From the Couch: Nerdy Delight and New Ear Candy

Or: 5 things I loved and did over the last few months.

Hi, friends.

It’s somehow been three months since my last From the Couch post (wow, to the day! look at that), so it’s officially time. This newsletter is filled with all the things I’ve been loving, doing, and trying lately — the things I’d probably talk your ear off about if you came over and hung out with me on my big, comfy couch.

(Yes, this is another old photo — energy to take new photos of myself is pretty limited these days. Next quarter!)

Quick note before I dive in: Last time I wrote to you, I hoped to have full reviews of all the books I read in May ready by the time this newsletter went out. Mission accomplished! You can read them here.

Okay, let’s do it. Nothing here is sponsored, just stuff I love!

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My new babies headphones

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me ask for recommendations for super comfy over-the-ear headphones. I love my AirPod Pros, but when I wear them for long stretches of time (like when I’m listening along to an audiobook as I read the book in print), they make my ears itch. I’m expecting a good amount of feeding- and nap-trapped audiobook time once the baby comes, so I wanted to treat myself to something better suited for longer stretches.

Y’all DELIVERED on the recommendations, including lots of plugs for Shokz bone conduction headphones, which sit on the cheekbones rather than in or over your ears. I’ve been a Shokz superfan for about 10 years now — I wear them for running, and if you’ve never heard of them PLEASE check them out. I’m sure I’ll get good use out of them in the next few months, too, but they weren’t quite what I was looking for.

To that end, Bose QuietComfort Headphones were the clear winner. AND they come in green. Sold. And guess what, they’re $100 off this week! (Rude for me, great for you.)

The most delightfully nerdy podcast

I don’t listen to many podcasts — the vast majority of my available listening time goes to audiobooks. But when my favorite fandoms have new TV or film on the way, I make a big exception for House of R from The Ringer. It’s hosted by Mallory Rubin (who the real ones may recognize from the good old Binge Mode days) and Joanna Robinson (who is also phenomenal).

With season 2 of House of the Dragon coming THIS SUNDAY (!!) and season 2 of The Rings of Power coming in August, you bet I made time for House of R’s extensive deep-dives of the trailers. (Btw, if you need a Hot D season 1 recap, here’s a good one.) Highly, highly recommend. I’ve got their recent coverage of Percy Jackson, Dune 2, and Avatar: The Last Airbender in my queue, too.

A wholesome spark of joy for your feed

If you also love Disney music, Broadway, etc. and you’re not following Brett Boles, get on that. He’s a music master, and I love the way he breaks down exactly how and why the songs we love move us the way they do. Also, he’s a ray of sunshine.

The Fast Women newsletter

I’ve recommended

Fast Women

by Alison Wade before, but ICYMI, the Olympics are coming, and the US Olympic Trials for track and field start next weekend!! Wade’s coverage of women’s pro running is not only helpful and fun to read, it’s also vital for the sport. And y’all, that sport is better than EVER right now, from queen Sha’Carri Richardson to nonbinary superstar Nikki Hiltz to the always-inspirational Allie Ostrander and so many others. If you have any spark of interest at all, do yourself a favor and subscribe now so you can stay up to date all summer. It’s going to be a good one.

A big Broadway weekend

Back in April, I went down to NYC for my company’s semi-annual in-person team week, which is always a great time. I headed down a few days early to spend the weekend beforehand soaking in some NYC leisure time (a mini solo babymoon, if you will), which of course meant Broadway! Especially because I was 30 weeks along and just beginning to discover what the third trimester does to one’s ankles when you walk too much. 😅

Anyway, I saw three shows in two days:

• The Great Gatsby, which was a little cheesy but had a phenomenally talented cast (including Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada, of course, but also everyone else), great set design, and excellent choreography

• The Wiz, where the amazing cast belted their face off (all I really want, tbh), Wayne Brady was a delight, and I sat in the most fun audience I’ve ever been a part of

• Suffs, which was honestly excellent all around, and I’m rooting for it to win Best Musical at the Tony Awards this weekend!

Libro.fm’s 10th anniversary celebrations

Okay, this one is cheating a little bit, but I had to give it a plug because I LOVE Libro.fm, and I know many of you do, too. This month marks their 10th anniversary of selling audiobooks and sharing revenue with independent bookstores (!!), and they have a lot of amazing stuff going on.

For one, they’ve extended their SWITCH promo, which gets you two free audiobooks when you join. And for members, they’re hosting their first-ever members-only BOGO sale, where you get two audiobooks for one credit. Yes, that means if you join now, you can technically get THREE free audiobooks, wowza. (FYI, those are affiliate links.)

I posted a Reel with my top picks from the BOGO sale yesterday, and stay tuned, because next week I’ll also be partnering up with them to give away TEN free copies of my “favorite” audiobook (alas, they forced me to choose just one, which is just cruel and unusual, but I love them so I’ll let it slide).

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As always, thanks for sharing your corner of the internet with me! It would mean a lot if you were to take a second to like this post. I’d love to hear about something you’ve loved or done lately in the comments, too.

Finally, if you like this newsletter, please send a few friends my way.

See you on Instagram!

— Deedi (she/her)