Issue #45: How to Take Care of Yourself

Back pocket self care.

Morning Person is a weekly newsletter packed with obsessively-curated recommendations and ideas—let’s get to it!

📚 Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: Shortly after Sam and Sadie reunite on a subway platform in Boston after being childhood best friends, they design a video game together called Ichigo that quickly becomes a smash hit and defines the course of their lives. I know little-to-nothing about video games (the last time I held a controller it was a Nintendo 64, and not yet retro), but Zevin’s pacing and storytelling is so captivating, she could interest me in anything, including gaming “engines” and MMORPGs. This book is honestly brilliant, told in loosely themed sections including one that mimics the structure of a game Sam and Sadie are building. I read an advance copy of this novel—which is out today!—but wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes one of the biggest books this summer.

📺 “The Bear” on Hulu: Each episode of this new series has the frenetic energy of a restaurant kitchen, mirroring that of the chaotic steak sandwich shop Carmy runs after inheriting it from his brother. Carmy is the quintessential chef, complete with requisite knife tattoos and a resumé that includes The French Laundry and Noma, but is in over his head with his new slate of responsibilities. Still, the dizzying pace of Carmy’s life, and the show itself, is addictive. Just don’t watch it hungry. (Seriously, order sandwiches before the first episode.)