Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week. 

Happy First Friday of the semester! The beginning of the semester is generally a time where positivity and morale is at an all-time high. I mean, you get to see your friends (or make new friends), enjoy campus events, and ease into your course work. It’s a sunny calm before the stresses of the semester set in. For our first installment of Weekend Recs of the semester, we want to keep the good vibes going. Enjoy your weekend, Wildcats!

If you have 15 minutes…and want to know the secret to happiness, read this article from the New York Times. Hint: there is no secret or easy hack to attaining happiness, but Matthieu Ricard, deemed the happiest man in the world, might just help put some things into perspective.

If you have 30 minutes…and need to channel some positive energy, attend our Mindfulness Monday session. It may not be over the weekend, but it is a great opportunity to take some time to prioritize self-care.

Photo by Iqbal farooz

If you have 45 minutes…and need something to snack on, stop by Food Truck Fridays at Connelly Circle starting at 7 p.m. What’s better than getting good food with your friends?

If you have 1 hour and 2 minutes…and want some chill music to relax, listen to Hozier’s new album Unreal Unearth. It might just be that I’m a Hozier fan, but this album makes me want to enjoy some peaceful time outside.

If you have 1 hour and 44 minutes…and want to unwind with a silly movie, watch The Lego Batman Movie, available online through Falvey. If you want to check out what other movies Falvey has to offer, you can search our DVD Collection or the Villanova Digital Campus selection.

Bonus: if you need (arguably) the perfect back-to-school movie to get you pumped, watch Legally Blonde, available online through Falvey.

If you have 8 hours…and are feeling productive, read The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work. It might just help you throughout the rest of the semester.

Annie Stockmal is a graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.