The Week In Recommendations 8.16.23

A deep dive on Esther Perel, a rom-com novel, podcasts that answer questions and leave you with more, the cutest straw bag, and a matching set for fall.

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 sexy, queer, summer rom-com, “Red, White & Royal Blue”! Rich Text is a reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!

While Claire is out on maternity leave, we’ll be featuring guest recommendations from some of the coolest tastemakers we know. This week, that guest is TV producer Liviya Kraemer, who heads up development for Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino (of “Mrs. Maisel” and “Gilmore Girls” fame).

Liv has been reading… 📖

I am the kind of person who, when an interesting article comes up in my feed or in an email blast, I save it for when I have the proper time to read it in its entirety. I find that these snack-sized pieces of reading are perfect for a subway ride, waiting room stint, relaxing pedicure, extended dog park sit, etc. Here are a few articles that have been helping me pass the time these days:

Vanity Fair’s “Lost Illusions: The Untold Story of the Hit Show’s Poisonous Culture”: This is an excerpt from veteran entertainment reporter Maureen Ryan’s recently released book “Burn It Down,” an expośe on patterns of harassment and bias in Hollywood (shocker). This excerpt specifically brings to light the alleged toxicity behind the scenes at “Lost,”the ABC drama that ran for 6 seasons from 2004-2010, and as a huge fan of the show myself this was a hard one for me to read (which is probably why it took me 2 months to finish). I have yet to dive into Ryan’s book as a whole, but I plan to — and based on this excerpt, anticipate it being fascinating companion reading to the current events of the television industry, with the ongoing dual WGA and SAG strikes calling attention to the countless systemic problems that the business is currently struggling to work through. 

Vanity Fair’s "True Crime, True Faith: The Serial Killer and the Texas Mom Who Stopped Him”: In 1981, Margy Palm was abducted by Stephen Morin, a serial killer on the run. Despite Morin being suspected of the murder of more than 30 women, Palm survived their encounter — because of her devout Christian faith??? But actually. Palm has never told her full story until now, so I very much enjoyed the read and can already imagine the future doc or scripted series to come. The one tidbit I’ll give away, is that despite our obvious differences (I am so very Jewish), Margy is clearly my kind of gal: Upon returning home from her abduction, the first thing Margy asked for before speaking with the police was a drink; she then drove in the squad car to the station to give her statement with glass-in-hand.   

The Cut’s “Everything Guide to the Esther Perel Universe”: If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to dive into the Esther Perel Therapeutic Universe, do it now! As the daughter of a therapist, someone who’s been in regular therapy, and a huge proponent of couples therapy, I have followed her work for years, and yet there is always something new to be learned about navigating relationships and human emotions. Now that Perel has relaunched her podcast Where Should We Begin? through Vox, The Cut has put together a literal “how to” guide on how to start engaging with Esther’s overwhelming-yet-brilliant library of work. 

Wall Street Journal’s “The Summer Women Flexed Their Spending Power”: This is one of many articles from the past couple weeks about this idea, but it makes me very happy and I want to make sure everyone is paying attention to it — WOMEN are the ones driving the economy this summer!!! Between the record-breaking success of Barbie, Taylor's Eras Tour, and Beyoncé’s tour, women all around the country are proving that they can and will not be ignored. And not only that, they are a huge asset to…well, everyone. In the words of our friend and Jezebel EIC Laura Bassett: “Now that women saved the economy, can we have abortion back?"

The New Yorker’s “The Hidden Cost of Free Returns”: And finally, an article detailing where all of our online returns go. Let’s just say, it’ll make you rethink the whole “order 10 options so you can pick just 1” approach to online shopping. Read at your own risk. 

Liv has been watching… 📺

I personally have been trying to use Strike Girl Summer to make sure I go see more movies. Especially, indie ones! A couple weeks ago I finally got the chance to see Celine Song’s feature directorial debut “Past Lives,” which you can still catch at the Angelika in Manhattan. To give you the literal logline: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Decades later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront destiny, love and the choices that make a life. I am the suckiest of suckers when it comes to narratives, especially romantic ones, anchored in any sort of nostalgia or questions of “what if?”, sliding doors, etc., so this film definitely made me feel things. Plus, we truly love to see a successful, critically acclaimed debut from a young Asian (North) American filmmaker who got her start in the theater! 

Also, speaking of the theater — I am going to branch out from watching screens to watching the stage to give one last plug to Alex Edelman’s “Just For Us,” which closes on Broadway this Sunday. If you are in New York and haven’t had a chance to go yet, please do yourself a favor a buy tickets now for one of the final few performances. As a Jew from the Upper West Side, yes, I am biased — the show was practically written for me — but I also swear it’s just that good and funny. Alex’s reflections on otherness and what it’s like to be othered by your religion but not necessarily the way you look and what it means to be semitic and the meaning of white privilege are just so brilliant and I’ve seen it four times already and will be going one more time before it closes because I am insane. 

Liv has been listening to… 🎧

As someone who has found themselves…confused? Befuddled? Surprised? By much of what has played out on “And Just Like That…,” I have found myself turning to the official companion podcast “And Just Like That…The Writers Room” out of pure fascination and curiosity. And also a glimmer of hope that the show’s writers might be able to answer some of my questions. While I often walk away from the listen with more questions than answers, it does add a whole layer to my analysis of the series that I appreciate and there are definitely some fun behind-the-scenes tidbits that get shared. Also, what can I say — I’ve been #TeamAiden for decades, so they’ve completely sucked me back in. 

Liv has been buying… 🛍️

Oh boy, um, everything? I just got back from a two-week vacation in Greece (yes, I am that asshole), and I bought every item known to mankind in anticipation of that trip…

At Madewell I found the perfect crossbody bag to go from day-to-night on vacation, The Small Transport Crossbody: Straw Edition (currently on sale!). It fit everything I needed (including my portable fan) to walk around for hours at a time during the day, and it looked super cute with all my sundresses at night. The light straw color I have is currently sold out it seems, but I actually think the darker Dried Maple color would be perfect for transitioning to fall. Also, have no fear — straw is not just for vacation! I’ve been carrying it almost daily since I got back to the city and it fits right in here in the land of pavement as well. 

I impulse-bought this Kosas Wet Lip Oil Gloss while waiting in line to make returns at Free People, and I am obsessed — have worn it every single day since then. I find it a constant struggle to find a lip gloss that adds light color and shine, isn’t too sticky, doesn't need to be contained by a lip liner, and is easy to reapply without feeling like you have layers caked on. This gloss truly does all of that! A highly-effective yet super low maintenance lip color. 

A somewhat surprising candidate for my favorite dress of the summer also happens to be this smocked H&M cotton dress, which I got in the zebra print. It is insanely comfortable, lightweight, easy to wear, flattering, what could be bad? I’ve been able to dress it both up and down on hot summer days, and given the darker nature of the zebra print I also anticipate being able to throw on a layer and boots with it come fall, making it a great transitional item as well. Also, it looks far more high end than its $24.99 price tag. 

And, one final rec out of left field — do yourself a favor and go buy this Onion Salt at Trader Joe’s, which I recently discovered. Your taste buds will thank you (no need to thank me).

Emma has been reading… 📖

I finally started Emily Henry’s “Happy Place,” the latest happy-ending-guaranteed novel from the modern rom-com lit queen. I finally got around to reading Alison P. Davis’ July profile of Henry in NYMag, and it inspired me to pick up “Happy Place.” The novel follows exes Harriet and Wyn, who haven’t gotten around to telling their close-knit group of mutual friends about their breakup. When they’re thrown together in Maine on a group trip, they decide to try and fake it for one week. I enjoyed “Beach Read,” “People We Meet on Vacation,” and “Book Lovers,” and thus far this feels like similar fare. Henry’s books are like a warm hug from a friend. And sometimes you just crave that.

Also, really enjoyed

Haley Nahman

’s essay about the nihilism of the phrase “we live in hell” for her newsletter,

Maybe Baby

. As someone who has casually said “we live in hell” for years, it made me pause and consider what I’m actually getting at when I use it.

Emma has been watching… 📺

Besides 2023 #BamaRush Tok videos — I’m pulling for Morgan, Isabella and Bella Grace, and I remain absolutely riveted by the extreme performance of white, straight femininity that is on such overt display during sorority rush — I’ve been catching up on the lead-up to the end of “Temptation Island” season 5.

I’m a relatively new “Temptation Island” fan, and I watch it in a much more casual fashion than I do other reality dating shows. (Mostly because I am not obligated to podcast about this one!) But one thing I love about TI is that every season I identify one man who is my new #1 Enemy, and I cultivate a beautiful grudge against him throughout the subsequent ~8 weeks. This season it’s Hall, a 36-year-old dude who ends his engagement to 30-year-old Kaitlin after meeting a 24-year-old who he believes is his soulmate. A major point of tension in Hall and Kaitlin’s eight-year relationship was that he wanted kids ASAP and she wasn’t ready. But with this new gal, he suddenly has all the time in the world! Incredible how that works! I truly could write a thesis about my unbridled hatred for this man’s on-screen persona. And frankly, that ambient rage feels great!

Emma has been listening to… 🎧

“Search Engine,” PJ Vogt’s new podcast. In each episode, he dives into a seemingly random question and tries to answer it, by way of some good old-fashioned investigative reporting. I loved the premiere episode about whether or not it’s okay to be drinking airplane coffee, the one digging into why empty offices aren’t just being converted into housing, and the latest episode (part one of two) about why drug dealers are lacing street drugs with fentanyl. Each episode feels distinct in its subject matter, but they’re all strung together by Vogt’s expert storytelling skills. It’s apparent when someone has been in the pod game for awhile, and Vogt is the consummate pro.

Emma has been buying… 🛍️

Hill House’s pre-fall collection dropped on Tuesday and I went (with Liv!) to the store to try some of the pieces I’ve been lusting after on Instagram IRL. I am trying not to over-purchase, which is something that I do quite easily when faced with online shopping plus the veneer of urgency. So I trekked to Rock Center on Tuesday and it was such a lovely experience. Here are my HHH Pre-Fall picks:

(1) I left with this incredibly chic and comfy matching set — I am a serious sucker for a matching set — the Malone Shirt and Winston pants in multi-berry. I’ll be able to wear each individually and together they make for my ideal fall outfit.

(2) I also ended up getting the Cindra dress, which is made of such a gorgeous floaty fabric, and can be worn as a dress or a duster. I think I’ll end up wearing it as more of a duster / half buttoned long top over jeans for fall and winter.

(3) Normally I would gravitate to dresses more than separates for HHH, but the minute I tried on their version of a tuxedo shirt, the Mellie Top, I knew it would get a ton of wear. I like that it’s a bit sheer, which gives you a lot of styling options.

Bonus: If I didn’t already own too many Ellies, I would have gotten this new one in crepe chiffon. The material feels luxe and soft, and because it’s thin (but lined!), the sleeves drape in a less dramatic fashion which I think makes it more wearable.

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