The Week in Recommendations 7.19.23
Two delectable novels, the new "RHONY," an adorable linen mini dress, and sleek claw clips.
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 season 2 of “The Bear”! Rich Text is a reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!
We’ve been reading…
“Happy Hour” by Marlowe Granados, a 2020 novel about a young woman who, along with her best friend, alights in New York seeking excitement, adventure and enough money to get by. In an interview on Otherppl, Granados said that she initially struggled to get interest in the book, because “people wanted stories about how hard it was to be a woman. And I think that, of course, there’s always going to be space for that. But for me, that really wasn’t the point of my novel. I was more interested in young women finding pleasure and having fun and that kind of pursuit.” As someone who loves stories about how hard it is to be a woman, I have to agree: stories about women finding pleasure are also rad. I’m still early in the book, but appreciating Granados’s window into her narrator, who looks out on her precarious but thrilling life with the unmistakeable boldness and strongly held opinions of an early 20-something. -Claire
I went upstate last weekend, and, as I seem to be able to do only when I’m laying by a pool or in the woods, I tore through a book from start to finish in a day. This time it was Elin Hilderbrand’s latest Nantucket-set novel, “The Five Star Weekend.” The story follows Hollis Shaw, an internet-famous food blogger in her early 50s, who, in the wake of her husband’s sudden and tragic death — a death that occurrs mere hours after they have a major argument — decides to throw a weekend of healing with four friends. Each friend invited represents a different phase of her life: childhood, college, raising young children, and her blogger years. Over the course of the weekend, revelations are made. (No spoilers, obvi.) Hilderbrand’s magic lies in the specificity descriptions of Nantucket, where she has lived since 1993. There’s a reason her juicy novels are perfect summer reads — they transport you to an idyllic vision of what summer could be. (Blessedly, the characters she crafts are less idyllic.) -Emma
We’ve been watching…
“Showing Up,” a Kelly Reichardt film starring Michelle Williams as Lizzy, a sculptor trying to complete her latest collection — impressionistic ceramic statues of women in various postures and moods — in time for a small gallery show. She’s respected as a talented artist within her circles, but she is worn-down, sour, and besieged by mundane obstacles. By day, she works for her mother as an administrator at the Oregon College of Art and Craft; by night, she huddles in her garage studio and tries to bring her “girls” to life. Her friendly but absentee landlady, artist Jo (Hong Chau), claims to be too busy putting together her own series of far more high-profile art shows to deal with the fact that Lizzy’s apartment hasn’t had hot water for weeks. Then Jo rescues a wounded bird and puts her tenant in charge of its care. Initially irritated, Lizzy grows reluctantly attached to the bird, even as its presence throws a wrench in her work. Meanwhile, her brother — whom her mother insists is a genius, while Lizzy suggests “troubled” — seems to be spiraling into paranoia.
We rarely watch movies these days because we just don’t have enough time between the toddler’s bedtime and my bedtime, and this movie definitely tested my ability to stay awake. That’s not a knock on it; it’s a quiet, even subdued movie in tone, but Reichardt’s depiction of the indignities of a working artist’s life (and the petty interpersonal psychodramas that plague Lizzy) is insidiously funny and moving. -Claire
The new “RHONY.” New York has been without its real housewives since a disastrous season 13 aired in 2021. But we’re back, baby! Andy Cohen has cleared house and rebooted the franchise with an all new cast, and one episode in, I’m ready to declare the operation a success. This new crew not only gives viewers greater diversity and a social scene outside of the Upper East Side, but we get a peak inside Jenna Lyons’ closet. I mean… THE DREAM. -Emma
We’ve been listening to…
The same old pod rotation! Also everyone keeps saying to listen to the Luke Combs cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” so I listened to it, and it is indeed a great cover. Also, I hadn’t listened to Chapman’s original in a while, so I’ve been listening to that too, and it’s fantastic. Honestly just a perfect song about the elusive American dream: car ownership, financial stability, and feeling like you belong. -Claire
“The Girlfriends,” a new true crime podcast that doesn’t feel so “true-crimey.” The show explores the story of Bob Bierenbaum, a Jewish doctor who moves to Las Vegas in the 1990s and becomes known about town as an eligible bachelor. (A Jewish doctor! With a plane!) He dates a handful of women — including the podcast’s host, Carole Fisher — and displays some behaviors that today we’d describe as red flags. Only afterwards do these women realize that when Bob left New York behind, he also left behind the unsolved case of his wife Gail Katz’s disappearance. (Spoiler alert: The case is no longer unsolved. Bob murdered his wife.) The podcast is not a whodnunit. Instead it is a story of the impact Bob had on the women who came into his life, and the impact those who survived him ultimately had on each other. Fisher and seasoned producer Anna Sinfield also take the time to explore who Gail Katz was, primarily through her sister Alayne, and the patterns of abuse that led her to stay with Bob. -Emma
We’ve been buying…
Hair clips on clearance! A while back I recommended some claw clips from Hudson Co., and they are currently having a massive going-out-of-business sale. All their claw clips are just $5, so obviously I snagged my favorite retro triangle claw clip in burgundy AND snow.
Also, the perfect shower curtain/liner from Quiet Town, the Sun Shower. Ours needed replacing, so I ordered one in the subtle blue Atlantic. It’s ideal for a poky city bathroom — it lives inside the bathtub, so it allows the rest of the bathroom to feel more spacious and open, and it’s transparent enough that it never feels dark and claustrophobic in the shower. (At some point, a while back, I also splurged on their brass curtain hooks, and they are a huge upgrade on the drug-store curtain rings I always used to buy: classy, sturdy, and rust-free.)
And finally, some of my favorite Tradlands staples are on sale right now — the Shelter cardigan, the Nico dress, and the Meadow skirt are all regulars in my rotation, and they currently have some colors heavily marked down. I got the Glenn long short in another color, hopeful that I’ll be able to wear non-maternity shorts soon. -Claire
This is the summer that I officially became a linen girly. It’s so extremely humid in New York this summer, and the weather is simply begging for breathable clothing. One of the surprising places I’ve found reasonably-priced linen-blend pieces is Abercrombie! I got this linen-blend mini dress in the green floral pattern, which not only can be worn with straps or strapless, but also HAS POCKETS. (A huge plus for any dress, in my opinion.) It’s on sale right now, though it’s sold out in a bunch of sizes. If your size is gone, I also love the midi version, this high-neck linen mini, and this wide strap one. -Emma
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