More From Morgan Vol. 7

Good: Revisiting Books of the Past - Bad: Revisiting Housewives of the Past

Hi y’all! Thanks for returning to another installment of More From Morgan. In this week’s letter I talk about stree lit, Drake’s new perfume, and how I’m tired of the return of retired housewives.

Books: I Wanted to Read A Urban Fiction Classic, So I Read  Moth to a Flame by Ashley Antoinette

One of the things I love about being on Bookstagram is connecting with Black readers that have all different kinds of taste in books. While I don’t read as much urban fiction as some, I appreciate its existence. It reminds me of times in high school when my classmates had copies of B-More Careful and Around The Way Girls floating amongst one another. There was a moment in the 2000s where Black authors in this genre were sought after by publishing houses and for a while, the only Black literature I was privy to. The more I expand my reading across genres, the more fun I’m having reading. For a long time I only read literary fiction, but its genres, like horror and romance, that remind me how much fun I can have picking up a new book.

One night while I was browsing my library’s e-book collection, I remembered Moth to a Flame was one of those books I always said I’d get to and I was finally able to read it in May. I’ve seen a number of the Black women on my timeline mention reading this book and continuing to read Ashley Antoinette’s work. This cautionary tale follows our protagonist, the beautiful, seventeen year old, Raven, the daughter of Michigan’s most popular drug dealer, as her life falls to pieces after meeting the much too old local thief, Mizan. 

I understand why people like books like Moth to a Flame. I enjoyed the fast-paced storyline. It was just as entertaining as any tv show I could have turned on, however, every horrible thing that could happen to a woman caught up with the wrong man happened in this book. There were moments in the story where Raven’s life seemed as if it would turn around, where the author could make a number of choices where the story could make a positive turn, but the story only got darker and more traumatic. 

My hope was to like the book so much that I would then move to Ashley Antonette’s series, Ethic and Butterfly, which follow other characters from Moth to a Flame, but I am too afraid that every book following will also end in tragedy. I’m not giving up on street lit but I am looking forward to reading another with a happier ending.

Beauty: Drake Lost the Rap Battle but Won the Perfume War

It seems like a celebrity is dropping a new fragrance every other day, so when it was announced that Drake was coming out with his fragrance, Summer Mink,  I knew I’d give it a sniff if they put it in stores. A few of my internet faves, all women, picked up the fragrance and mentioned how good it smelled. I wasn’t completely sold since I originally thought it was a cologne made for men and if I really want to give my money to Drake. (While conducting research for this letter, I see that it is marked as a Women’s fragrance on ulta.com) Each influencer sprayed the fragrance for the first time on camera and were all shocked at how good it smelled; and when I decided to go to Ulta and find the display my face filled with the same surprise as the women on Instagram did. 

There are many earthy notes in this perfume but the citrus note is the cherry on top. It makes the “summer” in Summer Mink stand true. This is going to be my summer 2025 scent. Whatever chemist mixed up this scent needs a raise and royalties on every bottle sold. 

Pop Culture: Dear Bravo, Please Stop Recycling Housewives

In a text chat with my sister, she sent me a post from People Magazine that Monique Samuels of Real Housewives of Potomac is going to rejoin the cast for the upcoming season. Now I know Bravo is grasping for straws when it comes to Potomac since Karen is in jail (isn’t that wild?!) but they seem to be doing this all over the franchise. In my opinion, the Housewives franchise is a sinking ship. The world has changed since the 2010s and this includes how and what we watch on tv. The golden age of reality tv might be over but fans won’t let it go. 

As Bravo keeps trying to breathe life back into Housewives, something isn’t quite translating. Two years ago, Bravo tried to revive The Real Housewives of NYC after the majority old and white cast was outed to be racist along with their fans, by recasting the entire show only to announce this spring that the show has suspended filming indefinitely. I enjoyed seeing the low-stakes drama on the show, but others across the internet found it boring. The current season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta is also a flop after they half-recast the show and brought back Porsha and Phaedra as full-time housewives, and Cynthia as a friend to the show. The drama between Kenya and Britt didn’t pan out to be much but a major lawsuit for Bravo and I hope Brit wins. How did Bravo not catch that the explicit photo Kenya thought was Brit wasn’t actually her?! This proves production is becoming lazy all across the board and now they might literally pay for it.

Those waiting for Nene’s return might actually get it next season and to me, she’s not going to save Atlanta, like Monique won’t save Potomac. Like an entire new cast couldn’t save NYC. When it comes to Nene, people are waiting for her to bring that old Atlanta feeling back of classic reads and catchy moments turned into memes. I see Phaedra’s return as an indicator of what’s to come, not much of anything. She sounds like an old auntie trying too hard to throw quick shade every chance she gets. It's no longer real and I can tell. I think we all can tell. These women are not the same women they were ten-twenty years ago and neither are we. Everything and everyone has evolved except for what fans expect from the show. I feel the cast members across the board are trying their best to give us what we want but it is impossible. Fans need to let the shows grow or it will eventually be off the air. 

Thanks for reading! See you in two weeks!

Love, from Morgan