Novis Newsletter - October Edition
Halloween and other scary things (I made my first post on LinkedIn and I feel so brave)
author’s note: this might be too long for your email. For the people who graciously let me pop into their inboxes every week, I highly recommend reading the entire post (I got carried away with the pictures)
I’m nothing if not consistent[ly leaving the country with a minute’s notice]
I kicked the month off with yet another last-minute trip (I do love a side quest). I was once again joining my mother on a work trip, and because I’m very versatile, this time, instead of a vacation in the Caribbean, I spent a week holed up in a hotel room in Moldova, hiding from the rain. With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the quality time with my mom and left with a newfound appreciation for Moldovan wines and cuisine.
The Best of London in the Fall
October is my favourite month. I love the way the city transforms as the leaves start to change. My cousin was visiting from Brazil, so I got to play tour guide and had the perfect excuse to be a tourist in my own city. In an attempt to maintain my Local Legend status, I also continued to run circles around Regent’s Park, which is extra beautiful this time of year, and had the bonus of all the sculptures out for Frieze.
Did You Guys Hear I Ran a Marathon?! Okay, I’m done talking about it now
Whilst running didn’t fully take over my life for the past four months, it has become a staple in my routine. I wrote all about it in Sane People Don’t Run Marathons in case you missed it. I spent 36 hours in Amsterdam and didn’t get to properly enjoy the city,1 as everyone tells you to never do anything new on race day. A special thanks to my brother and my friends Jet and Popo, who were cheering me on. I’ve put my name down for the Berlin Marathon ballot and am keeping my fingers crossed, but considering my slim chances, I’m also taking other autumn marathon recommendations.
Julia’s October Recommendations - To Read, To Watch and To Eat
To Read - Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
One of my favourite works by Bradbury, I re-read this every other year on the lead-up to Halloween. A perfect book to pick up now that there’s a chill in the air, or honestly, any of the titles on Wonderland’s Guide to Autumn Reading2
To Watch - House of Guiness on Netflix
I started watching this with my old flatmate Claire3 the night before I left for Moldova. She had already seen it but said she didn’t mind the rewatch, and proceeded to drool every time Mr Rafferty appeared onscreen (a natural reaction to James Norton). I also rewatched the first episode the following night with my mom, and we binged the entire thing in three days. We both agreed that Mr Rafferty is the blueprint, and my mom told me I needed a man like that (because dating isn’t already hard enough as is). For fans of Peaky Blinders who listen to a lot of Fontaines D.C. and Kneecap or have a thing for an Irish accent (guilty!)
To Eat - Alison Roman’s Dilly Bean Stew
This is basically an Alison Roman fan account at this point, and I’m not mad about it. What I am mad about is snoozing and losing and missing out on her London event to promote her new cookbook (next time). As soon as it gets cold, I’m a big fan of making a huge pot of soup or stew and having that sustain me for an entire week. This was a favourite and feels like the winter version of my favourite bean salad (butter beans, vinegar, lots of herbs) that kept me fed all Summer long
Honourable Mentions and Other Things Bringing Me Joy
I’m witnessing a huge breakup wave sweeping through multiple friend groups, and with my girlfriends having varying levels of receptivity to singledom, I’ve sent them both Is Having a Boyfriend Embarassing Now? by Chanté Joseph and Only uncool losers fall in love by Antonia Bentel (the bar for hard launches has been raised)
Fun Halloween Costumes
Elphaba: beach edition
I also watched The Devil Wears Prada on the West End this month and had so much fun. Would highly recommend for a perfect mid-week girls’ night out.
The pictures of the Sumo wrestlers having the best time all over London have been all over my feed and make me grateful to live in the age of the internet. The picture of them on Lime bikes is maybe one of the best things I’ve seen all year.
it rarely happens but the internet can be a wonderful place Similarly, I am living for the lore of the Louvre heist4. The aesthetic TikToks? I’m liking every single one. The themed Spotify playlists? Artistic genius. Telling myself it only took 7 minutes to rob the Louvre in the morning? My new favourite words of affirmation. I know this newsletter is going out on November 1st, but since it’s still technically Halloweekend, I urge my readers to use this as inspiration for a last-minute costume (and please send me pictures!)
Making a collage of all my cold-weather essentials. I miss reading Seventeen and Cosmo until my copies disintegrated! (Willa Bennett any chance you’re looking for an intern?)
Substack Princess and coolest person in media Emily Sundberg called me a star, and it was one of the highlights of my month, see proof below.
I might frame this and hang it on my guest bathroom
What I Wrote This Month
I kicked off the spooky season by reaching out to my friends for their best Dating Horror Stories (one of my favourite pieces to date). Unserious hobbies might be the secret to long-term happiness in The Art of the Sidequest. I made sure to brag about my running in Sane People Don’t Run Marathons and put all my coffee chat and job interview skills to good use in How to Get a Sexy Job (tldr: I’m launching a new series where I ask people with sexy jobs for career [and life] advice, for everyone who hates reading but loves my voice, you’re welcome, there’s a podcast coming soon). Finally, for the people who are taking my book recommendations in earnest (I see you have impeccable taste), I rounded up the best eight titles to read this season for Wonderland’s Guide to Autumn Reading.
wink, wink, nudge, nudge
Shameless self-promo alert
of Blunt Parisian infamy
If I’m going to have to live through interesting times at least some of it is fun interesting and not I can’t believe (spiteful) this is happening in my turn/lifetime interesting
I also watched House of Guinness in three days !! It was sooooo good oh my gosh
I pitched Vogue that article originally hahahaha 🫠