The Week In Recommendations 3.1.23
Juicy podcasts, clothing that makes us dream of summer, and a disturbing memoir.
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 most recent paid podcast is about the American obsession with finding love in Paris, by way of new dating show “Love Trip: Paris.”) Rich Text is a reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!
We’ve been reading…
As I said in an earlier newsletter, when I get into reading about/watching a documentary about a cult, I go deep and like to consume all the adjacent content. A recent episode of Sarah Edmonson’s podcast, “A Little Bit Culty,” brought me to Daniel Barban Levin’s book, “Slonim Woods 9,” about the experience of being in the Sarah Lawrence cult run by a fellow student’s father, Larry Ray. It’s a really raw and honest memoir, and reveals even more disturbing details about how Ray manipulated these young adults and stole years of their lives. -Emma
Catherine Lacey’s upcoming novel, “Biography of X,” which has reinvigorated my enthusiasm for literary fiction with a vengeance. And it’s no surprise — I have been a Lacey devotee since her phenomenal debut, “Nobody Is Ever Missing.” Her latest, a fictional nonfiction project, is presented as a grieving widow’s investigation into the true life and identity of her enigmatic late wife, the multidisciplinary artist known only as X. Set in an alternate-history United States, recently reunited after a fifty-year post-WWII Southern secession split the nation into three separate territories working under an uneasy truce, “Biography of X” takes on identity in its most personal and its most national forms: what defines a person, and a state? What is each entitled to hide, dissemble about, and control in order to preserve that tenuous definition? I still have a long way to go — it’s a lengthy book — and am happily buckled in for the ride. -Claire
We’ve been listening to…
Author and podcaster Jo Piazza’s new podcast all about women and infidelity, called “She Wants More.” The show approaches infidelity in a nonjudgmental, more sociological way, exploring why women might have affairs, what purpose they serve, and whether more women are engaging in them or whether we’re just talking about it more. -Emma
“Boom/Bust: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia,” a 2020 Ringer podcast about that one live trivia show everyone was obsessed with for a hot minute five years ago. There’s a CNN documentary coming out, which reminded me of the existence of the whole HQ fad, and this podcast was both a great refresher on how ubiquitous the app briefly seemed — like host Alyssa Bereznak, I remember daily HQ sessions in the newsroom where I worked — and also a dive into the company’s origins and its decline. Stay tuned to the end for a surprising move from beloved former HQ host Scott Rogowsky, who is nothing if not confident. (And if you’re wondering what the Quiz Daddy is up to now, three years after the Ringer podcast: He’s running a vintage clothing store in Santa Monica. Yep.) -Claire
We’ve been watching…
So normally I’d talk about a TV show or movie, but this week I want to shout out the many, many videos I’ve been watching by style educator/influencer Lydia Tomlinson. The UK-based influencer is the first fashion-based professional influencer I’ve followed who I feel like really publishes content that is intended to teach you how to maximize your wardrobe, how to understand the way that colors and proportions and styles work together, and how to build a wardrobe that really works for you and expresses/cultivates your personal style. TLDR: I don’t feel like she’s just trying to sell me shit, and it’s glorious. -Emma
“PARTY DOWN” IS BACK, Y’ALL! The edgy comedy, which followed an L.A. catering crew full of struggling actors, writers, and caterers (poor Ron Donald, team lead, can only dream of an event at which his pink-bowtied employees don’t cause a reputation-ruining incident), was canceled in 2010 after just two seasons. Restarting a cult-favorite TV show that was put on ice thirteen years ago is a tricky endeavor, and while I was excited for the show’s return, I tried to keep my expectations under control. The first episode, which has the imposing task of reintroducing the catering crew and updating us on the last decade-and-a-half of their lives, was unsurprisingly a bit uneven, but as it felt more and more like the “Party Down” of yore as it unfolded. Our DVR is already set for episode two. -Claire
We’ve been buying…
These chic Tretorn Rawlins 2.0 sneakers with cream and green accents. They’re sleek, comfy, and perfect for everyday wear. Plus, they look fab with a slouchy trouser and are affordable! -Emma
No matter the season, I am drawn to buy summer dresses. Somehow I’ve become a person who will buy a new sundress every month in the year and then spend November to February bitching that I have nothing to wear (maybe if I reallocated some budget to, uh, pants?). ANYWAY, I became obsessed with this Christy Dawn dress, which has the square neck and smocking that I love, and tracked down a used one in my favorite (sadly out-of-stock) print. Thank you Poshmark! It’s perfect, floaty and soft and flattering… now to wait until April to make use of it. -Claire
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