Weekly Recs: Poolside reads, a really great top, and bits from my camera roll

And a first look at our kitchen renovation project (!), including a dazzling marble moment.

May 16, 2025

∙ Paid

Welcome back to the weekly Friday roundup at Downtime.

Hi and happy Friday! How was your week? After a quick trip away (more details on that below), this week was all about getting back into the swing of routine, so I’m feeling pretty good. Today’s email is quite long, so please click the web version link if it gets cut off. Enjoy! –Alisha

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This Week’s Things

Five good things worth mentioning…

1 // Some deeply necessary R&R—and a perfect poolside read

We snuck away to Tampa for a few days, and I did something radical: sat by a pool for five hours solo and read. (Bliss.) I tore through Set Piece by Lana Schwartz, the latest romance novella from 831 Stories, and dare I say… it’s my favorite one yet? It follows a set designer who meets an up-and-coming actor, only to cross paths again years later when he’s a full-blown star and she’s juggling a career and a toddler. It’s set in LA, sprinkled with old Hollywood references, and while one major plot point had me raising an eyebrow, I was fully charmed regardless. A+ vacation companion.

2 // Joy-sparking flower of the week: the humble geranium

I forgot how charming geraniums are. Their hues are unbelievably vibrant and are a welcome sight in the summer heat when many other flowers are just at the end of their best blooms. Like little technicolor fireworks in flower form. I saw this happy bunch while roaming Tampa. Adding this flower mentally to my growing list to plant once our kitchen project is over and I can start tackling our outdoor space!

Other Tampa delights included Spanish moss in the trees, a paloma-esque drink by the pool, and the charming 19th-century Gilded Age architecture at the University of Tampa.

3 // A must-visit gem in Tampa

If you ever find yourself in Tampa, please pencil in a visit to Oxford Exchange—a swoony little universe where bookstore meets coffee shop meets champagne bar (yes, all three). The space itself is grand in a way that makes you sit up straighter, but not so grand you can’t loiter with a latte. I spent a blissful hour there poking around and doing an aggressive sniff test of their very legit Trudon candle collection. I tend to avoid floral scents, but Joséphine—with notes of rose, jasmine, camellia, and iris—won me over. Consider me a floral convert (for now).

4 // An easy, floaty top

I love a summery, trapeze-style top in the spring and summer, which pairs easily with jeans and sandals. I was gifted this eyelet top* from the UK brand ALIGNE, and love it! There’s a similar one from Doen here that had been on my wishlist, but I think this one does the job well so I’ve ticked it off. (Here’s yet another version from Madewell, under $90).

5 // The world’s most charming nightlight shade

Excuse me but??? This little shade?? A nightlight shade??? It’s comically small, stupidly cute, and destined for our daughter’s room where it will almost certainly upstage everything else. I found it on Etsy—same seller I mentioned last week, clearly on a roll.

Recommendations, please: What are your favorite coffee table books?

I had the best time browsing the coffee table book section at Oxford Exchange—truly a peak dopamine moment. Their curation was spot-on: art, interiors, travel… the kind of books that make you want to host a dinner party and rearrange your whole living room. I wanted to take home an armful. So now, I’m curious..

Do you have any stunning coffee table books you recommend—or any that are on your wishlist? Please share with the group!

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