes that are ready to serve, no icing and decorating required. I feel like this is the summer version of my favourite Alison Roman brown butter cake (recipe included at the end of this post). I’d be curious to try it out with blackberries instead. Serve with ice cream, trust me.
Honourable Mentions
On the reading front, I’ve been enjoying best-selling mysteries, and burned through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Thursday Murder Club this month. I’ve also been making the most of having a cinema close by, and watched the new Superman (loved it, and solidified my take that hot nerd is the best kind of man) and Materialists (visually stunning and I love all of Dakota’s outfits, but I’m afraid that it did not deliver on the promise of bringing back the romcom). I’m still watching the third season of The Summer I Turned Pretty and feel like I’m honouring my Brazilian roots with the closest thing I can get to gossiping about telenovelas. I also made this Spiced Seared Eggplant with Pearl Couscous (I added chickpeas for extra protein and fibre, and topped with tzatziki) and did not get sick of having it for lunch for a whole week.
What I Wrote This Month
If you’re looking for more reading recommendations and want to make the most of the last bits of summer, check out the Summer Reading List I put together for Wonderland Magazine (!!!). Ahead of the new album and engagement announcement, I made a hyper-specific list of Taylor Swift songs for every situation. A Father’s Day lunch turned into a comedy of errors, and I declared that Hell is a Small Plates Restaurant — And the Devil orders Orange Wine, and finally, I talked about how the job market is so dire that I considered joining a convent this year.
Why does blueberry polenta cake actually sound so freaking good
I love watching people watch things I love too which is why we watched k pop demon hunters … a lot