No F*cks Given® Newsletter | 3.3.25
Kennedys, coffee makers, and a very worthy cause
Here we are again, my fabulous fucklings: the monthly-ish NFG Newsletter roundup is upon us! Per usual it contains great deals, fun links, book recs, and random AF musings from me to you.
What’s up?
Well folks, I am pleased to report that 2025 is already better than 2024, at least from where I sit. I mean, it’s definitely also got a “What new fresh hell awaits each day?” kind of vibe going on, but at least inside my brain, things are going a bit more smoothly.
And for that, I am grateful!
Plus: the days are getting longer; several prestige TV shows that I love have emerged with new seasons; I went on not one but two catamaran trips in February (GODDAMN I LOVE A BOAT DAY); I’ve been on a good reading streak (more on that below); and I’m even making slow-but-steady progress on a new project that I’m not ready to talk about yet, but when I am, you’ll be the first to know.
In the meantime, check out this BIG F’ING DEAL on my personal favorite of all my No F*cks Given® Guides…
NFG DEALS
You Do You is 50% off in hardcover from Amazon US. What?! That’s even cheaper than the ebook edition! I don’t know how long this deal will last, but if you enjoyed posts such THIS ONE or THIS ONE, then I think you’ll really dig You Do You.
What else?
As you probably know if you’ve been on my list for a while, I live in a small fishing village-slash-expat enclave in the Dominican Republic. For the last nine years, my husband and I have supported Dominican Joe Kids, a local charitable organization focused on using education to break the cycle of poverty and create opportunity for our students and their families.
Today, we serve more than 250 kids who would not otherwise have had a school to attend, and we’ve seen several of our students graduate from high school and go on to college (!!!) with the ongoing support of the foundation.
In fact, we’re just about to host our annual “Get Away & Give” fundraising weekend, with the goal of sponsoring every student AND securing funds to outright purchase the land for our new school.
But then this past Saturday, we were hit with a terrible blow when our current elementary school building burned down.
Nobody was hurt, but with the loss of that one building, we lost 40% of our classroom space, as well as all the desks and chairs and books and materials inside. This is devastating for the kids, and we want to get them back to school as swiftly and safely as possible, above and beyond trying to meet our original fundraising goals for the year.
To that end, if you’re looking to do a good deed today, please consider a donation to Dominican Joe Kids. Thank you!
(Check out DJK on Instagram to see more of what we do, footage of the fire, and information on how to get involved.)
NFG NEWS
Well, well, well…the Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck movie is still alive at New Line, who’ve asked for another extension while the screenwriters finish another draft. Fingers crossed that they come up with something undeniably fucking amazing in April!
Book recommendations
As longtime subscribers know, I was a book editor myself for fifteen years and I like to shout-out my recent favorite reads. I don’t take requests or PR trades or anything like that; whatever I recommend is because I truly enjoyed it and think other people will too.
Fiction:
Vantage Point by Sara Sligar. Whoa. I heard about this book from Jessica Knoll on Instagram (Jess is the author of a few terrific novels in this same vein: Luckiest Girl Alive and Bright Young Women among them), and if she was gushing about it, I knew it would be up my alley. If your alley, too, is dark and devious and fucked up and extremely well written, then I highly recommend it—though beware, trigger warnings aplenty.
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson. I saw somebody dumping on this series recently and I thought Who hurt you? Different strokes for different folks, of course, but I’ve read a LOT of funny mysteries and “meta” crime novels and none of them have been as amusing (to me), as intricately plotted, and as satisfying as these, by Australian comedian Benjamin Stevenson. Just a fun ride all around.
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. Confession: I had never read the Dan Brown behemoth bestseller until last week. I know, it’s hard to believe I made it through a career as a thriller editor in the 2000’s without doing so, although to be fair I was busy reading 700 submissions a year and editing my own authors’ books five times over, which did not leave a lot of room for ye olde pleasure reading. As for The DVC? I definitely see what the fuss was about. I liked it, didn’t love it, but as a “puzzle thriller” and mini education in the history of the Catholic Church (spoiler: full of baddies), it was a good romp.
(I also accidentally re-read Disclaimer by Renee Knight, which started feeling awfully familiar about halfway through. At first, I couldn’t figure out how Kindle would have allowed me to buy it twice; then I realized that I’d read the novel for the first time way back when it was in manuscript form—see above: 700 submissions a year—so no wonder I was a little rusty on the details. Oopsie.)
Nonfiction:
American Bulk: Essays on Excess by Emily Mester. I ordered this book immediately after reading an interview with the author on
’s Culture Study (link below). A collection of linked essays around the theme of overconsumption—from shopping to eating to hoarding, and more—this one hit me ha-ard in a lot of my own personal “pain points.” The essay on shopping with her compulsively acquisitional father at Costco every Sunday growing up was stellar.Half-Arse Human: How to Live Better Without Burning Out by
. I’ve followed Leena on social media for years and years and was delighted to learn she had a new book coming out right after my no-f*cks-given heart. It’s so important for people—yes, especially women—to model healthy behavior when it comes to the dangers of ambition and striving and perfectionism and overwork and burnout, and to understand what it costs us and why it doesn’t have to be this way. Leena goes a step further and shows you how to think differently and take back your life. She’s great and you can find her and the book HERE.Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed by Maureen Callahan. Apologies for bringing the mood down with this one, but HOLY SHIT. If Dan Brown confirmed what I always knew about the Catholic Church, Maureen Callahan has educated me in ways I never imagined about the rotten core of the Kennedy dynasty, and how it metastasized throughout the generations and to this very day. I mean, wow. I’m a pretty smart, well-informed cookie, and I knew some of this stuff, but most of it has been a revelation—and a testament to how far the family has gone to whitewash their image and how badly America wants to believe in its own version of a royal family.
THE RETURN OF NFG LINKS & LIKES!
I haven’t done one of this in a while, so here’s a quick roundup of stuff I’ve especially enjoyed of late—in no particular order and, as always, random AF:
The ZUTTO 5-cup coffee maker from Japanese company Zojirushi. The brilliant design keeps the tank clean and coffee-free; it’s so easy to clean and doesn’t drip all over the place, I just love this lil guy.
“An incomplete list of what is and what is not writing,” by
RECENT POSTS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
On perfectionism:
On boundaries:
On coping with it all:
Aaaaand that’ll do it for today. As always, thank you for supporting my No F*cks Given® empire (LOL) by reading my ridiculous newsletter—and until next time: I see you, I appreciate you, and I sincerely hope you’re out there giving fewer, better fucks and living your best life!
Sarah
PS: And EXTRA-SPECIAL THANKS to anyone who is able to donate to help us rebuild the Dominican Joe school. The entire community is so grateful for your support.
I f*cking loved Vantage Point.