This September felt like a double Oreo. Before you laugh, hear me out. This September felt like double the goodness for me because I genuinely felt like this past month had 60 days. And maybe it was because I managed to squeeze in not one, but two trips, finish a few books (out of which I will only be listing my favourite two below), went to uni and generally had a really good time. I can only hope that with such a great beginning of the academic year the ensuing months will be just as amazing, peaceful and well traveled. Here are some of the things I have read, watched and enjoyed in the past weeks:
BOOKS
The Four – Scott Galloway
I have been looking forward to reading this book for a while now and I can definitely say it has matched my expectations. Scott’s analysis, besides making you do a double take about the things you thought you knew about the Four Horsemen (Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Google), is also very sharp and witty. Although an advice section is not very common within books like his, I particularly enjoyed it.
Shoe Dog – Phil Knight
Before starting this book I didn’t know much about Nike except for the swoosh anecdote and their famous Just Do It campaigns, but I feel like from now on I will be looking with very different eyes at their sneakers and fans. The story was very well written, the rhythm was much better than I thought (I seriously thought they were doing to glaze over the beginning years and just go straight to the uber successful and well known part of their history) and it felt more sincere than many other books I have read. I would have particularly liked to read more about Nike’s story development after 2007, or at least more about how Phil perceived it, but considering the less fortunate events that happened in Phil’s family, I will not complain about that.
VIDEOS
Disclaimer: somehow two of the videos I have enjoyed the most this month are about architecture and natural cooling systems. Oh well, that was another YouTube wormhole I never felt into before 🙂
Open Layout Homes Have A Surprising Problem – Cheddar Explains
I just found out about this channel so until the next round of recommendations I will probably binge watch half of their episodes, but again, I’m not complaining 🙂 This particular video, besides the fact that is stroke the right balance between duration and explanations, is also interesting because it starts from an intriguing point “Air conditioning freed us from having to design for climate and now it’s got us trapped”. Very interesting and just as the video below, it presents a great topic to think about when designing or updating the cities of tomorrow.
How Termites Inspired A Building – National Geographic
Perhaps a solution to the problem explained in the video above, this clever solution of natural air conditioning transformed one building in Harare, Zimbabwe, into a landmark and into an example worth following. You’ll have to see the full video (which is quite short) to see where’s the link with the termites, but all I can see is that it’s about the air circulation 🙂
ARTICLES
Dynamic Underwater Photographs – Bored Panda
It has been a while since I have gasped at how beautiful a certain collection of photographs is, but this is hands down one of the best I have seen. The brilliant use of light, the lack of grain and the Baroque inspiration are turning this photos into modern day masterpieces worthy of being hanged on the walls of any reputable photography museum.
Why you should read this article slowly – The Guardian
“The slow reader is like a swimmer who stops counting laps and just enjoys how their body feels and moves in water.” – this is one quote from the article which really struck a note inside me. I know for sure that for a long period of time I was more than curious about speed reading, but I feel that now I am more keen on actually remembering what I read rather than just reaching an insane Goodreads target. This article will give you many reasons to think about slowing down a bit while reading, but also some reasons to be confident that reading is not going away anytime soon.
PLACES
Halfway through September, I had the wonderful chance to go to the South of France for a few days and apparently, lady luck was on my side because I happened to be there while the Journees de la Patrimoine (The Heritage Days) were in full swing. That is how I managed to see buildings and corners of Montpellier which are not usually open for the public. Below are my two favourite places that took my breath away.
I still cannot believe how well serendipity worked in order for me to get to attend a nocturnal visit to this castle, accompanied by wine produced on-location and some delicious tapas. The visit was phenomenal, the domains are stunning (especially at night) and the castle in itself, seemed to be breathing magic through all the pictures, furniture, vases, small decorations, books and more. No wonder Gucci shot a campaign here 😉
I have never ever been to an opera that was looking like this. Grandiose, with burgundy plush chairs, golden details and a neck-hurting beautiful ceiling, this must be one of the most beautiful homes for music (Palau de la Música Catalana must be another one on this list).
I am pretty sure there were more things on my list for September, but if I remember something I have missed, I will make sure to add it to the October Recommendations.
Enjoy autumn!
Laura
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