Weekend Recs #24: Thrilling reads, comfort pasta, and the best book-to-TV adaptation

Plus: Wisdom from Alexa Chung

This email is long! Click the “…” below to expand all the content or view the web version here.

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. In the meantime, Downtime is edited by Aliza Abarbanel.

Hi all 👋, I’m Ashley and I’m so excited to be guest writing Weekend Recs! A little about me: I moved to Portland, Oregon from LA (my hometown) a year and a half ago, and have been marveling at having seasons ever since. Lately, I’ve spent most nights pinning photos of London cottages on Pinterest, searching for vintage oil paintings on Etsy, reading a chapter or two of a thriller, lighting a woodsy candle, or rewatching a comfort movie, lately one from Nora Ephron or Nancy Myers. Online I’m sharing vignettes of my 1895 Victorian home, along with book and candle recs. –Ashley Hosmer

Four ideas for your weekend…

• 📚My Husband

  • My last 5/5 read is this debut novel from French author Maud Ventura. This physiological thriller reads almost like a diary filled with the inner, obsessive thoughts of a wife. The story starts with her husband saying, “we need to talk” and the wife recounting the ten days leading up to her husband saying, “we need to talk”. I love the running, unpolished inner monologue. After reading the first chapter, I knew I wouldn’t be going to bed until I finished it.

• 📺 Lessons in Chemistry on Apple TV

  • This show based on the novel by Bonnie Garmus follows chemist Elizabeth Zott, played by Brie Larson, as she navigates rampant sexism in the 1960s and becomes a household name thanks to her wildly successful cooking show. I read this book before I saw the show adaptation announcement and when I heard Larson was playing Zott, I couldn’t envision it. Well, my apologies to Larson, she is the perfect Zott, playing her exactly as I imagined her in the book. Really, the entire show feels familiar and cozy, like the most vivid reread. If you loved this book like I did, I think you’ll fall in love with these characters, including Six Thirty the dog, all over again. And if you haven’t read the book, maybe this convinced you to add it to your TBR.

• 🍝Comfort pasta

  • I do not cook but I love to eat. Luckily, I have a husband that not only enjoys cooking but is really good at it. The last recipe I requested was Carla Lalli Music’s One Skillet Pasta with Crispy Bits. As the designated dish washer in our relationship (it’s only fair) I really appreciate a one pot/skillet/sheet meal and this one combines two of my favorite things: pasta and mushrooms. It’s saucy, peppery, and involves a broiler blast so you get these really tasty crispy bits. Total comfort, fall food—which is all I want right now. 

• 🎙️Jungle 

  • I don’t listen to the radio so I am rarely introduced to new music unless it becomes too popular to ignore, which is essentially how I found the band Jungle. My husband and I watch YouTube videos nightly and within the last two or so weeks music videos from the band Jungle have been recommended daily. I finally caved and clicked on one of their videos and it blew me away. They are a British electronic music project and—I just googled this to get it right—making “neo soul funk nu-disco dance” music. All I know is that I like it a lot and maybe you will too. Also, the choreography!

---

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

Get help with anxiety: Hers offers access to affordable, personalized prescriptions for trusted medications online. Connect with a licensed medical provider in just 12-48 hours* and get free shipping with discreet delivery if prescribed. 

*On average. Actual appointment times vary by state and individual patient. Prescription products require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate. Restrictions apply. See website for full details and important safety information.

---

What paid subscribers got this week: A special installment of Bookmarked with Alexis Reliford , featuring her thoughts on the joys of nighttime reading, not finishing books, and lots of recs.

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!

---

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

10/10 would read here. Image source:

• Does Anyone Feel Like an Actual Adult? [The Cut]

  • Honestly comforting that it’s not just me feeling this way about adulthood.

• Newly 40, Alexa Chung Shares 40 Pearls of Wisdom [Vogue]

  • Contains so many gems but this one really resonated with how I’ve been feeling - “How you decorate your home is up to you, and social media trends are an expensive trap. You have your best taste.”

• The Case for Dressing Up Your Life. [Olivia Muenter’s Substack]

  • Olivia dives into the art of turning almost anything into something that feels special and ties it all back to the 2007 movie Because I Said So.

• These 8 Trends Will Define 2024 Interiors, Says 1stDibs [Architectural Digest]

  • I fully believe in decorating your home for you and not trends, but I do feel validated reading that wallpapered ceilings are  “in” since so many people online roasted me for my wallpapered ceiling.

• 100 Gifts That Will Impress Even the Pickiest People on Your List [Domino]

  • Gift guides don’t usually hit for me but this one has some gems - the cookie tin puzzle has been added to my cart.

---

🌼 And more fun fluff…

The beauty of beans. Image via @j.d.frei

Catch me at the movie theater on Christmas day watching Zach Efron and Jeremy Allen White (yes chef 🫡) play 80s professional wrestlers in A24’s The Iron Claw. // Is anyone else constantly refreshing interior designer  Sarah Sherman Samuel’s Instagram for sneak peeks into Mandy Moore’s new home?! // Christy Dawn released wrapping paper in some of their most recognizable patterns. // These reading nooks are so fall, so autumnal, so You’ve Got Mail, need I say more?! //

Links continued below…

The full version of the Weekend Recs newsletter is available to paid subscribers. If you’re already a paid reader, thank you so much for your support!