Welcome to Curated & Saved, a personal collection of things I’m loving right now.
Currently Consuming
✈️Visiting: Aegina, Greece
As mentioned in my last newsletter I took a little mini break with my partner and his family to Greece to celebrate his Mum’s birthday. Swerving past Athens, we opted to stay on the much quieter island of Aegina. An apparent favourite among locals for a quick getaway (it’s just under an hour away on the ferry) I found it to be a really great alternative to Greece’s much busier islands. It has a charming small-town vibe, beautiful sandy beaches, excellent seafood, and (most notably) is famous for its pistachios. Would definitely recommend as a cheaper alternative to some of the more spenny islands.
📖Reading: Funny Story by Emily Henry, Moderation by Elaine Castello1, and The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab
I finished a trio of very books since I lasted posted!
First up, I finally knocked off two books that have been long on the progress list, Fragile Threads of Power, the first in a new series from the world of Shades of London by V.E. Schwab, and literary novel, Moderation by Filipino-American author Elaine Castello.
As always Schwab really delivered on my fantasy fix. I’m already a big fan of the original series, so it’s cool to see how these characters have developed in the years after the A Conjuring of Light. And it’s especially exciting to see how the three Londons have warped and changed in the wake of these power shifts and changes in magic.
In contrast we have Moderation, a novel that follows a woman who is a content moderator for a social media site as she gets promoted to work in a brand new VR environment ‘Playground’ where she meets its wry, mysterious founder. The book is billed as a tech based romance, but I’d say its heavier on the literary commentary on technology, social media, and the relationships they help (and hinder) us building. I think there are some strong concepts in this one, but I’m still mulling on the idea of whether the romance was ultimately necessary for the plot.
Now, onto my holiday read (which I hilariously finished on the first day of my holiday!). Funny Story follows, unsurprisingly, a funny story told by Daphne a children’s librarian who is unceremoniously dumped by her fiance for his childhood best friend. In the wake of heartbreak, Daphne finds herself rooming with said fiance’s best friend’s ex - Miles. A great mix of forced proximity and friends-to-lovers, I really had fun with this one! I feel like the banter is especially great here and nature of the situation lends itself to fantastic comedic and sincere moments. I will also say Miles definitely ranks high on the scale of favourite EmHem love interests for me.
📚 In Progress: Mythica, Emily Hauser2 and Okay Days, Jenny Mustard
🎶Listening to: Miss You To Death, Holly Humberstone // All Over Me, Haim / / Gabriela, KATSEYE
🎥Watching: The Phoenician Scheme (2025)
Just before holiday I popped along to see Wes Anderson’s latest film in at my local indie cinema. The Phoenician Scheme follows eccentric arms tycoon, Anatole Korda, as he enlists his estranged nun‑turned‑daughter Liesl to help him bankroll his latest grand infrastructure project of dam, railways and canals, in the middle of the sun-washed dessert. Full of flair and Anderson’s signature whimsical style, this is essentially a story about Liesl and her father’s relationship and I really enjoyed Bennecio Del Torro and Mia Threapleton’s performances. Michael Cera was also a delightlful addition to the Anderson-verse. 📺💻
📱Scrolling through: Rachel Zegler in Evita
I was already excited about the idea of seeing Rachel in Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Evita, but now that we’ve seen footage of her singing the iconic ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ from the balcony of the London Palladium, I’m even more hyped - not just to get tickets, but maybe even to camp out by the theatre just to catch a glimpse of her performing. Shout out to MickeyJoTheatre on TikTok for the timings on when to catch her in the evenings!
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
The Long Form
Can Emily Henry Write Her Way Out of the Box BookTok Built? Rena Rani (Smart Romance)
I’ve been really enjoying my foray into Emily Henry’s world in the last few months. As I’ve been reading the books out of publication order, I’ve not really had a second thought about the ebb and flow of the style of her books. Rena does a really fantastic analysis here of how Henry has been positioned in the public and her reaction to each release. It’s honestly quite fascinating to see this pattern in Henry’s work and Rena’s hopes of where she’ll go next.
The Backlist
Traditional Chinese Dressmaking Techniques are COOL (A 1930s Qipao ft. Claire Zhang), Bernadette Banner
Sometimes a video comes up on my Youtube channel that just blows me away. When I say I was captivated by this 30 minutes video of a traditional 1930’s Qipao being made, I am not kidding. Not only is this a fantastic showcase of the artistry but a wonderful homage to the history and tradition of the garment itself. It’s also just an incredibly calming video to watch.
On The Wish List
Korres Bodycare
Pure Greek Olive Shower Gel (Pomegranate), Pure Greek Olive Traditional Soap (Olive Blossom), Pure Greek Olive Body (Cream Fig)
I’m fully converted to olive oil beauty products following my trip to Greece. Just the simple shower gel and soap did wonders for my post-beach/sun kissed skin! I managed to pick up the Korres olive oil based shampoo in the airport but I’m slowly regretting not buying into their bodycare line. I can just imagine how good the shower gel and body cream smell!
Thanks for checking out this week’s Curated & Saved! I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you’ve got any hidden gems to share.
Thanks to Atlantic Books and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this book
Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld, and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this book