Weekend Recs #17: Soup season hits, Meryl Streep, and social media etiquette

Plus: The best book I've read all year.

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This is Weekend Recs, a weekly send of ideas and diversions for your downtime. Not subscribed yet? Here you go:

Editorial note: Alisha is on maternity leave. How exciting! In the meantime, Downtime is edited by Aliza Abarbanel.

Four ideas for your weekend…

• 📖 Land of Milk and Honey

  • I’m serious when I say this is the best book I’ve read all year. C Pam Zhang’s new novel is set in a near future where a climate crisis has wiped out virtually all agriculture, and a young chef is lured to cook at a private mountain institute for the global elite with the promise of produce. Zhang’s writing is luminous—the kind of flowing, poetic prose that begs to be read aloud—and her ruminations on finding pleasure at the end of the world will stick with you long after the last page. If you’re not convinced quite yet, check out this recent podcast episode I recorded with Zhang—no major spoilers, I promise.  

• 🍂 A cozy fall playlist

  • It’s been almost a straight week of rain here in New York, so I made a special laid-back playlist to lean into the gloomy weather. Perfect for listening while making a cozy dinner, getting ready for bed, or anything in between. 

• 🎙A podcast on work and social media

  • Writer Anne Helen Peterson is a favorite around these parts, and I especially loved listening to this recent convo on her podcast Work Appropriate with Rachel Karten, a social media pro who writes the popular Link In Bio newsletter. They unpack topics like following your coworkers and what recruiters actually check online, with lots of reader q’s and thoughts on the state of social media. 

• 🧄 Recipes to cook right now

  • Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. Like if a chewy cookie and pumpkin bread had a baby. Moist, spiced, and oh so autumnal. 

  • Pasta with 20 Cloves of Garlic. This one goes out to all the garlic lovers. Punchy, unfussy, and not for the faint of heart (or stomach). 

  • Weeknight Italian Wedding Soup. A soul-satisfying broth with spicy meatballs and lots of greens.

  • Za’atar Salmon & Tahini. A creamy, herbaceous, one-pan salmon recipe to shake up your usual go-to. 

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Thanks to the supporting sponsor of this week’s newsletter, Autocamp:

A peak fall getaway: Autocamp offers cozy cabins and luxe Airstream suites at dreamy sites from the Catskills to Joshua Tree. Get 20% off any property: code DT20

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What paid subscribers got this week: An ultra helpful reader Q&A with stylist Allison Bornstein—known for her viral “three word method” and her new book Wear It Well—featuring her thoughts on adjusting style with age, fall outfit formulas, and trying out trends while being true to yourself.

If you’ve been enjoying Downtime, consider becoming a paid subscriber for many more perks, like the full version of every Friday newsletter, bonus posts, access to the comments, and more!

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A grab bag of links and reads worth sharing with the group chat.

Run club in motion. Image via Ben Rayner for The New York Times

• The Return of the Marriage Plot [The Cut]

  • The talented Rebecca Traister unpacks the wave of rhetoric encouraging men and women to get married that’s sweeping the media (and the politicization of no-fault divorce).

• My Running Group, My Everything [New York Times] *gift link*

  • A fun peek inside the running group trend that just might inspire you to find your own. And if you’re not quite there yet: How to Start Running. 

• Never Acquire Clothes the Same Way Again [The Atlantic]

  • Ann Friedman on the merits of picking up a few basic sewing skills—and changing your relationship with shopping in the process

• How to Advocate for Yourself at the Doctor’s Office [Vox]

  • Speaking up in a medical setting is a valuable skill.

• How Gen Z Women Athletes Are Writing Their Own Storylines [Bustle]

  • A new generation of athletes are using social media to chart a new way for women to make money in sports.

• Travis Kelce Was a Star. Taylor Swift Put Him in Another Orbit. [New York Times] *gift link*

  • Unpacking the Travis/Taylor hype and its impact on the media.

🌼 And more fun fluff…

A toasty bed. Image via @dimda_

A new Ann Patchett audiobook narrated by Meryl Streep (!!), rec’d by Alisha. // The pumpkin spice latte will outlive us all. // Cute, plus-size friendly sofas. // The best way to clean gunk off jars to reuse for cooking or crafts. //  Halloween sugar cookies —> ice cream sandwiches. // How to crochet a checkerboard tote // The writer’s strike is over! Here's what it means for your favorite shows.//

Links continued below…

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