drawing up your JOY list
plus, a Q&A with Mackzenzie Newcomb
hello, december! in last weekend’s sunday series, I dropped the monthly IN/OUT list as I always do to kick off a new month. but for me, the start of a fresh month also involves more thoughtful rituals and reflection. while I typically take pen to paper to set monthly intentions, for december, I instead made a list of all the festive holiday things I’m going to do to cultivate moments of JOY.
my JOY list includes simple things like getting a decadent hot cocoa while out shopping to active endeavors like ice skating at Rockefeller Center (I’ve still never done it beneath The Rock tree, only in Bryant Park!) to more in-depth undertakings like handwriting holiday cards to my nearest and dearest. but ultimately, what really sets my december intentions apart from other months of the year is that they aren’t built around productivity or achievement; instead, I’m channeling my energy into the next few weeks being festive and fun!
last night was just that and more as our fellow West Village Book Club member Hilary threw the most beautiful holiday party! she and her husband rented out St. Tropez Wine Bar in the West Village, and we had a delightful dinner there before heading to Le Bain for an after party. I didn’t know dancing in a tartan dress under a disco ball — with New York’s skyline gleaming in the background — was on my bingo card, but it should have been because what a night!
R.E.P.O.R.T. on week of 11.27-12.03
okay, now on to what I spent my week reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, and recommending!
“R” is for reading
november was an epic reading month for me, thanks to extra time off around the Thanksgiving holiday. I’d somehow never read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (I know!), so that obviously consumed me. I also got in a few great listens and for my fellow audiobook girlies, including Brene Brown’s Atlas of The Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience which is the jumpstart to a lot of how I’m thinking differently about joy and happiness as of late. currently, I’m listening to Horse Barbie by Geena Rocero and Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay as well as reading a hard copy of The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll.
“E” is for eating
yesterday, on the walk home from The Class, my dear friend Jenna and I stopped at Rigor Hill Market where the egg sandwich I devoured quite literally altered my brain chemistry. the café is run by the team from One White Street next door and is just fabulous in every way – so excited for this to be a part of our new Saturday routine. otherwise, on the food front, I haven’t made either of these yet but here are a couple recipes in my saved folder for holiday baking: caramel pumpkin pie from Milk Bar (inspired by this viral video) and pinecone brownies.
“P” is for playing
sometimes I interpret this section as how I’m infusing play into life but in this week’s edition, I’m going to make it a bit more literal and share what I’m hitting play on. I’m dying for the finale to Black Cake on Hulu; I have loved seeing this story translated to the screen by Oprah’s team and highly encourage reading the book first if you haven’t already as it’s sensational. also in the world of adaptations, I also loved Apple TV’s production of Lessons in Chemistry. and rather randomly, as I write this to you, I’m watching The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
“O” is for obsessing over
my friend Kayla over at all of this is to say by kayla kleinman (check out her feature in the sunday series) is doing a monthly journaling challenge that you should totally check out! she’s posting the prompts daily to Instagram but also has them all in her latest Substack, linked here.
otherwise on the obsessing front, I’ve finally made the switch to the Libby app! what a gamechanger not to be cycling through Audible credits at an insane clip; I also feel like it’s a no-brainer to support the library versus Amazon. next up on my audiobook journey is to get my Libro.fm set up so I can listen to the select books that aren’t available via NYPL, but one thing at a time!
“R” is for recommending
whenever someone asks me for holiday recommendations in the city, I send them to my friend Tracy’s TikTok. she offers is a wealth of resources when it comes to destination guides, especially in our own backyard where she makes it her business to know the best places to dine, drink, and be merry. lastly, while it can be tough not to want more new, new, new everything in our age of consumerism, I’m firmly in my Poshmark era. I recommend hopping on here to peruse before you buy that next party dress brand new. in the last two weeks alone I’ve scored to incredible vintage Ralph Lauren pieces each at a killer price. talk about a thrifting high — enjoy!
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meet Mackenzie Newcomb
I’ve been following Mackenzie Newcomb for a while on Instagram, and when I decided to relaunching the sunday series with more of a literary angle, I knew I wanted to feature her story! I love how she’s managed to create a community around books with her various book clubs, as well as partnering with authors to market their work. I’m positive you’re going to want to keep consuming Mackenzie’s content after reading her story, so be sure to subscribe to her Substack and follow her on Instagram!
Kayla Douglas: Mackenzie, what did your journey to moving to the city look like, and what makes New York feel like home to you now?
Mackenzie Newcomb: I first moved to New York in February of 2016 when I was fresh out of college. I remember feeling like I could breathe for the first time, finally somewhere that I could begin my life. We moved back to Massachusetts to try our hand at living in a beach town from 2020-2022, and while it was a really fun experience, it became clear pretty quickly that we were city people. We moved back in October of 2022 and I never see us leaving.
Living in New York — with the exception of July and August which are truly hellish — is magical. This year alone I have found myself in a room of a hundred people listening to Alicia Keys sing Empire State of Mind while the sunset over the skyline behind her. I was invited to a John Williams Philharmonic tribute concert less than an hour before it was set to begin. Kristin Davis asked me if she could pet my dog! Things happen in New York that just don't happen elsewhere, and I love living in a place where amazing things are constantly happening.
KD: Community is such a crucial part of feeling at home in a city this chaotic. What inspired you to start the Guest of Guest Book Club to foster IRL connection for others?
MN: Christie Grimm – who runs Guest of a Guest – is a close friend of mine. The two of us just wanted an excuse to work together on something! I have been in the business of cultivating book communities for a few years now, and Christie is an incredible event hostess. It just made sense that we'd collaborate on something like this. What makes GofaG Book Club so special is that we're finding women are connecting over a love of books and fashion. It's so fun meeting people whose interests intersect with your own!
KD: Virtually, you have a massive community you've built through Bad Bitch Book Club. What's the premise of BBBC, and how can people looking to connect with other readers join?
MN: Bad Bitch Book Club is a virtual book club open to the public. Members meet weekly via Zoom to discuss books across a variety of genres, and the meetups are run by different members. People can join in on any of our programming as they find it appealing! There is truly something for everyone. We have meetups that happen monthly all around the country, and I run retreats quarterly for people who really want to dive in.
KD: There are so many captivating stories hitting shelves each month. How do you select what you'll be reading for BBBC?
MN: Bad Bitch Book Club is a democracy! Our Patreon members crowd source books they are interested in reading, I'll look into those books and put them up for a vote! From there, I'll look to see what people are interested in reading and I'll curate our calendar based on what books I think will make for interesting conversation. I'm always looking to showcase books that might be lesser known or written by someone who is part of an underrepresented group in publishing. I have a totally different strategy for Guest of a Guest where I tend to pick books that are more controversial but will make for good conversation. I also like to choose books that focus on class dynamics.
KD: Amongst all your other projects, you founded Top Shelf Book Consulting. What types of projects do you partner with authors on?
MN: My experience before working with books was marketing luxury brands. Through Top Shelf, I work with authors on their influencer activations, from seeding books to hosting launch parties and intimate media dinners. It is my opinion that having time to read is the greatest luxury in the world, so my strategy is to market books like a luxury product.
KD: You recently welcomed your first child into the world. Has becoming a mother changed how you consume books or the types of material you're gravitating towards?
MN: I used to read a lot of steamy romances, but right now I'm taking a little bit of a break from those! Truthfully, I have read a ridiculous amount of celebrity memoirs since my son was born — they are just really great to have on in the background! It's hard for me to focus on physical books right now, so it's really all about the audiobook.
KD: Tell us about the most recent work of fiction that left you with a book hangover?
MN: I am not sure how I can possibly find a better fiction book than Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood right now. It was so good that I feel bad for every book I've had to read since they are all being compared to it!
KD: What book on your TBR pile are you most excited to pick up this winter?
MN: The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan! I met her at an event with Simon & Schuster, and we really bonded. This is her debut, and it's going to be a huge release. I'm really excited for her and cannot wait to see her book everywhere.
KD: The sunday series was conceptualized as a love letter to my favorite day of the week. If we were with you on Sunday, where would you take us to spend the afternoon?
MN: We're putting our names in for Dim Sum at House of Joy, since the wait is likely an hour we'll get Bubble Tea and gossip outside while we wait! Or, if we're rushing for time, we'll get sandwiches from Banh Mi Saigon. Next, we're getting a giant dessert from Sweet Moment, preferably the matcha strawberry flavor – but I'll let you pick since it's your first time. If we're having so much fun that we don't want to stop hanging out, I'll convince you that we should go shopping at Sézane and play "what would you buy if we were rich" at The Real Real in Soho.
Thank you for hanging out with me ❤️