A Year In Recommendations

The best things we read, listened to, watched and bought in 2022 -- in no particular order.

This is the free edition of Rich Text, a newsletter about cultural obsessions from your Internet BFFs Emma and Claire. If you like what you see and hear, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Annual subscriptions are 20% off until the end of the year! Rich Text is a reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!

As we head into 2023 — the promise! the terror! the sameness! — we wanted to take a look back at the cultural products, physical products and food products we loved in 2022. Things don’t define a year, but in so many little ways all of these things defined parts of ours. We laughed, we cried, we sat with our thoughts, and we bought some beautiful, practical, nice-smelling things.

Enjoy your New Year’s Eve, friends. We’ll see you on the other side. Xo

We Read…

Gabrielle Zevin’s sweeping novel, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.” Normally hearing the word “gaming” in conjunction with the description of a book would be an automatic no for me. But after hearing multiple people wax poetic about this novel, which follows the decades-long friendship of Sadie and Sam, who meet as children at a Los Angeles hospital in the early ‘90s, and go on to forge a creative partnership during their college days, along with Sam’s beautiful roommate Marx, and emerge as powerhouses in video game design. As the years part, they face the mundane challenges of creative partnership, as well as the fallouts of the world changing and personal tragedy. Zevin is such a deftly talented writer, she brings the reader inside of the minds of these characters, explores their alienation, their grief, their love and the meaning they derive from creative labor. I laughed and sobbed while reading this book, and I was left wanting more. -Emma

Elin Hilderbrand. How I had gone this long without diving into the world of Hilderbrand’s breezy, captivating Nantucket series I have no idea. But when I was on vacation at the end of the summer, I tore through “The Hotel Nantucket” and “The Perfect Couple,” and they were everything I wanted and more. -Emma

“Harlem Shuffle” by Colson Whitehead. This was the book that brought me into 2022, and though it turned out to be a rough and intermittent reading year, it was a wonderful way to start. Whitehead is always worth reading, and his latest novel is a richly textured portrait of a man caught not only between his crooked family – not to mention his driving ambition – and his resolution to live a respectable life. A Black small business owner trying to make his way in 1960s Harlem, he’s forever trying to find a clean path through the maze of racism, good ol’ boy networks, denied opportunities and extra hurdles that entangles him. -Claire

“Elsewhere” by Alexis Schaitkin. A dreamy, eerie novel set in a mysterious mountain town where mothers disappear, “Elsewhere” made me feel like I was floating in a clear lake. The narrator, a young woman whose own mother – like many mothers in the community – vanished into the air when she was a child, desperately wants to lull herself and her audience into a comfortable acceptance of the town’s special secret. She becomes a mother herself and must contend with the constant fear that her mothering, whether inept or careless or too consuming, will mark her out for magical disappearance; meanwhile, she grows fascinated with a strange woman who has stumbled upon their town but refuses to be absorbed into it. It’s a gorgeous allegorical depiction of how mothers are simultaneously surveilled and invisible. -Claire

New York Magazine’s deep dive into “nepo babies.” Vulture’s Nate Jones wrote a feature that properly catalogs our collective obsession with and scorn for nepotism babies, specifically within the upper echelons of the entertainment industry. It is extremely well-written and makes a compelling case for why this phenomenon that has been visible for decades struck a particular nerve in 2022. -Emma

“Nevada” by Imogen Binnie. The cult classic novel was reissued this year, and when I found out it was one of Torrey Peters’ influences, I knew I had to read it. Maria, a trans woman who works at an unnamed (but very identifiable) indie bookstore in New York, is in crisis. She loathes the people she works for; she loves her girlfriend, with whom she lives, but is too emotionally blocked to really feel anything toward her except obligation. She’s self-destructive, sick of her own trauma and neuroses, and desperate for some form of oblivion. When her relationship and job fall apart, she “borrows” her ex’s car and takes off on a cross-country road trip. The book is prickly and provocative, resistant to preachiness, and yet deeply felt and illuminating. -Claire

Jennifer Egan’s “The Candy House,” her follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize-winning 2011 novel “A Visit From The Goon Squad.” Goon Squad was one of my absolute favorite books, which I read in a book club of other young women a year after moving to New York City. It deals with themes of alienation, technology, and the passage of time – themes which Candy House revists, but in an updated form, appropriate to the decade of technological change that had passed. Egan is such a masterful world builder, deploying little bits of information in one part of the book that pay off much later. It is a gorgeous read. -Emma

Joanne Greenberg’s 1964 classic, “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.” Reissued this year with a forward from our friend Esmé Weijun Wang, “Rose Garden” offers a window into the brutalities – and also, perversely, the possibilities – of mid-century American mental health treatment. Based on Greenberg’s own teenage experiences at a psychiatric hospital, it follows 16-year-old Deborah as she recovers from schizophrenia through grueling months of psychoanalysis, cold packs, and restraint. Though it’s a story of recovery, it’s unsparing in its depictions of her mental distress as she falls in and out of the thrall of her Miltonic inner fantasy world, Yr, and of the immense suffering, futile treatments, and relapse cycle endured by most of the patients. -Claire 

“Either/Or,” the sequel to Elif Batuman’s novel “The Idiot.” Did you like “The Idiot”? Obviously you should read “Either/Or.” Have you not read “The Idiot”? If you enjoy witty coming-of-age novels about brainy but anxious young women, do yourself a favor and read both. “Either/Or” picks up right where “The Idiot” left off, with Harvard freshman Selin wondering where she stands with Ivan, a Hungarian math student who has engaged in odd intellectual flirtations with her all year without ever taking things further. She’s now headed into sophomore year, while he’s leaving for grad school across the country – and meanwhile, she’s turned her academic focus from linguistics to literature, giving her a new lens to consider her position as a woman scorned. -Claire

“Cult Classic” by Sloane Crosley centers on 30-something magazine editor Lola, who in the midst of a bout of ambivalence with everything in her life – including her sweet, reliable fiance – begins running into all of her exes in quick nightly succession. She soon learns that these coincidences are anything but. They are a social experiment orchestrated by her former boss who is now a guru/potential cult leader. The novel has plotlines that feel fantastical, but the setup is almost less important than the observations Lola makes as she reflects on her current relationship and the ones that could have been or never should have been. It also provides plenty of space for Crosley to make sharp observations about the fundamentally depressing nature of being a straight woman. When thinking about dating, Lola observes that there are “so many bloodless creatures who wanted all my blood, who offered nothing of themselves in return.” Brutal and affecting. -Emma

We Listened To…

Our bud Kelsey McKinney’s hit podcast, “Normal Gossip.” What is there left to say about this perfect piece of audio culture from McKinney and producer Alex Sujong Laughlin? The guests! The juicy stories! The deft uncovering of the way that gossip travels, changes and functions in our culture! This show really has it all. -Emma & Claire

“Celebrity Memoir Book Club,” which very much gives me celebrity memoir recaps with all the snark, speculation, and personal judgment I crave. Ashley and Claire’s review of Matthew Perry’s book was immensely satisfying; I will admit to preferring episodes about books or celebs that they do not care for. -Claire 

Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” (3am Edition) on repeat. Yes yes, I know that it’s basic as hell to recommend Taylor Swift. And yet…this album truly provided a good chunk of my end-of-year soundtrack. It’s defiant and properly poppy, equally great for a TikTok soundbite or an hours-long drive. I unabashedly love this album. -Emma

The 2022 season of the “Articles of Interest” podcast about American Ivy style. I learned so much about what we now consider “classic Americana” style by listening to this seven-episode deep dive by host Avery Trufelman. “Ivy” or “preppy” or “classic” style, whatever you want to call it, has a fascinatingly rich history, which includes the essential contributions of Jewish immigrants and Japanese menswear designers. It really made me look differently at Oxford shirts and well-tailored suits. -Emma

“If Books Could Kill,” a new podcast about the pernicious influence of pop nonfiction airport books, hosted by Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri. They read “Freakonomics” so I never have to! It’s funny, scathing, informative, and wildly entertaining. -Claire

“Sweet Bobby,” an investigative podcast from Tortoise Media about Kirat Assi, a London woman who was victimized by a sophisticated catfisher for eight years – who turned out to be her cousin. Rather than letting those of us who have not been victimized by such a scam distance ourselves and gawk at Assi, Sweet Bobby forces us to consider how we could easily be her. (This came out in 2021, but I listened to it in 2022, so I think it counts for the purposes of this list.) -Emma

“Maintenance Phase,” the Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes pod that skewers wellness culture with research, methodology and plenty of humor. I would truly listen to anything that these two had to say or wanted to talk about, but the research and candor and thought that they put into these episodes is so incredible. My favorites included their two-parter on calories and the ones where they skewer men like Jordan Peterson and Pete Evans. -Emma

We Bought… 

Candles. So many candles! My way of nesting this fall and winter has been to make my home smell like the upstate cabin coziness I crave. But I am pretty picky when it comes to scents. They can’t be too strong, but I want them to fill my home. I’d like them to be woodsy and slightly sweet, but not too sweet. After all of my candle testing, I have found my four favorites for the cozy season: (1) the Apotheke Charcoal candle, (2) the NEST New York Charcoal Woods candle, (3) the Homestedt Winter in the Catskills candle, and (4) the Dance Candles Upstate candle. -Emma

The East Fork mug. Truly the mug of my dreams, it turns every morning cup of coffee into an indulgent moment. It’s the perfect size, with the perfect chunky four-finger handle and a perfectly substantial weight in the hand. The glaze is as soft to the touch as a baby’s cheek. -Claire

The perfect layerable plain t-shirt. I have searched high and low for a reasonably priced, well-weighted, opaque, oversized but not *too* oversized t-shirt and I finally found it in the Bombas Cotton Crewneck Split Hem T-Shirt. It’s easy to tuck into trousers and drapes beautifully. I bought this tee in black, and I think I may need to go back and purchase it in navy and white. -Emma

UGGs. They’re back, baby! And frankly I am so delighted. They are simply extremely cozy and warm, and the newer styles feel a bit more chic and versatile than the ones I had back in 2007. I snagged a pair of the chestnut Neumel Zip Suede Booties which are sold out most places, but still in stock in some sizes at Neiman Marcus. I also love the Tezza suede platforms and the Neumel Heritage Platform Booties, which are still in stock at Dillard’s. -Emma

Tradlands Paloma pants. They’re breezy. They’re billowy. They can be dressed up or down (in my opinion). They’re the spring-to-fall pant you don’t even have to think about: you know you’ll be comfortable and living your best coastal grandmother life if you slip them on. I resisted getting the olive before the color was discontinued and now I feel only regret. Try these pants! -Claire

The absolute best eyeliner. This is not an exaggeration. I have tried a lot of eyeliners in my day, both liquid and pencil, and the Valentino Twin Liner Gel and Liquid Eyeliner is unparalleled. I would never have purchased a $40 eyeliner if not told to do so by my friend Liv, but I haven’t had to replace it yet and it just goes on so smoothly. My cat eye has been on point, and when I want to go more subtle, the gel liner is super useful. 10/10! Will be repurchasing when this one runs out. -Emma

Megababe The Smoothie Deo. I switched to a natural deodorant (no antiperspirant) this year and have not looked back for even a second. It’s expensive, but comes with a ton of product and lasts forever; more importantly, it makes me smell better than any conventional deodorant I’ve ever used. -Claire 

My ideal black leggings. The Girlfriend Collective luxe leggings are soft as lambskin; they have a gentle luster, but not the plasticky shine of workout gear; they boast the perfect high-rise waist that never rolls down; they’re thick and compressive enough to work as pants, but not suffocating. When I got a pair in the cropped length, which hit my ankle at just the right spot, my life was complete. -Claire

The multi-use hair tool of my dreams. The Shark version of the Dyson Airwrap is one of the best things I’ve ever bought. I’m hopeless at styling my hair – and my hair takes forever to dry – so this dryer/straightener/curler is a godsend. It’s pretty simple to use, and it’s also less than half of the price of the Dyson equivalent. -Emma

A YouSwim bikini. I held out for a year before splurging on the cult favorite swimsuit, which is made with a crinkle-knit fabric meant to stretch to a range of sizes. I got the Poise high-waisted bikini in navy, and was delighted with how comfortable and classic it was. It’s been years since I thought so little about a bathing suit after putting it on. -Claire

The splurge-worthy sparkly bag I’ll be using for years to come. I don’t know if it’s just that we’ve been in and out of pandemic land for years, but this winter I have been desperately craving more sparkle in my wardrobe. I had been lusting for months after Cult Gaia’s gorgeous embellished handbags, but they are *expensive* so I could not bring myself to buy one. But then I found the Mirai Embellished Shoulder bag in a gorgeous crystal blue 60 percent off on Moda Operandi. So, reader… I bought it. And I’m in love. -Emma

Merit Beauty’s The Minimalist and Clean Lash. I became a fan of the whole Merit line early this year, which is (as advertised) easy and quick to apply, offers decent coverage, and wears very well on my oily skin. I particularly love the foundation/concealer stick and the tubing mascara, which I firmly believe makes me look like I have very natural lash extensions. Please do not tell me that I do not look like I have lash extensions; I will not accept it. -Claire

A perfect weekly planner for someone who will never be more than slightly organized. This slim Rifle Paper Co. planner did not, as I initially dreamed, make me incredibly organized. But I did use it so consistently that I got another one for 2023. It’s pretty, doesn’t take up too much room on my desk, but still has ample space to make to-do lists for each week and day. It made me… 15% more organized. I’ll take it. -Claire

We Watched… 

“Everything Everywhere All At Once,” a beautiful movie about mother-daughter relationships and the multiverse. When this movie, which stars Michelle Yeoh as a Chinese-American immigrant who gets pulled into parallel versions of her life in order to save the multiverse from being destroyed, first came out in the spring, I treated myself to a solo movie date to see it. I’ve only been  in a movie theater three times since March 2020, and it was so worth it for this gorgeous film. -Emma

“Yellowjackets,” a Showtime drama that tested the limits of our squeamishness. It flashes between two timelines – 1996, when the plane carrying a state champion high school girls’ soccer team crashes in the Ontario wilderness, and present day, as the surviving teammates try to put the trauma and rumors of cannibalism behind them. It’s a nostalgic ‘90s mood board, a barbed ode to female friendship (with all its passions and cruelties), and a slow-burn thriller. Plus, Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, and Juliette Lewis are divine. -Claire

“White Lotus” season 2. Bow down to Mike White. Where season 1 explored themes of class and money, season two dove into sex and the power dynamics it facilitates and exposes. Ever since the brilliant finale, I haven’t stopped thinking about its overall thesis, which seemed to argue for the power and necessity of transactional sex, even within the context of a long term relationship. I also absolutely loved that in a somewhat rose-colored twist on the normal narrative formula, the sex workers were the ones who came out on top, properly compensated for their labor, walking arm in arm in a city full of friends and opportunity. So much to unpack. Can’t wait for season 3. -Emma

“The Rehearsal,” Nathan Fielder’s unsettling HBO docuseries. Like his previous show, “Nathan for You,” it relies on Fielder’s comically awkward attempts to connect with strangers – but this time, instead of offering unhinged advice to failing small businesses, he’s offering to help people prepare for uncomfortable conversations and experiences by guiding them through endless, meticulous rehearsals. It’s funny but not really a comedy, and is, in fact, increasingly disturbing as the series goes on, evolving into an extended rumination on the nature of human connection, which carries with it both unavoidable risk and immeasurable reward, and the meaning of a life well-lived. -Claire

“Severance,” the Apple+ show that made people think… hmmm… maybe I should sign up for another streaming service? The great battle of innies vs. outies allowed viewers to explore the absolute mundane horror of corporate work culture and hustle culture and late-stage capitalism. I am absolutely waiting on tenterhooks for its second season. -Emma

“Abbott Elementary,” the first excellent network sitcom in a minute. A single-cam workplace comedy in the vein of “The Office” and “Parks and Rec,” it’s set in a Philadelphia public elementary school and effortlessly mines both hilarity and sharp social commentary from the constant struggles of its underpaid, underfunded, underappreciated teachers. Quinta Brunson is a genius. -Claire

“Fleishman Is In Trouble.” I know that this show got some mixed reviews for how it meanders and how it relies too much on the source material rather than really maximizing for the TV medium. And yet… and yet… and yet. Maybe it’s just that I turned 35 and I’m Jewish and I spent a gap year in Israel after high school, and thus I can see pieces of myself in all of the characters in this book/show. Or maybe it’s just that I love Lizzy Caplan and Claire Danes and Adam Brody and Jesse Eisenberg. Or maybe that it has something truly profound and depressing and hopeful all at the same time about aging, especially as a woman. Either way, this show hit something very tender inside of me. -Emma

“Station Eleven.” If you missed the HBO adaptation of the Emily St. John Mandel pandemic novel centering on a traveling Shakespeare troupe, watch it before it gets yanked from HBO Max. It’s an exceptional adaptation, from the way it neatly resolves some plot threads left dangling in the book to its staggering performances. It’s a deeply human post-apocalyptic story, perhaps even more so than the book, mingling frankness about our capacity for disaster and destruction with an insistence on the undying power of art, meaning-making, and even love. If I hear a few notes of the folky, symphonic score, I start weeping. I’m actually weeping right now just remembering it. What a show. -Claire

“Minx,” a fun and somewhat silly period dramedy about an uptight, bougie writer (Ophelia Lovibond) whose only option for publishing her incendiary feminist magazine is a seedy porn magazine purveyor (Jake Johnson). Season 2 was reportedly finished when HBO canceled the show, and I will not know peace until someone – maybe a seedy porn purveyor? How poetic! – picks it up. -Claire

“The Deep End,” a Hulu documentary series about millennial guru / cult leader Teal Swan. Highly recommend watching this after listening to “The Gateway” podcast from 2018, which was the jumping off point for the doc. -Emma

“The Dropout,” which gave Amanda Seyfried the perfect venue to showcase her many talents. It is so easy for tech founder/fraudster stories to be overly grandiose or overly sympathetic or overly dramatized. Somehow this was none of the above. Come for the medical fraud story and stay for Amanda-as-Elizabeth-Holmes awkward sexy dancing with Naveen Andrews. -Emma  

“FBoy Island” (RIP to the greatest reality dating show of our time!) Former “Bachelor” EP Elan Gale really let his best freak flag fly with this hilarious, timely and innovative reality dating show. I absolutely loved this last season, the show’s second, in which one of our main ladies, Tamaris – who we interviewed on LTSI – turned the tables on the men and revealed herself as an FGirl. Truly hoping another network is smart enough to pick up this gem. -Emma

“The Bear.” This show made me never want to work in a restaurant (the stressful frenetic energy was so intense!!!) and also believe that there is no hotter phrase than “Yes, Chef.” -Emma

We Ate… 

The recipe I kept coming back to again and again this year was Alison Roman’s frizzled chickpeas & onions. It’s easy, yet feels elevated, and it has a mix of crunch, sweetness because of the caramelized onions, saltiness, and a kick of hot red pepper. This was a crowd pleaser during dinner parties, and a filling entree when split between me and my partner. -Emma

Pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe. This was the year that I basically gave up on cooking. I turned to meal kits and fell back on delivery; I made frozen pizza and boxed mac and cheese. But whenever I did feel up to cooking, it was usually this: a box of fusilli or orecchiette with a whole pound of browned sausage and bunches of broccoli rabe, tossed with plenty of olive oil, pasta water, and parmesan. There are loads of recipes that I’ve looked at, including this one, but always with my important lazy twist: cooking the broccoli rabe by dumping it in with the pasta just a few minutes before straining. -Claire

Olive oil cake with herbes de provence. My friend introduced me to this recipe years ago, when I came over for dinner and she whipped it together for dessert. It was created by Beth Kirby, who ran the Local Milk food blog. I looked it up again this year, craving a moist, crumbly cake with the perfect hint of savory, and was saddened to find that Local Milk is defunct; Kirby passed away in the spring. The recipe is still out there, and still delicious, especially with the glaze. It’s toddler-approved, dinner-party-approved, breakfast-for-me-approved, and so easy to throw together. I skip the rosewater and use whatever citrus juice or white wine I have handy. -Claire

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