The Week in Recommendations 6.4.25
Summer tops, a satirical novel, two delish recipes, and who to rank for NYC mayor!
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 subscriber podcast was about the end of “Summer House” S9! An episode about “And Just Like That” S3 is coming soon. Rich Text is a reader-supported project.
Over on Love To See It this week, we’re talking about “Sneaky Links” and “Love Island USA”!
Civic challenge of the week:
New Yorkers! The primary for the mayoral election is rapidly approaching. Get ready by (1) finding your early polling place and election day polling place, and (2) make sure everyone in your network knows to fill out all 5 choices for mayor and LEAVE CUOMO OFF. The Working Families Party just released their recommendations for ranking, which you can find here.
Claire has been reading… 📖
“Curtis Yarvin’s Plot Against America,” a long New Yorker profile of the far-right thinker who holds unsettling influence within the current administration and the tech right. A Bay Area computer programmer and former hippie lib, Yarvin became a notable presence in the right-wing blogosphere after being radicalized by, of all things, the swiftboating of John Kerry. (He was pro-swiftboating and anti-Kerry.) He wrote about his new reactionary ideas anonymously, under the pen name Mencius Moldbug, before a 2013 TechCrunch article revealed his identity. I remember learning about the blogger around then, perhaps from that very article; he seemed like a seedy figure, the kind of bigot who is too eager to embrace “race science” and style himself as a “high IQ individual” to reach mainstream significance. But his name has continued to bubble up over the years, and his ideas have gained more influence on the right. Yarvin is essentially a tech bro’s monarchist, and his primary critique of the current administration is that its moves to undercut democracy and entrench Trump as a strongman leader have been too weak to survive backlash.
Ava Kofman’s profile gives Yarvin plenty of rope to hang himself with. The success of the hanging may be in the eye of the beholder, but I think the portrait that emerges is quite damning: Yarvin comes off as not only a pseudointellectual with delusions of genius, but a thin-skinned and cruel adversary and a stultifying bore. His ideas are half-baked – he brushes aside questions from Kofman about, for example, whether the autocratic states he champions would even allow the kind of political dissent he has engaged in – and absolutely terrifying in their details. In a more sensible world, that 2013 TechCrunch article outing Moldbug as Yarvin would have been the last time I heard his name. Instead, the vice president of the United States openly praises him.
Emma has been reading… 📖
I recently got a galley for Emma Rosenblum’s forthcoming novel, “Mean Moms,” which comes out next month. I loved Rosenblum’s previous novels,“Bad Summer People” and “Very Bad Company,” both of which live in one of my favorite genres: Rich People Behaving Badly. “Mean Moms” is a similar beast. The book follows a trio of gorgeous, wealthy downtown Manhattan moms. Their stable social equilibrium is shaken when a new mom arrives from Miami, and suddenly bad fortune begins to befall them all. I haven’t finished the book yet, but I love a send-up of the most privileged among us — especially when it’s set in New York City.
I also really enjoyed this personal essay by Evan Sterrett in The Cut about flying to Turkey for a hair transplant, joining the hordes of other men who now travel abroad for aesthetic medical care. (Procedures like hair transplants are significantly cheaper in Turkey.) Sterett reckons with the roots of his desire to achieve follicular perfection, the powerlessness of losing your hair, the small indignities of being one of many getting this procedure, and the way that cosmetic procedures can never really solve the ache within us.
Claire has been watching… 📺
Like Emma (see below), I’ve been rewatching “The Bachelorette” season 11. And boy, it’s a lot to rewatch an entire season of this show all at once! It hasn’t left much time for other media consumption. I’ve squeezed in the last few episodes of “The Valley,” and these reality TV pros are really kicking things into high gear by this point. Suffice it to say that I can’t wait until our next “Valley” episode to discuss what’s going down with Danny, Nia, Jasmine and Brittany — and our franchise puppetmaster, Janet, who is not hiding the strings as well as she thinks. (Not that she ever does.)
Emma has been watching… 📺
“The Bachelorette” season 11 to prepare for our upcoming 10-year anniversary live show! Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of “The Bachelorette” is the first one that we ever covered over on Love To See It (then Here To Make Friends), and revisiting it is a real fucking trip! There are so many Bach Nation luminaries in this season — Jared Haibon, Ben Higgins, Tanner Tolbert, Nick Viall, Kaitlyn herself obviously — and despite there being some serious gender weirdness and slut-shaming… it’s really fucking funny! I’m remembering why this was such a perfect season for two feminist culture critics to recap. It’s both a rich tapestry of retro messaging about sex and courtship, and a truly engaging and hilarious reality TV romp. I’m so excited to laugh about it again IRL with an audience full of our wonderful listeners.
Claire has been listening to… 🎧
In case you missed it, we did a Love to See It bonus last week catching up on some bombshell reality dating show interviews, including Peter Krause on Almost Famous and Cassidy Timbrooks on Game of Roses. Peter’s interview, though long-awaited, wasn’t terribly shocking, but he did detail some of the production manipulation behind what we saw unfold between him and Rachel on season 13 of “The Bachelorette,” as well as why he never ended up becoming Bachelor. In Cassidy’s GOR appearance, she finally confirmed that she was the first contestant coached by Clues. Hearing them talk through the casting process and her time on season 26 of “The Bachelor” was a true delight for a “Bachelor” nerd, as she’s very candid about all the weird details she noticed and all of her theories about how production viewed her and constructed her narrative. There was, she believes, some diabolical Frankenbiting at play – and she had me convinced.
Emma has been listening to… 🎧
Claire previously recommended What Happened to Talina Zar, the latest season of our friend and former colleague Melissa Jeltsen’s podcast. I was a bit late to the party, but now I’m fully caught up, and Talina’s story is equal parts heartbreaking and gripping. I was especially fascinated to learn about her involvement with Goreans, a sub-group of the kink community based on characters in a series of novels by John Lange (under the pseudonym John Norman). The novels — and Goreans like Talina — center male dominance and female submission, and Melissa explores these themes with great care.
This feels tangentially related to You Are Good’s episode revisiting the first “50 Shades of Grey” movie. First Sarah and Alex discuss their thoughts and feelings about the movie and the novel; specifically why it made such a splash during the early 2010s. Then Casey Calvert, a pornographic filmmaker and actress, joins the conversation. It’s all really interesting and brought me back to a time in pop culture that I now in the MAGA era almost feel wistful for.
Claire has been buying… 🛍️
The Beyond Nine Simone top has been calling to me for a while, since I am hooked on this brand and the idea of a big, breezy, billowy cropped blouse to pair with my big, breezy, billowy linen pants really captured my heart. The pleated details, full sleeve, dropped shoulder, and peplum give it an architectural flair, but the soft gauze fabric drapes softly and lets in the breeze. I am talking myself out of going back for the ecru.
Also, I’ve started to contemplate growing out my bangs again (the eternal cycle of discontent!) and I’ve been experimenting with ways of getting them off my face when they’re just not cooperating. Pulling them back into two tiny flipped ponytails (see above) has been a favorite strategy, since it’s a bit more secure and neat than a simple clip or ponytail secured with an elastic, but it’s fussy to do. Then I remembered Topsy Tails, which thankfully still exist! A tiny ponytail flipping tool is on its way to me right now.
Emma has been buying… 🛍️
Some outdoorsy Quince basics for an upcoming trip to Iceland! Adam and I are making a brief escape to Iceland in late June to experience the nearly 24-hour daylight, see some gorgeous vistas, chill in some hot springs, and do some hiking. Which means that I need some hiking-friendly layers! I ordered this practical and stylish water-repellent windbreaker and these mid-rise hiking joggers. Obviously, I also now want to go back for this adorable corset-style linen midi dress in cherry red. (Such a happy color!!!)
Speaking of cherry red for summer, I also ordered the Novia Top from Hill House’s Farmer’s Market capsule collection. I love the structure of it and the red gingham pattern. I’m hopeful that it’ll work with baggy jeans or linen trousers for an easy summer nighttime look. Will report back after it arrives!
Claire has been making… 🧶
The infamous Meghan Markle one-pan spaghetti, which featured in the first episode of “With Love, Meghan.” While some snarked that it was unoriginal (true) and basic (fair), I had to hand it to the Duchess of Sussex: it seemed like exactly the kind of dinner that would be easy to throw together on a weeknight and might satisfy every palate in the home. I used this blog writeup recreating the recipe, which was helpful, and I made some of the tweaks she recommended as well as some of my own. Instead of pouring boiling water onto the pasta from a kettle, a step that seemed more whimsical than practical to me, I used chicken stock for more flavor (and calories, since baby brother is not gaining weight as fast as we’d like) and brought it to a boil before adding the other ingredients to the pan. Instead of kale, chard, and arugula, which seemed ambitious for my kids, I chopped up broccoli florets to cook with the pasta and threw in handfuls of baby spinach near the end. I served everything with some basic baked chicken breast tenders, in case the kids rejected the pasta, but the whole dinner was a hit. Honestly, I do have to hand it to the duchess in exile. Can’t wait to try it with other veggies, especially as farmers market season has arrived.
Emma has been making… 🧶
It was absolutely beautiful out on Monday evening, so I made Chicken Larb bowls from What’s Gaby Cooking for Adam and our friends Liz and Sutro. I originally found this recipe through my dear friend Brittany, who keeps it in her frequent dinner rotation. (Even her toddler loves it!) This was my first attempt making it, and I think it went pretty well! Next time, I’d probably use a bit more coconut milk in the rice, but other than that, I loved it. I doubled the recipe for four adults, and we were left with enough leftovers for me to have Tuesday lunch. Unfortunately, in my excitement about our rooftop meal, I forgot to take a photo of the final bowl, which included the chicken, coconut rice, lightly pickled onions and cucumbers, and fresh herbs! But I’ll definitely be making this one again. [Claire: This sounds soooo good!]
If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack!
Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription
Can’t wait to follow along on your trip to Iceland, Emma! You both are going to love it. It’s truly magical.
Claire, do you mind sharing specifics for your favorite Merit products? I know you’ve mentioned them in past newsletters and in a recent ad on LTSI, but would love to see them all linked (or even just the specific shades you use) in one place!