A big hello to all the new followers who just discovered Not-Ship. Happy to have you! This edition is a bit different; it's the last regularly scheduled newsletter for a few weeks. I'm taking a much-needed vacation, but I'll be back at the end of August. I hope some time off is coming up for you, too. Thanks for reading!
💙 Amanda
There's something insidious about creating your own thing: You think you can't take a break.
With Not-Ship, there's no one to tell me I've earned a vacation, and no one to pick up the slack when I'm away. This is all reinforced by a stream of so-called experts who say a short content hiatus will slow growth and erode audience trust.
But, I need a breather. And so I'm taking one.
I've said from the beginning that I'm building Not-Ship to be here for the long term. Achieving that kind of sustainability means protecting my one employee — hi! It's me!
So, I'll be pausing Not-Ship's weekly dispatch until the end of August. However, a lot of that time I'll still be working for you. A weekly publishing schedule doesn't leave much room for deeper investigations, long-term planning and website upgrades — that's what I'll use the next few weeks for.
Being self-employed means no legally mandated time off. If I worked for someone else, I'd be entitled to 28 paid vacation days since I live in the UK. Honestly, that's not bad. It's low for Europe, but it's great compared to where I used to work: Canada and the US.
Most countries provide between 20 and 40 paid days off
Statutory holidays for each country include paid public holidays and paid annual leave days.
These numbers include both paid annual leave and national holidays. Ninety-three percent of countries fall between 20 and 40 days off, while the world average is 30 days. With zero legally mandated paid days off, the US keeps up with its tradition of being a statistical exception.
These data are from Moorepay, a British HR company. Based on its methodology, I feel relatively confident about its accuracy. However, a similar data set from another organization has a few differences. In particular, a few small island nations are similar to the US — no paid days off.
Anyways, what do I get from these data? My long-standing jealousy of the French still holds.
I'm ready for my vacation. See you in a few weeks!
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS — UPDATED!
In June I published the Not-Ship mega summer reading list. Today, it's updated! I've added a few hundred recommendations from places that didn't have their lists up earlier. We're now at 1,272 recommendations for 908 unique titles.
Use the dropdown below to see all the books. Beneath each title you'll find a list of the publications that suggested it; click on one to read the recommendation. Happy reading!
A note on the data
I collected all the book titles and authors myself, but asked AI (Claude) to do two things: Assign a genre to each, and date them. I spot-checked enough to trust the broad strokes, but a date or two may be off.
BEFORE YOU GO ...
A heads up: Not-Ship won't publish in August — but I'll be hard at work on things you'll benefit from when it's back. So I won't be pausing subscriptions. But if that doesn't work for you, just reply and I'll halt your August payment.
An apology: Not-Ship is a weekly publication. And since launching ten months ago, it has been in your inbox each week without fail. Well ... until last week. Turns out a one-Amanda show doesn't come with sick days. Sorry for the silence, and thanks for understanding.
And a nudge: If Not-Ship has earned its keep in your inbox, consider tossing something in the tip jar, or becoming a paid subscriber. I promise only a little bit will go to mojitos.
FROM ELSEWHERE
Here's what I found interesting, important or delightful this week:
Strangers, at 1:17am. An earthquake hit Türkiye in 2023, and the free map of Kahramanmaraş held just 961 buildings. By evening, 176 strangers worldwide were tracing rooftops so rescuers would know where to dig. Akash Wadhwani charted what the internet did that week.
There's a museum for it. Interested in the history of David Hasselhoff? Want to know more about lunch boxes? James Lees and his map of the world's weird museums has got you covered.
Draw first, then dazzle. Fernando Baptista turns months of research into National Geographic's cutaway ships, sculpted saber-tooth cats, and stop-motion Trajan's Columns. In this interview, he breaks down his pencil-to-Photoshop process.
Amused orange. In April, I wrote about the feelings associated with colours. Feeling inspired, Not-Ship reader Edward Zavertyaev turned the data into a colour wheel of emotion.
MORE NOT-SHIP
America isn’t exceptional — it’s the exception
America has self-importance in abundance. What it lacks is the data to back it up.
Amanda Shendruk
Nothing new here: Another sequel, another lighthouse
Movies, music, everything feels the same. It’s not your imagination.
Not-ShipAmanda Shendruk
Schools are closed, records are broken. Let’s talk heatwaves.
The data are clear — extremely hot days are on the rise.
Not-ShipAmanda Shendruk
