Read an excerpt of my new book 🎉
Plus, a chance to see me on tour with Normal Gossip & Petty Crimes!
Writing Prompt:
Today, magical overthinkers, we’re writing odes 🪶 To throw it back to something you probably learned in high school English glass, an ode is a lyrical poem that praises or pays tribute to something or someone.
Write a rhyming ode (let’s say two 4-line stanzas, ending in a couplet) that glorifies your favorite beverage. Here’s a little couplet from me to get your mind jogging. Forgive the slant rhyme!
My mornings would certainly turn to tornados
If not for my heavenly iced oat cortados
A chapter of TAOMO was excerpted in this month’s print issue of Marie Claire, on stands now!!
It’s the chapter titled, “The Life-Changing Magic of Becoming a Mediocre Crafter: A note on the Ikea effect.” Here’s the first paragraph. To read the rest, pick up a copy!!
A therapist in a large beaded necklace once told me over video chat that in order to yank your attention into the present, you’re supposed to do things with your hands. “Watercolors, card tricks, any hands-on hobby,” she said, her kind eyes squinting glitchily over Zoom. I winced at the suggestion, as a sentiment from my hometown hero John Waters leapt to mind: “The only insult I’ve ever received in my adult life was when someone asked me, ‘Do you have a hobby?’ A HOBBY?! DO I LOOK LIKE A FUCKING DABBLER?!” I wanted to sneer, but then I remembered: Nora Ephron loved to cook. Michelle Obama has her knitting. Greta Thunberg allegedly cross-stitches for relaxation between climate justice meetings with presidents. None of it is what they’re known for, but it’s what they love. What they do with their hands. “A hobby,” I told the therapist. “I’ll think on it.”
I’m doing a panel at the LA Times Festival of Books on April 20th.
It’s basically literary Coachella, and I am HONORED to be included, especially alongside such legends. I’m doing a panel on Saturday 4/20 at noon called “This is Your Brain on Art: Cultural Critics Speak on Life, Art & Society” with Adriana E. Ramírez, Claire Dederer, Myriam Gurba, and Geoffrey Mak. Check out the rest of the festival lineup here!
Babe, wake up and get your tickets to see me on tour with Normal Gossip and Petty Crimes!!!
As a part of my book tour, I’m putting on three ~exclusive~ variety shows, where you can celebrate with me and some of your favorite podcast hosts. There will be musical guests and drag performances, limited edition merch, drinks, and moreeeeeee! Get your tickets now or else :)
April 12: Brooklyn, NY — feat. Ceara & Griff from Petty Crimes (tickets here) *use discount code CULTMAGIC at checkout*
April 13: Boston, MA — feat. Sasha Sagan and Meredith Goldstein (tickets here)
April 16: Philadelphia, PA — feat. Kelsey McKinney from Normal Gossip (tickets here)
TAOMO is one of the most pre-ordered audiobooks of spring 2024!
I absolutely love reading different readers’ and reporters’ summaries of the book, because it seems to mean something slightly different to everyone. In this BookRiot roundup, Kendra Winchester says, “In her signature combination of wit and humor, Amanda Montell examines how society’s belief in magical thinking is more common than we might think. Whether we call it manifesting or the power of positive thought, all of us have tried to wish our hopes, dreams, and desires into existence.”
It’s also recommended by both Men’s Health and The Everygirl, so apparently we’re resonating across the gender spectrum lol.
This week’s Sounds Like A Cult is a DELIGHT, if I may say so.
Ahoy, and welcome to our first ever "Interview a Listener" episode of Sounds Like A Cult!!! Could you imagine a more tantalizing subject for this week's ~dive deep~ than this gazillion-dollar industry of floating compounds where the lines between leisure and obsession blur worse than a Carnival cruiser's vision after 12 "free" Mai Tais?? Joining the pod as my guest host is Sounds Like A Cult devotee/former long-time cruise ship employee (she's fine) Emmy McGreeghan, who went positively overboard as she divulged the culty consumerism, hierarchies, exploitation, hedonistic lawlessness, and psychological tricks cruise companies use on their acolytes to turn a simple holiday into an almost religious experience. I mean, has anyone heard of the NINE MONTH CRUISE??? So much to discuss—hope you enjoy (and possibly rethink your next floating vacation). The episode drops tomorrow at 2am PT/5am ET.
A weekly roundup of books, podcasts, TV shows, tchotchkes, and anything else I’m currently “cult following.”
FILM: STILL
This Emmy Award-winning documentary about the life of actor Michael J. Fox came out last year and earned a 99% Rotten Tomatoes score for a damn good reason. Did anyone else have a major crush on this guy growing up??? I was a little young to understand the magnitude of Michael J. Fox’s influence in Hollywood and how much his Parkinson’s diagnosis really affected his ability to perform. Ugh, his life’s story is so heart-rending. Michael is ridiculously endearing as a person, and I really look up to his relationship with his wife, too. And the film is so cleverly edited! I watched it two weeks ago and still can’t stop thinking about it.
BOOK: EASY BEAUTY
My audiobook director for The Age of Magical Overthinking actually recommended this book to me—she directed this author’s audiobook too, and apparently she was an incredible narrator. It’s a memoir of disability and self-concept written by philosopher, Chloé Cooper Jones; I’m currently half-way through the paperback and really admire the author’s ability to blend personal narrative with critical analysis. Anyone who’s read my work will know I love that kind of thing! The writing here is really unique—it’s no wonder the book was such a smash hit.
GAME: WAVELENGTH
I play this iPhone game with my family whenever I go home to visit, and it is invariably a hoot. The way it works is you’re presented with a series of spectrums that have various themes (a really simple one would be “hot to cold,” but they also get silly, like “good cereal to bad cereal” or “Christmas is ruined to jingle all the way”). Then the app randomly selects a point along the spectrum and your task is to name something that the others in the group would guess falls exactly at that point. You’ll get what I mean as soon as you play. The game always sparks ample guffawing and debating, and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fun group activity!!
UNNECESSARY PURCHASE: RITUEL DE FILLE INNER GLOW CRÈME
This is my favorite cream blush! I wear it every day. It’s easy to blend, but stays all day. Idk, sometimes people comment on my makeup, so I thought I’d share!