The Week In Recommendations 9.11.2024

A sharp new FX show, a sweet novel, Hill House fall faves and a sturdy paper towel holder.

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 8 of “Selling Sunset”! A podcast about “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” is coming soon! Rich Text is a completely reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!

Claire has been reading… 📖

Still reading “The Long Island Compromise”! Especially now that I update everyone on my reading every week, I get so tempted to start one of the enticing new books I keep buying and piling up on my bedside table, but I’m holding strong.

Emma has been reading… 📖

I started Abby Jiminez’s sweet novel, “Just For The Summer.” It follows Emma and Justin, two 20-somethings who share the same curse: every time they date someone, after they break up their ex goes on to immediately find The One. They meet on Reddit and then decide to date ~for the summer~ and break up to see if it can lift their mutual curse. But, naturally, once they start dating, they actually start to like each other. I haven’t finished this one yet, but it’s fun!

Claire has been watching… 📺

The first episode of FX’s comedy “English Teacher,” after seeing several rave reviews from other critics. Show creator Brian Jordan Alvarez stars as Evan Marquez, a high school English teacher who spends the pilot episode under investigation for kissing his boyfriend, a coworker, in front of a student with a litigious conservative mom. The performances are razor sharp – I’m particularly loving Stephanie Koenig as Evan’s acerbic and vain bestie Gwen – and the dialogue is layered, lived-in, and dense with jokes. Some of the cultural references may not age well (“I’ve been listening to Red Scare” is a very effective, and topical, punchline in the first episode), but it manages to do very sharp social commentary (“You know, the kids this year, I feel like they're less woke, it circled back around”) that doesn’t seem pre-dated upon arrival, which is something that other shows have suffered from in recent years. And who’s afraid of some topical humor? I’m not! 

Photo Credit: FX

Also, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” the Hulu reality show about Taylor Frankie Paul and “Momtok,” the self-styled branding of a group of young, hot, Mormon moms who make social media content together in order to leverage their individual influencer careers. The original Momtok stars, aside from Taylor, are not in the cast, and very little time is spent on the soft swinging scandal that broke up Taylor’s marriage and the Momtok crew back in 2022. Instead, it’s mostly a show about mostly very young wives and moms, who are far less individually famous than Momtok as a whole, trying to stay friends with each other so that their brand deals don’t dry up. It’s fascinating and also weirdly beside the point. We will have a pod coming soon!

Emma has been watching… 📺

I’m all in on season 2 of “Tell Me Lies.” I don’t want to give any spoilers here, but it’s twisty and turny and relentlessly dark and toxic in a way that feels almost comical. But I’m here for the aughts nostalgia, the relentless fuckery of Stephen, and the queer storyline that they worked into this season! (Truly the only couple I am rooting for!!!) Also, we finally get a bit of forward motion in the 2015 timeline of the show, which makes for a more propulsive feel. Is anyone else watching?

Photo Credit: Hulu

Claire has been listening to… 🎧

So many post-finale “Bachelorette” podcasts and interviews with Jenn! I want to know every detail of Devin’s perfidy, and I want it to follow him forever. I want him to be legally banned from her home state. I also, like Jenn, do not want him to be harassed on social media or in person. It is difficult to hold all these truths at one time, but we must. Our Love to See It bonus episode breaking down all the interviews and social moments from the week since the show will be coming tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Emma has been listening to… 🎧

I’ve also been doing the Jenn Tran “Bachelorette” post-season podcast-listening rounds. If you want to be thrown into an absolute misandrist rage, may I suggest listening to Part 1 of Jenn’s interview on “Bachelor Happy Hour”? Every time I think that Devin’s behavior can’t get worse, somehow it does. (And to be clear, like Claire, I do not condone sending online hate this man’s way.)

Claire has been buying… 🛍️

A successful OXO product: the Good Grips Steady Paper Towel Holder, which replaced the rusty, flimsy piece of garbage that has been holding our paper towels for over a decade. We recently stayed at a well-furnished vacation rental, where I was wowed by the kitchen’s sturdy paper towel holder. With a heavy base and a grippy center rod, the holder allowed me to easily unroll towels and rip them off without using a second hand to steady the roll. Suddenly I couldn’t believe that I had been making do without this innovative device for so long, especially now that, two to four times a day, I dangle a baby over the sink to wash his face and hands and then have to fumble for a paper towel to wipe the wet peanut-butter-toast sludge off of his chin. I looked at the bottom of the holder, and it was OXO. It has been more than worth the $22 price tag.

(Not that OXO is infallible; I am still blissfully happy with the generic dish drying rack we got to replace our poorly designed OXO one.)

Emma has been buying… 🛍️

I bought Caudalie’s Vinoclean Makeup Removing Oil Cleanser and Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Pore Minimizing Toner when I was in Spain, but I wanted to test the products out before I recommended them. Like my fave Caudalie serum, these two products get an A+ from me. I’ve long wanted to be a double cleanse girlie, and this oil cleanser does an amazing job of removing makeup and dirt and leaving your skin feeling so soft. The toner is great for acne-prone skin like mine, and I’ve definitely noticed a difference since I’ve started using it.

Also, some faves from the new Hill House drop! We recently got a Hill House ad campaign for Love To See It (!!!! our literal dream !!!), which meant we were gifted two items. I picked a dress from their new fall collection, the Rennie Dress, and I am OBSESSED. It fit so much nicer than I thought it would from the photos, and I think it’s going to look amazing with boots and layers as the weather gets chillier. Separately, I bought the Birdie Corset Top, because I have a real lack of “going out tops” and it feels like this one might fit the bill? (And I’m always obsessed with a corset-style garment. So flattering!) *This is not an ad*, but you can use the code LOVE15 for 15% off your next Hill House order, courtesy of the pod.

Claire has been making… 🧶

Nothing new this week! Greg did the bulk of the cooking this week (his latest specialty has been batch-cooking chicken breast and serving it with diced roasted sweet potatoes and a vegetable one night, then chopping it up with celery, onion and mayo for chicken salad sandwiches the next night). I made an old fave, sheet-pan scallion chicken, which seemed perfect for the slightly crisp early fall weather we’ve been having. It was good, but sadly I forgot to get the scallions, and the sauce isn’t quite as irresistible without it. Note to self: prioritize scallions when shopping for a scallion-based recipe. 

Emma has been making… 🧶

Other than inquiries to wedding vendors and roasted turkey breast sandwiches? Not a whole lot. But I did flag this NYT Cooking recipe for Chicken “Piccata” with Chard to make soon.

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