The Girl's Guide to DC
Issue 19: No One in DC Knows How to Read
Welcome back! If you missed my last issue, find it here.
I want this newsletter to be about you, the ladies of DC, so send me your feedback (and bad date rants) by replying to this email.
What They Don’t Tell You
Do you wanna know one thing they don’t tell you before you move to DC? No one reads books, they just talk about reading books.
If you just moved here, time to throw all your books in the dumpster. By the time those takes hit the page, they’re cold, honey. Everyone knows you can only get hot takes on Twitter.
However, if you must read, here are four acceptable ways to do it, DC-style.
Using a book as a pickup line.
Only in DC, the nerdiest city in America, does carrying an impressive stack of books around help you get a date. For better or for worse, I know several individuals (translation: men) in DC who like to prominently display what they’re reading on the metro or at a coffeeshop, hoping a nearby woman will strike up a conversation. Sometimes, they’re just pretending to read because they think it makes them look deep.
So ladies, I hope this gives you the courage to strike up a conversation with the next guy you see reading alone at the coffeeshop. Turns out you’re the only reason he’s there and he hasn’t turned a page in 30 minutes. Although if the dude’s reading “Infinite Jest,” I suggest just getting your latte to-go and getting out of there.
Tweeting the article based on the headline.
You know the prompt when you try to tweet an article that tells you to actually read it before sharing? Yeah, that button was made because of people in DC. We love a good headline. They’re never misleading about what’s inside the article, right?
Next time you’re tempted to read an article before sharing it online, just don’t. I promise it will help you fit into this city 10 times better.
Book parties = full bookshelf.
If there’s one thing loved by everyone on the Hill (and Hill-adjacent), it’s a book party. Free cocktails and snacks will draw a crowd every time. I mean, we’re never actually going to read the books … but they look nice on the bookshelf behind us on Zoom calls.
Just read the summary on the inside cover and hope no one quizzes you on the author’s excellent point in chapter six. It’s the same for whatever “book of the moment” everyone’s writing thinkpieces about. Just look up the Wikipedia summary and move on!
When I say reading, I really mean listening.
Okay, this last point isn’t satirical. If there’s one word to describe your typical DC woman, it’s busy. Between commuting, meal prepping, working out, and actually working, there’s not a lot of time to curl up with a good book.
DC women who listen to audiobooks have cracked the code. I am an audiobook devotee, and I’m able to listen to an endless amount of titles without paying a dime through an amazing app called Libby. Just plug in your library card and go! This is literally the best-kept secret for readers everywhere. Let me know if you try it out!
Reader’s Corner
I got a little help from a friend for this week’s newsletter. You may have read my interview with Rebekah Hoshiko earlier this year. She’s an amazing hostess and long-running organizer of a women’s book club on Capitol Hill.
Check out Rebekah’s tips for starting you own book club by clicking here and connect with her on Instagram here.
Rebekah’s Reading List
By Rebekah Hoshiko
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Everyone should read this book. It will challenge and inspire you all at once, and I found it to be a profoundly thoughtful look at the American criminal justice system. I've lent my copy to so many people already!
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
This had been on my list for so long and I finally got around to reading it. As a big fan of true crime, I was expecting it to be all about a serial killer, and while that's definitely a key part of the plot, it primarily centers on the buildup to the Chicago World's Fair. Larson's writing style reads like fiction, and I absolutely blazed through the story. Highly recommend.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
SUCH a fun read. It's very different than the genres I typically gravitate toward, but the topsy-turvy twisty plot keeps you on your toes until the very end. As someone who hates being able to guess predictable plots, I loved that I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
One of the most charming books I've read in awhile. It's a delicious little mystery told through impeccable character development, with the primary characters being four octogenarians at an assisted living facility. Themes of growing older, friendship, and old secrets will keep you smiling/tearing up through the whole book.
Share the best book you’ve read this year with The Girl’s Guide to DC by replying to this email! You may be featured in next week’s newsletter.
Interview with Alex Nester
Meet Alex Nester, a journalist and Ohio native who wants everyone to know how much she loves Capitol Hill. Connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.
What do you love about your neighborhood?
I live in an apartment on Capitol Hill near Lincoln Park, which is a great place to sit and read, or write, or just watch the dogs play. It's a very quaint neighborhood. I'm a sucker for the rowhouses.
What does your life look like right now?
Life looks like a lot of things right now. I write on education for the Washington Free Beacon, and also recently started helping a podcasting startup launch some shows. That's taken up more of my time recently than writing — which I'm sure my editors don't mind, lol.
My other part-time job is being my best friend's maid of honor, which is truly the job of a lifetime. Her wedding is this fall, so I'm putting the final pieces together for her bachelorette party. And we decided last week that we are going to bake her wedding cake ourselves. Thoughts and prayers are welcome.
What’s your favorite band?
My favorite band is Coldplay. I said what I said.
What are your favorite restaurants in DC?
The Punjab Grill has the best butter chicken I've ever had, and their cocktails are original, interesting, and tasty. I also love Lavagna in Eastern Market, which serves farm-to-table Italian food. It's relatively inexpensive and delicious, and one of their servers there, Nate, is from my hometown of Toledo, Ohio! Small world. Oh, and my favorite bar is Union Pub. It's a stumbling distance from my place. The buffalo chicken totchos... I mean, come on.
What’s your post-quarantine beauty routine?
Over the past two years or so, I've been tweaking my beauty routine here and there to try and help with these breakouts that started popping up when I was 21. Nobody ever tells you about this — I thought I was safe after I graduated high school. Not the case!
What's helped the most so far is switching my skincare to Beauty Counter. The products can be a little pricey, but I think it's worth it. My morning routine: BC's anti-acne face wash, toner, acne gel, lotion (it smells like almonds!!), and spot treatment. At night, I add retinol or BC's nighttime resurfacing peel to that routine. I also love Clinique's Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer. I've gotten so many compliments on my skin while using it, and it covers redness perfectly without looking cakey. BC's bronzer is THE BEST!
For everything else, I use drugstore brands—Covergirl mascara, whatever black liquid eyeliner I can find, and blush from Ulta or wherever. Oh, and setting spray is a MUST, especially during humid DC summers and mask mandates.
How would you describe your style?
The vibe I'm going for is New York City sleek business woman (that's the goal at least — definitely not always the reality). My style is really basic. I like staple pieces that will look good for years to come, and things that can be mixed and matched.
The majority of my closet is black, white, or one solid color — light pink, navy, red, or olive green. And I love outfits that can be easily dressed up or down. I shop at The Loft and H&M mostly. Oh, and I don't think twice about re-wearing outfits — if it looks good, it looks good, right?
The Haps
Pumpkin Spice Up Your Life
There are two kinds of people in this life: those who welcome the return of pumpkin spice season, and those who rage at the sky that it creeps earlier and earlier each year. If you belong to the former, check out my latest story for Evie Magazine: I Tried Every Pumpkin Spice Drink Out There And Ranked Them.
Andy’s Pizza Brings Home the Gold
Can someone check on the New Yorkers and Chicagoans? DC-based pizza joint Andy’s Pizza just won top prize at the International Pizza Challenge, The Washingtonian reports. Andy’s Pizza has locations in Shaw, Navy Yard, NoMa, and McLean.
Congrats & More
CATHERINE FRANCOIS joins the Senate Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee as a research assistant. Connect with her on Instagram.
Got feedback or an announcement to share? Email me at girlygirlsguidetodc@gmail.com.