The Week In Recommendations 10.4.23

A suspenseful novel about motherhood, a smart and nostalgic podcast, Doc Martens for kids, and a pricey hair tool that just might be worth it.

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. Our latest podcast was about episodes 5-7 of “Love Is Blind” season 5! Rich Text is a completely reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!

While Claire is out on maternity leave, we’ll be featuring guest recommendations from some of the coolest tastemakers we know. This week, that guest is Allison Yarrow, author of “‘90s Bitch” and “Birth Control: The Insidious Power of Men Over Motherhood,” which came out July.

Allison has been reading… 📖

I’m a huge fan of Megan Abbott’s novels, which are smart, suspenseful, and feminist explorations of friendship, sports, achievement culture, etc. Her latest, “Beware the Woman,” is premised on the idea that a pregnant woman’s body is taken from her from within. It sounds political (and familiar!) but it’s also a suspenseful setting for fiction.

“Girlhood” by Melissa Febos, is a poetic and gut-wrenching exploration of becoming a woman in this world. I need this right now as my daughter is getting older and I’m freshly reckoning with my own girlhood.

Allison has been watching… 📺

The award-winning “Chasing Chasing Amy” premiered at Tribeca and does that nearly impossible thing of reckoning with a problematic piece of art well. Directed by and starring Sav Rogers, the doc revisits the film “Chasing Amy” (distributed by Miramax in the Harvey Weinstein era), as both a cultural flashpoint and backdrop to his own life and revelations that he is gay and trans. Interviews with Kevin Smith and Joey Lauren Adams are honest and electrifying.

I’m also rewatching the documentary “The Business of Being Born.” It’s incredible that 15 years after it premiered we’re still submerged in (and largely unaware of) the broken system of childbirth that exists in our country, that I document in my new book, “Birth Control.” Watching Ricki Lake give birth in her bathtub gave me the courage to try homebirth . . . eventually! Highly recommend for anyone planning on giving birth or who loves someone who has or will.

Allison has been listening to… 🎧

Music! I love to dance (at parties, while doing dishes) and “Second Nature” by the vocally sublime duo Lucius is excellent in both settings. New albums by Olivia Rodrigo (“GUTS”) and Mitski (“The Land is Impossible and So Are We”), are constantly in my earbuds. All make perfect audio wallpaper for pondering my inner teenager, if in different registers. 

Allison has been buying… 🛍️

Doc Martens for my daughter in sparkly black and cotton candy pink. The work of motherhood is endless, but also, a very good reason to have kids is to relive everything you loved from youth.

As ever, I’m Renting the Runway for my fall book events (Ted Baker and Shoshana dresses, ba&sh tops, Thierry Lasry shades). But I couldn’t resist buying this Favorite Daughter blazer.

Ordering challah and desserts from Sugar Butter Chocolate is my holiday hosting hack. Chefs and spouses Karni and Dan met working at Jean-Georges in Manhattan, and now they bake the most incredible things and deliver them locally or ship anywhere.

Picked up this candle during a trip to Charleston and it is perfect for activating the early fall vibes. 

Emma has been reading… 📖

I picked up “You Again” by Kate Goldbeck on the recommendation of

Tyler McCall

, who has great taste in books AND clothing. So far it’s sweet and sexy — and I always love a story that plays with the enemies-to-lovers and friends-to-lovers tropes.

And I wanted to throw in another plug for my dear friend Alison Rose Greenberg’s new novel, “Maybe Once, Maybe Twice,” which I’ve recommended before in this newsletter. It finally came out on Tuesday! And got a rave review from the AP.

Emma has been watching… 📺

Obviously, I have been watching “The Golden Bachelor,” and loving every god damn minute of it. Is it a perfect show? Lord no. But as far as “The Bachelor” franchise goes, it’s a revelation. Twenty-two women, looking for love, all between the ages of 60 and 75. It’s simple, and yet, I’ve honestly never seen anything like it. I laughed and I cried during the premiere. Excited to see how the rest of the season plays out. (You can listen to our recaps of the season over on Love To See It.)

Also, I have been deep in a rewatch of “Felicity,” one of my favorite late ‘90s WB shows. It’s the back-to-school, cozy season in a series, and Felicity Porter is an icon.

Emma has been listening to… 🎧

You know I love a high-brow, intelligent discussion of low-brow popular culture. That is exactly what journalists Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett’s new podcast, “In Retrospect,” delivers — with a hefty dose of ‘80s and ‘90s historical interrogation and nostalgia. I especially loved last week’s deep dive into Pamela Anderson’s iconic “Baywatch” red bathing suit.

Emma has been buying… 🛍️

This is a bigger purchase, so I wanted to test it out for a month before I recommended it here. I’d been seeing a lot of chatter about the Dyson Airstrait, Dyson’s fancy new wet-to-dry blowdryer/straightener, which gives you a glossy straightening effect without hot plates. I am very lazy about my hair, and my hair retains moisture really well, so it always takes forever to style after it’s wet. This means I usually end up just putting it up in a clip wet, and then it dries a bit frizzy and crunchy overnight. I figured I’d probably end up returning the Airstrait, because it’s a big investment, but I’ve actually used it a TON over the last month. It leaves your hair super glossy, and you can always curl the ends with a curling iron or the Airwrap (I have the cheaper Shark version) if you want the full bouncy blowout look. I also like using the dry setting to refresh my semi-dirty hair — and it makes it look WAY nicer when I put it up into a ponytail after. Turns out, Dyson’s products are just as good as everyone says they are. Damn it.

Me after roughly running my hair through the Airstrait. (For best results, you need to section your hair. But you get the idea.)

Also, I regret to inform you that Hailey Bieber’s Rhode peptide lip treatments, really are the best lip glosses out there — both the new tinted and classic un-tinted versions. I’ve tried Glossier’s for years, and these just blow them out of the water.

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