More From Morgan

Hey Y’all! I know I’ve been MIA for a bit but thanks for sticking with me. I don’t have a good excuse for being gone. I had to re-evaluate the promises and goals I made to myself so I am coming back now with two newsletters a month. 

Here’s an update on all of my bookish, makeup, and pop culture thoughts.

Books: What I’ve Been Reading The Past Three Months

 I fall in love with my Kobo (my e-reader) more and more each day. The access it’s given me to my library and to having more books on the go is amazing. I remember when people thought the e-book would replace physical books and I was one of those folks who felt that they needed a physical copy of the book to feel satisfied with reading, but my Kobo has changed that for me. It has allowed me to enjoy my local library without the hassle of having to remember to take borrowed books back on time. I’m reading books that I normally wouldn’t purchase and feeling less need to purchase a book every time I go into a bookstore. I look forward to my Saturday morning emails about what new books the DC Public Library has acquired and what new deals on e-books the Kobo website has to offer. My new rule is to never spend more than $3 on an e-book. So far, so good. Here’s a list of what’ve I’ve been reading and in what format:

1. Curlfriends by Sharee Miller (e-book)

2. Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux (e-book)

3. Tumbling by Dianne McKinney Whetstone (book)

4. Self-Care by Leigh Stein (e-book)

5. Only Big Bum Bum Matters Tomorrow by Damilare Kuku (e-book)

6. Listen To Your Sister by Neena Veil (book)

7. Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (book)

8. Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (e-book)

9. Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative by Melissa Febos (book)

10. James by Percival Everett

11. Sucker Punch: Essays by Scacchi Koul

Makeup: Still Not Impressed 

 I can give myself a huge pat on the back for cutting down my makeup purchases five months into the year. There are a few new items peaking my interest, however, when the Sephora sale happened again in April I didn’t buy a thing and I’m so proud of myself for it. I also noticed less advertisement about the sale and that I’m mostly happy with the makeup routine I do have. 

 There are a few new items I’ve seen across the internet that I’m interested in trying, like the new One Size powder melt setting spray and Pat McGrath’s new setting spray. I’ve also continued to cut back on fragrances but Peah Skin by Phlur might get purchased in the next few weeks. I love a good peach scent in the summertime. As excited as I am to try these new things, they can wait. I no longer linger over my Sephora cart or give into having something new in my makeup bag. One of my goals for the year is to NOT become a Sephora VIB Rouge member again. While the perks seem nice, it serves as a reminder of how much money I was spending there in the first place. Sephora alerted me that I need to spend another $700 by the end of the year to keep my status and well, they can keep it this time around. 

Pop Culture:  Forever Doesn’t Need a Season 2 (Spoiler Alert)  

 Like many Black Millenials online, I tuned in to watch the Netflix series, Forever, earlier this month. I was in the eighth grade when I read the book that served as the foundational text for the series. I remember reading Forever during our independent reading time and I was elated to read a book discussing sex in our classroom library.  Forever, the novel, originally takes place between two white teenagers in the 1970s, and while the creator of the show, Mara Brock Akil, made some clear updates to the beloved text, the overall message from the book is clear in the show, that your first teenage love is not meant to be your forever love, and that point was made by the end of season 1.

 There were a number of great moments in the show. I loved seeing the parents of Keisha and Justin just as much as the two main characters. The music in every episode felt perfect in each scene. I too laughed and cried during moments in the show that reminded me how fickle romantic relationships can be. I reminisced over my own memories of being a teenager in love. And by the end of the season, I felt that I had gotten all I needed to get out Keisha and Justin’s story. They went their separate ways after highschool as most high schoolers do and I was more than satisfied with that ending. While the way the main characters separated in the show differs from the book, it made the same point as Judy Blume did fifty years ago. 

 I find art is successful when it has clearly made its point, and one season of Forever did just that. By the end of the show, I was convinced that Keisha and Justin needed to go and live their young lives separate from each other and was content with their story ending right there. I’ve seen an interview with Mara Brock Akil where the interviewer suggested a prequel that involved the back story of Justin and Keisha’s parents, which I’d completely be into, but is it necessary? Not really. I love when the internet rally’s behind Black film and television, but to me, Forever was a complete story and we need to learn when stories, like relationships, are just that; done.