Why have Sunday Scaries when you could read the Sunday Sharies? There’s a lot of stuff we’d like to share that won’t fit in our usual Thursday newsletter. Some of that stuff is here. Read on for a special monthly collection of podcast, book, and miscellaneous other recs from your trusty Double Take duo.
— Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen
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Jenni: I started the month with True Biz by Sara Nović, a novel about the romantic, political, and familial shifts for a teacher and her students at a boarding school for the deaf (3.5/5 stars). Then I read Children of the Fallen Gods, part two of Clarissa Broadbent’s War of Lost Hearts trilogy. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a fantasy adventure with lots of magic and battles and unlikely heroes — a decent plane read (3/5 stars). I’m currently working my way through The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison and The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li. The former is a fantasy with a lot more emphasis on politics than I’m used to and the latter is reminding me a lot of My Brilliant Friend so far.
Jess: Unfortunately, I am still on a string of reading terrible books. 4 of the 5 books that I read this month received 1/5 stars: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas, Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor, The Cloisters by Katy Hays, and Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score. I was particularly irate because 3 of these (all but Cloisters) are over 500 pages. (Side note: I need to learn how to quit reading a book when I’m not feeling it).
My remaining March read wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t anything special: The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh. One of her previous books, I Let You Go, is one of my all-time favorites, and this newer one couldn’t live up.
Please reply back to this email or leave a comment on Substack to let me know what I should read next; I need something to get me out of this miserable streak.
Jenni: Nothing groundbreaking to report here. I’ve mostly been listening to random soundtracks and playlists while cooking; I broke my headphones weeks ago and have yet to replace them, so my former podcast walks are on a bit of a pause. The Master of None Season 2 soundtrack remains a favorite standby, but I’ve also been revisiting a lot of 60s and 70s bands lately. The Foundations, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Carole King all make the list.
Jess: If you like Caamp, The Lumineers, Noah Kahan, etc, you’ll like this Spotify playlist that I’ve been listening to non-stop called oat milk lattes in the mountains.
Jenni: For my boyfriend’s birthday earlier this month, I whipped up this flourless chocolate ganache cake. It was decadent and incredibly easy to make. Would recommend — especially with some raspberries as a garnish.
We’ve also been turning to a version of this beef bulgogi-esque stir fry when in need of a comfort food meal. I sub the beef with impossible meat or even tofu sometimes and it’s always delicious.
Jess: Between trips to Cancun and Miami this month, I have not been very focused on cooking at home… much to the dismay of my budget. Not to copy Jenni, but I can recommend one of my easy go-to weekday dinner recipes, which I always pull out when I can’t think of anything else: Pinch of Yum’s Sesame Beef and Broccoli.
Jenni: I’m almost finished with the final episodes of Daisy Jones and the Six. If you’re interested in hearing Jess and me discuss the successes and pitfalls of the adaptation, we’ve got a few podcast episodes you should check out. In fact, we’re recording our thoughts on the last four episodes this weekend, so stay tuned for the final verdict.
Second, I am a long time Natacha Océane stan — her youtube channel is a one-stop-shop for all things health/science/fitness related — and I recently returned to her video on how to balance running + gym workouts. I’ve been training for some long distance races and am extremely uninterested in getting injured. While I enjoy all her videos, this one was particularly useful in creating my schedule for the next few months.
Jess: I’m still making my way through Succession, which I’m finding enjoyable, although it’s not reaching The White Lotus’s tier of excellence for me (yet). Another show that has been out for a few years and that you can watch on HBO Max, The Other Two, has made its way into my rotation. Written by two former SNL head writers, it’s about two floundering millennial siblings of a Justin Bieber-esque pre-teen pop star. It’s very funny, and there are only 2 short seasons to catch up on before the 3rd premieres in early May.
Switching gears from the small screen to the big, I was able to see an early screening of the new Affleck-directed flick, Air, a docudrama chronicling the deal with Nike and Michael Jordan that led to the creation of the Air Jordans. It’s definitely a crowd-pleaser; the script is sharp, funny, and quickly paced, and it features stellar performances by Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, and Viola Davis. It’s undeniably a feel-good movie, but I found myself questioning why I was rooting for a wealthy company to get wealthier. It may be structured like a typical sports movie, with an underdog that perseveres, but at the end of the day, it’s a movie about a business deal, and it’s hard to get too emotionally invested in that.
Jenni: I just got back from a trip to the Norwegian arctic and a set of wool base layer leggings and turtleneck saved my life. I know this is a badly timed rec, as a lot of us are headed into the warmer months of spring and summer. However! I’ve been an underarmour gal for my whole life and this recent purchase spun my loyalty on its head. I will never go out in the cold for extended periods of time without this layer, ever again, mark my words. Skiing? Hiking? Building a snow fort? Watching an outdoor sport or whatever? The lightweight wool is so breathable and kept me so, so warm.
REI has great options, but I happened to get mine from Outdoor Voices because of a well-timed sale. Definitely went in skeptical but I will have and use these for life.
Jess: Makeup! I am heavily influenced by TikTok recommendations, especially for good makeup that I can get at the drugstore. Recently purchased favorites include NYX White Eyeliner (for your waterline), L’Oreal Lumi Glotion, and Maybelline Lifter Gloss.