Hot Girls Read Podcast

Julia

This past weekend I was in Madrid to see Keinemusik (so much fun!), and while I was walking around town, I came across ‘News & Coffee: Unusual place for coffee and curated reads to go’. This little gem was a new take on the old fashioned newsstand: hip, cute, and indeed presenting a very curated selection of magazines that drew me in like a moth to a flame. For a few minutes (ok, maybe more like 10..) I was like a kid in a candy store, flipping through brightly coloured magazines with unabashed glee, lost in a sugar high brought on by glossy covers, intriguing ideas, and hypnotising double-page spreads. I had to restrain myself, but I did leave with a copy of Vittles Magazine, which has got to be one of my favourite bookish purchases of the year.

‘Vittles’ started off as a newsletter on substack 5 years ago, and while they are still going strong on substack, this Spring, they decided to publish Issue 1 of a print magazine. I had never heard of ‘Vittles’ before, but as someone who loves anything to do with food and food writing, I am so glad I came across it! The magazine itself is beautiful. Everything from the cover art of a pastel soft serve ice cream, to the vibrant inside flaps, the editorial format, and accompanying photography and art is so visually pleasing, but it is the writing itself that makes the magazine such a delight to read. 

The content is like nothing I have ever read before but also everything I have ever wanted to read where food is concerned. A couple of my favourite articles so far include an investigation into the UK’s various Curry Awards (fascinating), an in-depth overview of the London Chinatown institution Wong Kei (which was particularly cool to read as someone with Cantonese roots and who has frequented and enjoyed the restaurant in question), and a history of how sushi came to Karachi, Pakistan (something I have never thought about, but believe me I do now).

The magazine is chock full of articles, including poetry, photo essays, and interviews, and I am so glad that there are still plenty of pages left for me to devour.

Ayesha 

I just finished A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash after receiving an ARC from NetGalley. I really enjoyed this fantasy and it’s certainly one that I recommend to others! This story was like Games of Thrones x From Blood and Ash…which is a weird combination I know. While the FMC and MMC are at the forefront of the plot, I think the author did a great job at providing more depth to the side characters – the siblings to both the FMC and MMC. Because of that, one of my favorite characters was actually a side character so I am eager to read book 2 to follow their story. 

Synopsis: The eight kingdoms have not spoken for 100 hundred years after destroying the land of the witches, turning the kingdom into a wasteland. Until now.

Mal Blackburn will end the feud between the kingdoms by marrying the fire prince, known across the lands for being cruel. But Mal is not looking to conquer the cruel prince’s heart. She wants to stab it. If Mal kills the fire prince, she will end the curse no one believes to be true. However, killing him might not be so simple…The witches want revenge. And everyone seems to keep secrets. Including Mal, the girl with witch eyes. The one that is hiding a secret that could doom them all. Or save them.