The Week In Recommendations 11.15.23

The coziest cashmere, a true-crime memoir, the conclusion to a gripping podcast, and... LTSI merch (!!!)

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 the highs and lows of dating in your 30s! Rich Text is a completely reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!

Calling all fans of our sister podcast, Love To See It with Emma and Claire! We are launching an exciting new merch collection this week, just in time for the holiday season. Head over to our Instagram account (@claireandemmapod) to get the password for our LTSI store. Or you can just wait until Friday and shop password-free.

A little merch preview ;)

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While Claire is out on maternity leave, we’re featuring guest recommendations from some of the coolest tastemakers we know. This week, that guest is

Sara Petersen

, author of

In Pursuit of Clean Countertops

, a newsletter that explores the cult of ideal motherhood (and the perpetual fascination of Ballerina Farm). She’s also the author of “Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture,” and has written about motherhood and feminism for The New York Times, Harper's Bazaar, and The Washington Post.

Sara has been reading… 📖

This isn’t a new release, but it IS one of the best novels I’ve read in the past five years. The type of book I mourned having to finish. The type of book that left me motionless and speechless on the couch after closing the final page. If you like sweeping historical drama, an unforgettable and unconventional female protagonist, and searing explorations of personal autonomy, desire, and sex, you’ll love Maggie Shipstead’s “Great Circle.”

And if you’re looking for nonfiction, one of the funniest, curious, and poignant books I’ve read recently is Jamie Loftus’s “Raw Dog,” which is part travelogue, part breakup memoir, and part alternative American history. I’ve been a fan of Loftus’s podcasts for years, frequently citing Lolita podcast, Aack Cast, and Ghost Church as some of the best narrative long-form deep dives to break through my airpods. Her blend of rigorous research, pop culture commentary, and irreverent humor is just so good. So good, in fact, that you don’t have to care a bit about hot dogs to enjoy the hell out of this book.

Sara has been watching… 📺

I can’t handle scary stuff. I’ll never forget my mother telling me when I was a kid that I’d never be able to unsee a horror movie, and like, she’s absolutely right! I recently learned the plot of “The Human Centipede,” and although I’ve never seen a single frame (AND NEVER WILL), I’ll never be able to un-know the plot of that cursed movie (do not google it! Save your innocence!). ANYWAY, I hate scary stuff but love suspenseful stuff. Give me your capers, your heists, your scams. I love them all. And there is a special sort of pleasure that comes from watching a charming Robin Hood-esque jewel thief foil the villainous rich guys every single time. Plus Paris! Come for Lupin’s connection to the golden age of mystery, stay for Omar Sy’s self-satisfied little grin when he outsmarts the cops yet again. It’s a delight. 

Sara has been listening to… 🎧

I am a hag, by which I mean, I am obsessed with Poog. Hosted by BFFs Jacqueline Novak and Kate Berlant, Poog is like a phone date with a best friend. The two comics cover everything from movie theater epiphanies, wedding guest etiquette, depression, the drama of hotel room service, and the bullshit of Augustinus Bader with their trademark wit, insight, and brilliance. Kate and Jacqueline are my parasocial besties and I’m not ashamed to admit it. This is the episode I beg all of my friends to start with.

Sara has been buying… 🛍️

Recently, I wrote about my, ahem, capsule wardrobe — which, if not aspirational, is undeniably comfy. But I live in New Hampshire, and the season of chilly necks and perpetually cold toes will soon be upon me, which means I’m going to need to transition from cozy cotton ensembles to cozy wool ensembles.

I recently bought these bad boys, and they are exactly what they look like. Sweatpants except marginally chicer due to their fabric content. Importantly, you can MACHINE WASH them, which is critical to anyone attempting to live their best low-maintenance lives. Hot tip: There are a million pairs on Poshmark, which is where I found mine (new with tags) for $30 less than resale price. Happy soft pants season!

I also recently bought these rubber clogs in the PERFECT shade of tomato red. They make me so happy.

Emma has been reading… 📖

I just started “Blood On Their Hands: Murder, Corruption and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty,” a memoir by journalist Mandy Matney (co-host of the True Sunlight / Murdaugh Murders podcast), co-written by Carolyn Murnick. I’ve been gripped by the story of the Murdaugh family for years now — it says so much about privilege, corruption, and the way that both can be used to manipulate the justice system. I still have a ways to go, but so far, I’m into the book! As a journalist, I love reading about journalism, and Matney’s story is really a reminder of how essential LOCAL newsrooms are for holding power to account.

Emma has been watching… 📺

Why, yes, I *have* been enjoying my endless binge of made-for-TV holiday movies! Thanks for asking! The world feels very bad right now and a Christmas-y escape is exactly what I needed. My current contender for best Hallmark/Lifetime offering of the year is “Never Been Chris’d.” It stars some actors I’ve actually seen before (like Janel Parrish of “Pretty Little Liars”), it includes a love triangle that I was genuinely how it would resolve, and, my favorite thing — it’s really a love story about friendship!

Emma has been listening to… 🎧

The final episode of the Ghost Story podcast dropped this week, and what a beautiful meditation on the significance of understanding one’s history it was. I loved everything about this show, including its oh-so-British sensibilities, its self-aware and thoughtful storytelling, its desire to uncover once-obscured truths that may be fairly insignificant on a large scale, but feel deeply significant to the Dancy family. I’ll be thinking about this podcast and Naomi Dancy for a long time.

Emma has been buying… 🛍️

After seeing

Caroline Moss

over at

Gee Thanks, Just Bought It!

enthusiastically recommend the Tucky — a flexible and adjustable band that you can use to comfortably tuck any sweater/sweatshirt into and make it cropped — I decided to try it. I really wanted it so I could easily crop my Love To See It “Bachelor Studies” crewneck, which is officially my new favorite sweatshirt. And because a Caroline rec is always a good rec, the Tucky definitely works! I got the XS/S in cream.

Also, Hill House is having its annual 30% off everything sale, and top of my list is these Noor Earmuffs. It’s getting chilly in New York, and love to wear my hair in a high pony or bun in the winter. Earmuffs solve winter hair problems, and these ones are particularly pretty. I love an aesthetically-pleasing yet practical accessory.

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