Issue #1: Round-up and recommendations
Recommended book, podcast, British drama thriller series, plus what's around the Substack you might want to read.
Hello readers,
Welcome to Issue #1 of the Coffee Break Newsletter!
A newsletter crafted to provide tips and different perspectives, share interesting facts about coffee, recommend a good book, music, podcast or movie, and celebrate the work and community we have here in our virtual cafe.
In this Sunday edition, I will strive to bring you recommendations worth noting. This could be a book, podcast, or type of coffee. It will also include a round-up of recent Substack articles I read and the latest posts from you—my readers (at least those of you who have Substack publications).
So, without further introductions, let’s jump right to it.
BOOK: "Hidden Potential" by Adam Grant
The best book I read so far this year1 while sipping my coffee (yes, I know it’s a bit dramatic since we are only 6 months in)-well, I found this particular book to be just the right type of book for the right time.
Grant explores: Do you have to be born with a talent to achieve success? Spoiler–Nope.
This is a book summary through my lens — my take on one of my favourite books of this year. You can read the full summary here.
PODCASTS: “Active Voice” and “Work Life”
"Active Voice" is a podcast focused on exploring the world of Substack. You can listen from successful fellow Substackars such as
, , , from , and many, many others.These are all great to listen to, but I suggest you pick out this one from the list: Jessica Reed Kraus goes where gossip reporters fear to tread.
Her publication
brings in the trending water cooler gossip, conspiracy theories, and lifestyle highlights on pop culture. I do not cover this topic here in the Coffee Break newsletter, yet I urge you to listen to this particular episode to get inspired.Jessica Reed Kraus could be any of us. Mom of four with 317k readers tuning in for the latest gossip.
“Kraus was raised middle-class in the Los Angeles suburb of Corona. After getting a bachelor’s degree in English from California State University, Fullerton, she intended to pursue teaching. By 2011, they had three sons—a fourth came later—and Kraus started lifestyle blogging, mostly about her family and home.” 1
As her kids grew to protect their privacy, she redirected toward covering the trending political and Hollywood scandals, such as Britney Spears’s conservatorship, Deep Vs Heard, Ghislaine Maxwell and many others.
You might not be into Hollywood gossip and trending scandals, but her writing is worth following.
“Work Life” by TED and Adam Grant
I came across this podcast when researching for my Wednesday article. Without spoiling, I am writing on the insecurities of being a writer and sharing your work online and with others. I will also nudge those insecurities that pop out here on Substack for those who are not best-selling authors yet desire to become successful writers.
So, if you’re often overcome by insecurities, hold tight until Wednesday.
TV series on Prime: The Devil’s Hour series
It's worth the watch. I had time off this Friday, mainly to catch up on my weekly round-ups and Wednesday articles. Without being too hard on myself, I made some progress and established what's coming up in the upcoming few weeks, which is great. In recent weeks, I have kept working on the Wednesday articles on Tuesday evenings. This type of work pressure does not work entirely for me, so I needed to get ahead of publishing to give myself a chance to sit with articles and have enough time to revise.
In the evening, I was not doing much, so I browsed Netflix to switch off from work and writing. With nothing captivating to watch, I moved onto Prime and came across The Devil's Hour series. As a big fan of psychological thrillers and British dramas, this British drama thriller series sparked my attention.
I got hooked nearly at the end of the first episode. The complex storyline has flashbacks, character introductions, and multiple crime scenes. But once this program grips you, you stay put and watch it late at night. You will not see the end coming. Seriously.
Essay
In case you missed my recent articles, here are my two recent ones. In both of these, I explain my decision to change the publication name and also share the future direction I am looking to take with the Coffee Break newsletter.
Substack round-up
Cheryl Strayed responses to a reader navigating very dark moments asking her for a different perspective.
How do I fight my way out of this darkness, Sugar? This one will have you in tears. Beautiful. Tearful. Comforting.
How to Become More Likable Using 9 Techniques From the World’s Most Charismatic People by
from offers a great round-up in A thank you and a short retrospectiveLike Polina Pompliano from Profile, where she profiles successful people, I share the same passion for stories of success and fall. She believes,
“ Everyone has a story, and we can all learn a lesson or two from the world's most exceptional.” It is sort of ‘how they did it"‘, or ‘how they do it’ type of covering, and I love it. Her most recent, How to Become More Likeable Using 9 Techniques, is an eye-opener and very teachable.
from takes you on a trip to France every time she publishes.Courtney offers an evergreen reminder of “how our time and attention are our most precious commodities”
from , This Is To The Woman Who Was Young In The 1990sI’ve loved France ever since I was 13 and read a novel based in Marseille. For the years that have passed since then, I cannot remember the title. I am sorry, but in my defence, it’s been almost 30 years…Thanks to Karen, I get to experience France virtually every time she hits the publish button.
I keep this one saved. It had me nodding in agreement all the way through.
And that is your Sunday read; I hope you enjoyed this format. Let me know. Thank you for reading, always.
Have a great rest of the weekend, and I’ll see you on Wednesday.
Jana
Jana, thank you so much for the mention - I've seen it only now.
You’re most welcome! I truly enjoy The Thursday list 📝💕