The Week In Recommendations 6.12.24
A sexy Parisian memoir, "Summer House drama," a perfect tumbler, and an underrated (affordable) swimwear brand!
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 explosive finales of “The Valley,” “VPR” and “Summer House.” An episode on part 2 of “Bridgerton” S3 is coming on Monday! Rich Text is a completely reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!
Claire has been reading… 📖
The latest Atavist long read, “Anatomy of a Murder” by John Rosengren, which goes deep on a shocking and shockingly controversial murder in the small town of Grand Marais, Minnesota. I hadn’t heard of the case, though it made national news thanks to its lurid details: an elderly man, something of a social outcast, was beaten to death with a shovel and a pair of antlers by a neighbor who had become fixated on the possibility that the victim would molest his child. It’s a chilling story on many levels. The murder itself, of course, was gruesome; the fact that many in the community felt it was justified because the victim was considered creepy is also disturbing. I was also unsettled to read the litany of what seemed to be credible allegations that the victim had molested children, if not recently, and how easily his friends dismissed these claims as lies motivated by greed or personal vendettas.
I also read Jay Caspian Kang’s New Yorker essay arguing that liberals should find ways to talk about children in terms of joy and inherent social good, not merely in terms of their costs and utility. His essay doubles as a review of the new book “What Are Children For?” by Anastasia Berg and Rachel Wiseman, and while he acknowledges that the book (and probably the essay) suffer from being “a bit too online,” a bit too reactive to the anti-natalist and r/childfree discourse that mainly flourishes on social media, he agrees with the authors that having children has become a politically polarized issue. While conservatives lionize large broods and crack down on abortion, liberals and leftists have become the counterweights, treating children as something to be almost apologized for or justified (and, of course, properly supported with social programs). This all does resonate with me, as a parent who sometimes feels a bit alienated by the way parenthood is framed on the left. (The framing on the right, not to mention the actual policy, is far more alienating, but then, I am quite happy to be alienated from the right; it’s on the left that I want to be at home.) I’m hoping to read the book soon — maybe it will help me make sense of all of this!
Emma has been reading… 📖
My friend Glynnis MacNicol’s newly released memoir, “I’m Mostly Here To Enjoy Myself.” After spending more than a year isolated in lockdown in New York City during the peak of the Covid pandemic, MacNicol writes about about a pleasure-filled, sexy, delicious, post-vaccine summer spent in Paris in 2021. MacNicol, now 49, is unmarried and does not have children, something that should be unremarkable but as she wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times, means that she is “defying expectations” and has “exempted [herself] from the central things we’re told give a woman’s life meaning.” Her first book, about turning 40 and exploring the expansiveness of a story our culture doesn’t quite know how to tell about women — as she writes in “I’m Mostly Here To Enjoy Myself,” “the only female problems we understood women to have, and subsequently know how to solve, were love and children” — brought me to tears and made me feel deeply seen in a way I hadn’t before. MacNicol’s writing has always captivated me, and this book is no exception to that rule. Come for the sexy stories and stay for the descriptions of Parisian food that will make you want to book a ticket abroad immediately.
Claire has been watching… 📺
The “Summer House” reunion, part one, which has left me even more irate than the finale. West will answer for his crimes of fuckboying! Danielle will answer for letting Lindsay take the fall for leaking a damaging story about Paige’s boyfriend to the tabloids and then playing the victim about Lindsay telling Paige who actually leaked the story! I still have no idea what’s going on with the allegation that Lindsay “sabotaged” Paige’s photoshoot (how did she sabotage it? Was the shoot actually ruined? Why does Lindsay say she “can’t recall” this instead of denying it?), but someone will answer for it! And has anyone discussed the slight but unsettling resemblance between Lindsay’s voice and Lisa Barlow’s voice? It’s becoming distracting!
Emma has been watching… 📺
I got sucked into the German-language romantic drama “Maxton Hall” on Prime. I saw a few people recommending it on Instagram as a way to bridge the month-long “Bridgerton” gap, and so I ended up devouring the six-episode first season in approximately two days. I wouldn’t say it’s a good show, but it is a fun and engaging one if you go in with appropriate expectations. The show follows the enemies-to-lovers connection between working-class Ruby Bell (Harriet Herbig-Matten) and posh, millionaire legacy James Beaufort (Damian Hardung) as they navigate their elite private school, Maxton Hall, and harbor dreams of going to Oxford. (Yes, the show is set in England but everyone is speaking German. I was very confused for the first few episodes.)
It has leads with great chemistry, simmering class tensions, a psychotic rich parent, and a DEEPLY problematic subplot involving a student-teacher relationship. (Have they not reached the point of being definitively against those power dynamics in Europe?) Basically, if you want some emotive, smooth-ish brain television, go watch “Maxton Hall.” It’s been such a smash hit that it’s getting a season 2.
Claire has been listening to… 🎧
The recent Endless Thread episode “Scamming the Scammers,” which dives into the world of phishing baiters. For these baiters – some of whom gather huge followings by posting recordings of their antics on social media – frustrating phone scammers is a lifestyle and a calling. They might use bots designed to waste scammers’ time, or go analog and roleplay as willing marks who are just about to give the scammers what they’re looking for – after just a few more irrelevant tangents. Some hack into computer systems and expose the identities of the scammers or intercept targets and warn them before they give away their money. In a world where even financial journalists are putting $50,000 in a shoebox and simply handing it to scammers, it makes sense that some are fighting back with some light, legally permissible vigilantism. This episode is also insightful about where the scams are actually coming from and what is driving this wave of cyber crime, and it takes seriously how massive financial inequality drives this sort of dark economy.
Emma has been listening to… 🎧
I’m finally catching up on season 3 of “Hacks” after a lengthy delay, and ever since the first episode ended with an auditory bang courtesy of Brandi Carlile’s 2007 song “The Story,” I’ve been listening to it ON REPEAT. The way it builds just makes you want to cry and scream and dance around your kitchen. Also, I’m going to see Alanis Morissette in July in upstate New York (!!!) so I’ve been revisiting “Jagged Little Pill.” Once an iconic album, always an iconic album.
Claire has been buying… 🛍️
A new straw tumbler for iced coffee season! I’ve been using my beloved Hill House x W&P insulated tumbler for cold drinks this past year, often with a metal straw poked through the lid opening. But the other day I ended up taking it with me on a few errands, since it was still full of my morning iced coffee when the time came to head out. And while it received several compliments (yes, it’s beautiful, thank you), it was a bit cumbersome and spill-prone for carrying around town. Furthermore, I kept having intrusive thoughts about tripping while drinking from it and puncturing my esophagus with my metal straw. I decided I needed a proper straw tumbler, shaped approximately like a disposable plastic iced coffee cup, for errands and playground excursions. This Simple Modern one has, so far, fit the bill exactly. It has a plastic straw (for esophageal safety), it’s light and and slim and easy to carry, it fits in cup holders, and it’s honestly still pretty cute. This cup also endured the ultimate heat test this weekend when we went strawberry picking and left the car parked in the hot sun – with my iced coffee inside – for three hours. When we headed home, my coffee was just as cold and icy as it was when we arrived.
Emma has been buying… 🛍️
The best swimsuits I’ve purchased in years are from Victoria’s Secret’s extremely reasonably-priced VS Swim line. They fit super well, account for curves, make me feel held in. Victoria’s Secret is having a big summer sale, so I ordered a fun cut-out one-piece, a high-waisted cheeky bikini bottom and matching bra top in shimmery black. I’ll report back, but I’m hoping they’ll live up to the standard that my scalloped two-piece from last year set.
Claire has been making… 🧶
Mark Bittman’s creamy one-pot pasta with chicken and mushrooms, for a quick Sunday night dinner after a long day of soccer practice and park hangs. After reading the comments, I was thoroughly spooked about the possibility of raw chicken in my pasta, so I pre-cooked the chicken separately rather than adding diced raw chicken thigh to the pasta as he directs. Otherwise I followed this recipe pretty closely; next time I’d add some herbs for a deeper flavor and some spinach for extra nutritional value. As commenter Lisa suggested last week, I offered my preschooler a tub of Parmesan and a spoon so he could add his own. And he both sprinkled the cheese and ate the pasta! Success! (We’ve also instituted some other new dinner policies: for example, he only gets “dessert” if he is at the table when dinner starts to select his cookie or candy, but then he can eat it whenever he wants. This has helped with dinner compliance but also with NOT eating one bite of his plate and asking if it’s enough to get dessert.) Back to the recipe: I suspect cheese would help this dish, as would more herbs, but it’s still surprisingly flavorful without these elements. The risotto-style cooking method and the use of wine and chicken stock does make the result rich and velvety. Will definitely make again, with some tweaks.
Emma has been making… 🧶
I recently had my friends Steven and Liz over for dinner on the roof, and I made the Watermelon Chaat I linked to last week as well as returning to another recipe that I’ve been obsessed with recently: Alexa Weibel’s Creamy, Spicy Tomato Beans and Greens. I tend to go through phases with my cooking — when I find something that’s easy and delicous, I’ll make it frequently until I tire of it. So far, I’m not tired of Weibel’s recipe, which I have continued to make swapping coconut milk for heavy cream and leaving the parm out altogether. It really works, you just need to add more salt than the recipe originally calls for. My friends cleaned their plates when we had dinner, so I’m taking that as a win.
I also recently discovered the canned Watermelon Sparkling Juice at Trader Joe’s at my friend Britt’s house, and they are SO delicious. I suggest drinking one on ice or adding a splash of vodka for a little kick 😉
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It would have never occurred to me to revisit VS for swim wear. Im so glad you mentioned it. This cut out one piece is calling me. 📞