The Roundup vol. 4

These Roundup posts really fell off, didn’t they? Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been tracking the food and fun that’s been catching my eye for the last year and a half. Feel free to check out Vol. 3 for my last bit of inspo and read on for more of my recommendations when it comes to filling your time.

Activities

• Cooking/Recipes/Restaurants:
  • Boursin pasta is the latest viral TikTok recipe. I’ve already made it myself but love how it’s easy to customize and just…easy, period.
  • As you may know, I started my own Substack…which also means I’ve been digging into other creators’ Substacks. Caroline Chambers has a great one all about What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking – comes complete with full week plans, including grocery lists.
  • Moonflower seems like a kitschy West Village wine bar, but I particularly want to check out their Sunday Roast, where you can eat a comfort meal while you drink wine and listen to vinyl.
  • I don’t need to hear another word about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. I do, however, need to make Kelce’s Mom’s magic marshmallow rolls. (Also generally very into all the recipes on this @seriousfoodfetish page.)
  • Biblioteque, new coffee shop/wine bar/bookstore, just opened and those are all of my favorite things.
• Other Activities:
  • Ashton Kutcher series on Peloton: To train for the marathon, Kutcher hosted a series of runs on Peloton with both a coach and a friend (like Natalie Portman and Jon Batiste) where he chats with them to understand their “why.” It felt like a podcast – and as someone who used to run along to podcasts until I discovered Peloton classes, this is a great fusion. Note: I’m generally a bit iffy on Ashton Kutcher right now in light of his support of Danny Masterson. The irony of this Peloton series specifically supporting Thorn, the anti-sex abuse organization Kutcher co-founded, when he went on to support Masterson as he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping two women 20 years ago is cringey. Hopefully this series will still shed light on some very worthwhile causes.
  • Brooklyn Charm: I’ve seen this spot all over TikTok and am dying to go to their studio to make my own custom jewelry.
  • The Brooklyn Teacup: I discovered this one on Instagram and love the idea of upcycling vintage china into gorgeous serving pieces.
  • Custom embroidery at abbode: Ok, it seems like custom is the name of the game for this Roundup because in addition to the above two activities, I’d love to make a custom pillow. (It seems like they have tons of cute stuff at this store so I think I just need to get myself to Nolita to check it out.)

Content

• Books:
  • I’m in my fantasy era. I keep adding fantasies to my TBR, but I can’t help but be intimidated by series that already have five+ novels to get through (at 500+ pages apiece). That’s why I’m really into duologies and trilogies right now.The Serpent & The Wing of Night is top of my list right now.
  • Time’s 100 Most Read Books (2023 and 2022) are great lists to build out your TBR. I love that it covers all categories so you’ll find books that are just plain engaging, whether they’re romance or literary fiction.
  • I don’t remember when I discovered @jordys.book.club, but I absolutely love his account. This LA toddler dad literally reads for a living and is responsible for adapting those un-put-downable books for film/tv. His recommendations are ALWAYS on point.
• Movies:
  • Do Revenge: I was a fan of Jawbreaker so this dark comedy teen flick about a dethroned queen bee exacting revenge on her classmates and ex-boyfriend was fun. Also love what they did with the costume design. (Netflix)
  • Luckiest Girl Alive: I absolutely loved this book and read it right when it came out. The adaptation did a great job, changing just enough to make it work even better in the current climate. (Netflix)
  • May December: This movie pulls heavily from the Mary Kay Letourneau/Vili Fualaau story that ripped through the headlines. In this version, an actress comes to town to study the woman she is about to portray. She’ll be playing the roll of Gracie who, at the age of 36, seduced her 13 year old coworker. With their shocking story brought back into the limelight, their 23-year marriage is under renewed pressure. Bonus: it was filmed/set in Savannah! (Netflix)
  • Looking for Chloé: This documentary tells the story of Gaby Aghion, the Egyptian Jewish woman who created French fashion house Chloé. I had no idea of the impact this specific brand had on the industry – we have Aghion to thank for ready-to-wear luxury, an entirely new category. (I saw at a film festival – not sure where to watch)
  • Greatest Night in Pop: The documentary follows the single night recording of We Are The World. The background of how this song came to be was entirely new to me. It’s also incredible that so many unique powerhouses were in the same place at the same time and it was captured on film. Fantastic. (Netflix)
  • Plus One: I somehow missed this romcom when it came out in 2019, but it follows two college friends who agree to go to about 10 weddings together to serve as each other’s wingman. Funny and not cheesy. It was easy to root for these two. (Amazon Prime)
  • Players: A group of friends has perfected the pickup game, but when Mack wants more than a one night stand with her latest target, the crew needs to level up. This one was cute, even if it was a little heavy handed with the “just one of the guys” trope. (Netflix)
  • Upgraded: Another romcom, this one about an entry level gallerina being mistaken for a Director level boss babe by the wealthy Brit sitting next to her on a plane. Cute, easy viewing. (Amazon Prime)
• TV:
  • Street Food: Because some of the most bangin food is the non-fussy, get your hands dirty kind. Each of the six 30-minute episodes explores the to-go style bites and diverse landscapes of cities like Portland, Miami, and LA. (Netflix)
  • Harry & Meghan: It’s no secret that I love the royal gossip and enjoyed that Harry and Meghan allowed us into their lives a bit. That said, while they clearly intended many moments to humanize them and dispel some of the myths/rumors circling them, I think it did the opposite. (Example: Meghan finally clarifies that no she didn’t Google him…but she did do her research via Instagram. When she was ready to die on the “didn’t Google” hill it was clearly to craft a doe-in-the-woods image of her. She was so insistent and then waiting months and months to then say “wellllll I may not have Googled but I did do something else that was virtually the same” was incredibly annoying.) Bummer for them, juicier for me. (Netflix)
  • Jury Duty: The most unique concept! This documentary-style show (Think: The Office) follows real-person Ronald as he’s picked and serves jury duty…not realizing that every other person is an actor and in on the prank. (Amazon Prime)
  • The Buccaneers: This will satisfy your Bridgerton itch. A quad of young American women head to London to snag wealthy, titled husbands. It’s campy and anachronistic and fun. (Apple TV+)
  • School Spirits: Maddie is dead but can’t remember exactly how or why. In the afterlife, she hangs with all the other teens who have died at the high school while they’re trapped watching the living…live. (Netflix)
  • Dinner Time Live: In Netflix’s first live event series, we watch David Chang prepare a meal in real time for two guests. It’s actually live and viewers can engage with the stream (but don’t worry, you can watch on demand if you miss the Tuesday 7pm airing) and it’s very cool to watch the meal come together. The Iliza Shlesinger and Paul Scheer episode (#2) is probably my fave because they were hilarious guests, but Episode 5, where Seth Rogen and Ike Barinholtz are there to eat through the most insane amount of caviar, was pretty fun to watch. (Netflix)
• Podcasts:
  • Sunshine Place: If you’re into true crime but not so much rape and murder, this is a good one. It tells the story of Synanon in Venice Beach, which started with the claim that they could cure addiction (like a rehab) but turned into a violent cult.
  • Sounds Like a Cult: Since we’re talking about cults…This show is one of my two current faves. Hosted by Amanda Montell (previously with a co-host but still great now even after they parted ways), this show tackles just how culty groups like Burning Man, Swifties, and Peloton are. It’s a funny and interesting way to analyze our obsessions.
  • Girls Next Level: If you enjoy recap shows, you’ll probably like hearing Holly and Bridgette go episode by episode through their time on the show Girls Next Door about Hef’s three girlfriends in the Playboy Mansion. It was kind of a cultural touchstone in the early ’00s but with times having drastically changed this is an interesting retrospective.
  • Reading Glasses: With so many bookish podcasts being about books I haven’t read (and therefore don’t really hold my interest), this is a good one for people passionate about reading.
  • Fixing Famous People: This is the other of my two current faves. In each episode, Chris DeRosa and Dominick Pupa tackle a problematic celeb and offer hilarious solutions for rehabing their image.
  • The Retrievals: There are only 5 episodes in this series (all under an hour), but they’re impactful. Patients at a Yale fertility clinic start experiencing immense pain before finally uncovering the nurse at blame. With everything happening to women’s reproductive rights right now, this feels like extra salt in the wound.
  • Fantasy Fangirls: Fourth Wing and Iron Flame took #booktok by storm and sisters Lexi and Nicole capitalized on the fandom. They breakdown each chapter to analyze and theorize about the world Rebecca Yarros has created. These books were ones you read and just want to talk about ad nauseum – this show provides that outlet. In addition to being a great deep dive, the episodes are really nicely outlines. I might have to read through the ACOTAR series (the next one they’re covering) just so I can keep listening.
  • The Girlfriends: Bob Birnbaum seems perfect – a successful doctor with tons of friends who has traveled the world. But Carole only dates him for a bit before she realizes he’s not the guy for her. He had a short fuse and a sketchy story about his ex-wife who is missing and presumed dead. After confiding in a friend, it turns out there are a few women who have dated Bob and all got the ick. Together, they try to figure out what exactly happened to his ex-wife. The only downside is that I don’t loooove the host.