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Hi all, it's Alisha here, popping in briefly from maternity leave. We've got a terrific guest writer for today's issue, but first, I wanted to acknowledge that I know many of our hearts are so heavy with the news from this past week. It's incomprehensible that innocent people and children anywhere should ever be struck with violence and tragic ends. I'll be squeezing my loved ones tighter this weekend. Please read on if you're in the mood for a joyful and cozy distraction, and hope to see you soon. –Alisha
This is Weekend Recs, a weekly send of ideas and diversions for your downtime. Not subscribed yet? Here you go:
Hi!
I’m Youngna Park, and I’m happy to be guest writing this week’s Weekend Recs. I live in Brooklyn with my husband and my five and seven-year-old kids. I write a newsletter called Making it Work with my own musings on the wild ride that is modern parenting, write about kids’ stuff for The Strategist, and recommend favorite children’s books on Instagram. In my spare time, I dabble in ceramics and spend as much time as possible hiking in the Hudson Valley.
Four ideas for your weekend…
📚 Hope
I just finished (and loved!) this novel by Andrew Ridker about Jewish family in Brookline, MA whose polished exterior starts to crumble when the dad’s research malpractice is exposed. There are two cusp-of adulthood kids and a complicated marriage with a whole suite of longstanding issues that reach a tipping point. The book raises so many questions about identity, family, and accepting (or not accepting) moral failures. I think Ridker does such a great job depicting the complexity of the family relationships in every direction—parent-child, parent-parent, sibling-to-sibling. It also has a great cover.
My favorite long-form interview podcast. What the host, Sam Fragoso, lacks in years of experience, he makes up for with incredibly deep research. He goes deep, and you can tell every guest is impressed with the range and the effort behind his questions. The recent one with Zadie Smith is incredible. Other favorite episodes include the conversation with photographer Joel Meyerowitz and his conversation with actor Ke Huy Quan.
A wild three-part documentary series on HBO about two workers at a telemarketing center who discover the whole thing is a sham and go about trying to be whistleblowers on the industry. The whole thing is scrappy and unbelievable, and takes some unexpected turns.
🥒 Recipes to cook this weekend:
My husband and I make these fat noodles with pan-roasted mushroom and herb sauce from Carla Lalli Music’s cookbook, That Sounds So Good, at least once a month. The recipe tells you to boil the herbs first but you absolutely do not need to do that.
These spicy cucumbers with lemon, yogurt, and herbs from Yewande Komolafe, which are cool, crunchy, citrus-y and spicy all at once.
I’ve been making homemade granola for years because it’s super easy, extremely delicious, and because store bought granola is expensive! This is my go-to base recipe, but I’ll mix and match the nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, and, depending on what’s available, add cocoa nibs, flax, and quinoa.
Thanks to the supporting sponsor of this week’s newsletter, Autocamp:
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What paid subscribers got this week: A craveable roundup of new fall cookbooks that spark kitchen inspiration. Plus: A giveaway for four new titles from the roundup. Winner will be announced next week!
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A grab bag of links and reads worth sharing with the group chat.
The Art of Quitting [Vox]
When is it time to walk away from a hobby? This article unpacks how to figure out when to abandon what no longer serves you —and how to give it a fair shot.
100 Documentaries to Watch [Maybe Baby]
Sourced from excellent reader recommendations in Haley Nahman’s newsletter
The Rise, Fall, & Remaking of the #GirlBoss [Culture Study]
- interviews Marisa Meltzer on her new book, Glossy about the growth of Glossier and founder Emily Weiss’ flavor of leadership. Read if you liked our recent author chat with Marisa!
Why Teens Love LinkedIn [The Cut]
I have complex feelings about LinkedIn and its unabashed celebration of work and productivity culture, so was intrigued by this piece on why Gen Z is gravitating here.
When Does Celebrity Worship Go Too Far? [Shondaland]
“Stanning addiction” is real.
🌼 And more fun fluff…
A new-ish podcast series digging into fascinating questions around class. // Warm-but-light wool sweaters. // A jaw-dropping Simone Biles video that reminds why she’s the GOAT. // The best subscription coffee comes from Speckled Ax in Maine. //
Links continued below…
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