What I Loved This Week (104)

I'm all about a fantastic horror read, Columbo and teen angst this week.

100% Human Made - If you liked this issue, click on the heart button! That’s the biggest praise you can give me. You can also buy me coffee here if you’d like.

Instructions to best enjoy this note: Grab a beverage of choice, sit somewhere cozy, blanket highly suggested, and enjoy!

📚What I Read and Loved

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng: I was craving a horror read, and based on reviews and the internet, I decided to give this book a chance. It’s scary, funny, tender, and everything in between. Maybe it is too soon to read a book based on the COVID pandemic, but I don’t regret it.

Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. But none of that seems so terrible when she's already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister, Delilah, being pushed in front of a train. Before fleeing the scene, the murderer shouted two words: bat eater.

She pushes away all feelings and ignores the advice of her aunt to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open. But she can't ignore the dread in her stomach as she keeps finding bat carcasses at crime scenes, or the scary fact that all her recent cleanups have been the bodies of East Asian women.

As Cora will soon learn, you can't just ignore hungry ghosts.

📺 What I Watched and Loved

Poker Face: Natasha Lyonne is back for a second season of Poker Face, a Columbo turned hipster remake. I’ve watched the first three episodes and was happy to catch many cool guest stars (Katie Holmes & Cynthia Eribo!!!) and entertaining mysteries. (Peacock)

Forever: I binged this Judy Blume remake over the weekend. I loved that it felt current and realistic, but also pulled at my heartstrings. (Netflix)

💕 Micro-Joy

A croissant with fancy jam and a hot coffee. It’s an unbeatable Sunday breakfast

✅ To-do List

• The best PBS murder mysteries via

  Liz Tracy

• The Goodreads Summer Reading Guide

• The best TV shows (based on books) so far in 2025

🐰 Rabbit Holes I Went Into

• This story about stranded cruise travelers was highly entertaining

• Crowdsourced ideas of underrated rituals that improve the quality of life

• The mommy and me luxury retreat that has sparked a lot of conversation online

• The Jordon Hudson Lore

• Pronatalists. Enough said

🧜🏼‍♀️  Articles and Bits I loved

• What happened to the 'do nothing’ holiday?

• Sleep as a tourism industry

• 10 non-toxic kitchen swaps via

  Ella Henry

• Joyful ways to spend time online

• We are thinking of fitness all wrong

• Things that are none of your business via

  angel cake

😄 Free Happiness

• A perfect retreat

👋🏼 Classifieds

• Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches up with your interests. When you get one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. Sign up here

• Don’t clutter your inbox with newsletters, be like me and use Meco, and read all your favorite newsletters in the same place. It’s life-changing.