SEEKING RECOMMENDATIONS

Oo I love this post! Here are some recommendations I have:
Podcasts- I love the popcast with Knox and Jamie (lots of pop culture and their camaraderie is hilarious) and celebrity memoir book club (exactly like what it sounds, but the hosts are two best friends whose takes I love)

Books- I’m reading the Last List of Mabel Beaumont and loving it! Based on your book lists I think you would like it too

The half baked harvest everyday cookbook is a lifesaver. I’m also on maternity leave. Quick and easy meals that everyone loves, including my toddler!!

I have been loving Even the Royals podcast. It’s a little chatty while learning about historical royal women. It’s the interesting and fun.

Lately for easy delish recipes I’ve been enjoying Skinny Taste Air Fryer Cookbook (if you have an airfryer), Jessica Seinfeld’s Vegan at Times, and any of the Smitten Kitchen cookbooks.

Hi Carly! Books I’ve read recently and highly recommend are:
Overdressed- about sustainable fashion (reminds me of your recommendation to read the one about JCrew- and I could not put this one down)
The Idiot- Pulitzer Prize nominee; about a Harvard student who develops an interesting online relationship
Anything by Jhumpa Lahiri, especially Interpreter of Maladies (beautiful collection of short stories)
Tell Me Everything- Minka Kelly’s autobiography
Some older favorites I’d love to reread are Sweetbitter, City of Girls, Brooklyn, and the Gurnsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society.
Enjoy!!!

I’ve really been enjoying Bows And Company podcast. This is Emily O and Bows podcast. It’s a chatty podcast, but it’s upbeat and positive and feels like I’m listening to friends chat

For a fun chatty podcast I’d recommend A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica. Kelly Corrigan Wonders and We Can Do Hard Things are great for learning about life and people (namely yourself).

Hi Carly, I think you would like Banyan Moon by Thao Thai. The writing is BEAUTIFUL and it is definitely more focused on character development vs. a fast-paced plot. One of my favorite super easy meals (not really cooking), is to take a bagged salad from Trader Joe’s or elsewhere, add some chicken (either grilled or breaded chicken tenders), and to serve with bread on the side. I also get a lot of recipes/meal ideas from the Trader Joe’s website.

For cooking, I have figured out what gets me motivated and inspired to cook:

1. Find recipes that require minimal chopping and pots & pans. Chopping takes time and too many pots & pans require too much cleaning, so find recipes that require the chopping of one or two things and look for “one-pot” recipes.

2. Find your favorite flavors. Most of my favorite recipes call for the same ingredients and flavors–garlic, lemon, crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, coconut milk, lime, Italian seasoning, etc. Type in a few ingredients/flavors you like or have on hand and tons of recipes will pop up! Also if you stick to the same ingredients/flavors, chances are you’ll already have it in your kitchen, minimizing the need to go grocery shopping for every single ingredient.

3. Find your signatures. This will take time, but I’m not known for trying new recipes very often. I have found my go-to’s and most requested recipes, and I rotate them. I also batch my signature recipes by season. I do lots of soups, chilis, pot pies, and one-pot pastas in the winter, and I do salads, fish, and grilled meat in the summer.

4. Once Upon a Chef and Pinch of Yum are my two go-to websites for recipes.

Another vote for the Bose QuietComfort headphones! I had an older pair of Bose headphones too that I loved and the new noise cancelling version is just as comfortable (which is hard for me to find). They’re pricey but I think they’re frequently on offer and I was able to get them for more than 40% off on Prime Day.

I really enjoy my NYT cooking subscription for recipes and inspiration. After saving a few recipes the site will offer up recommendations based on your interests and they constantly add new recipes.

Podcast: The Simplified Podcast by Emily Ley. I love her podcast because is different topics. She has an episode on motherhood, easy recipes, simple lunches and things like that!

Easy Recipes: I am loving “Food Dolls” found on Pinterest and YouTube shorts and for something super healthy https://www.collegenutritionist.com/

i love these types of posts – so fun!

i’ve no suggestions for headphones, but i’m a big fan of the mo news podcast. in addition to daily news, they also do deep dives on other topics that either relate or inform current events, and other stuff that they feel like, i guess. i listen to it every morning when i walk my dog. actually (and tangentially) i highly recommend the mo news instagram as well.

as for book recs, totally not new, but sandra cisneros is always a great read – the house on mango street or the short stories. also david sedaris! his earlier stuff is generally funnier, but i find myself uncontrollably laughing at least once in every book. i’m smiling so big right now just thinking about his “6 – 8 black men” essay. also i can’t even remember which part of which book but i laughed so hard and so long reading either naked or me talk pretty one day that my neighbors at the time knocked on the door to ask if we were ok.

i love to cook, but when i’ve no inspiration i’m a big fan of smitten kitchen and plant you.

A podcast that will lead you to new books: Backlisted. Chatty in a smart, British way.

Echoing a few folks here – Caroline Chambers’ new podcast, So Into That, is the ultimate chatty, fun listen. There are lots of funny and relatable mentions of moments with her three small boys, too! Also really love A Thing or Two with Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo.

For recipes, I’ve been loving non-recipe meals in early days with a young baby. Some combo of chicken thighs/sausage/baked feta, veg, sweet potatoes/potatoes/rice on a sheet pan once a week helps. An actual recipe that is similar is the baked feta from NYT. Any recipe by Ali Slagle on NYT and of course, Caroline Chambers’ newsletter, which you’ve mentioned!

Oh also! For podcasts, I love Smartless. The chemistry between Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes is amazing/hilarious and they book great guests. There is a pretty deep archive for you to peruse through, too. They have a bit of banter at the beginning of each episode (and you’ll begin to pick up on inside jokes etc), but no real “plot” where you have to start with the early episodes. I pick and choose what to listen based on which guests seem like they’d be interesting.

Carly,I don’t listen to podcasts much but I do read quite a lot. Like you I prefer more literary books. So here is my list of books I liked from 2023

The Covenant of Water- audio
Hello Beautiful- Ann Napolitano
Intense family portrait, most of the characters are well-drawn with the exception of the matriarch Rose. (I have no idea why she decided to abandon the family based upon the writing. But for the most part the writing is very good. It’s a book where love saves the day. I liked the literary references, particularly to “Little Women”. And particularly liked Sylvie because she is a book worm like me.

The Fraud by Sadie Smith

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
My favorite book of the year. I loved the audible version too.

The City Bakers Guide to Country Living- by Louise Miller
Light and Fun

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, narrated by Merl Streep Meryl Streep could read the phone book (if there still was one) and it would be great

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Kevin -wonderful book, based on lives of video game creators, very different

Foster Dade Explores the Universe- by Nash Jenkins
( very well written, intriguing characters, coming of age novel in the style of Catcher in the Rye, also reminds me of The Great Gatsby, need to get past excessive drug use and teenage sex/masturbation)

Spring Rain- A Life Live in Gardens by Marc Hamer
(Beautiful book)

Wild and Precious by Mary Oliver, Sophia Bush
(Loved this, only available through Audible)

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
(Could have used an editor, drug use again and again, but overall a good book)

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
(Quirky and strange in a good way, intriguing, dream-like sequences, female characters less well-drawn and sexualized, some very graphic violence particularly related to Japans war in Mongolia, but overall a really interesting read. I would like to read more by this author).

The Book Of Hope by Jane Goodall
(I love her story)

And After the Fire by Lauren Belfer
(Interesting book, learned a lot about music)

Spare- By Prince Harry and J.R. Moehringer
(Listened to this on audible, surprised how much I liked it, sympathetic portrait of a trauma stricken young lad, J.R. Moehringer wrote the Tender Bar- excellent book)

Writers and Lovers- Lily King
(Liked this book a lot, interesting choices and literary illusions)

Trust by Hernan Diaz
(Really like this book)

Crying in H Mart- Michelle Zaun
(Enjoyed this learned a lot about Korean culture and food)

The Great Fire by Shirley Hazard
(Liked this book very much. Want to read more by this author. Exquisite writing.)

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
(Enjoyable book about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and history of suffrage movement in England)

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr – loved this book, intelligent writing

The Grammarians- Cathleen Schine
(Good book)

Regarding the headphones: I’ve had my Sony over-ear noise cancelling headphones for years and love them. Yes, they are expensive however, I use them everyday and have for 5+ years so the cost per use is very low.

For podcasts, here are a few I listen to you may like: Awesome Etiquette hosted by the (great?) grandchildren of Emily Post, they discuss modern etiquette dilemmas. Along the above line, Were You Raised by Wolves? has a different feel but accomplishes the same thing. If you want to learn something in under an hour I would suggest Stuff You Should Know and BBC’s History Extra Podcast; they’re standalone and have a large backlist for you to choose from. One with a couple of friends chatting and sharing their lives and recent purchases I’d suggest Add to Cart.

I hope you find these suggestions useful!

5 years later and I still love my Beats Solo headphones that are around $100.. I’ve replaces the faux leather ear pieces twice now (from normal wear and makeup) with new adhesive ear pieces from Ebay for around $20. The sound quality is excellent and has made justifying buying a new pair of headphones impossible!

Sentimental Garbage is the BEST podcast!! Jump in anywhere, the host is amazing and captures the very chatty feel with a new guest every week.

Can’t help you with headphones but 2023 book of the year for me was YOURS TRULY by Abby Jimenez. And this https://www.youcare-selfcare.com/ is saving my life. On IG but I recommend the monthly membership. I get five recipes a month, plant based. which helps with “what should I make for dinner?”

Not much help on headphones (not a fan of over the ear, haven’t found any that don’t hurt with my glasses…) or books (still trying to get back into the groove post job/baby).

For podcasts – Stuff you Should Know is excellent. I also find Josh and Chuck’s voice soothing. I sometimes use them to fall asleep and they made the newborn feeding phase way better. Parenting is a Joke is super funny (Ophira Eisenberg) and I’ve been loving Best of Both World and Startup Parent if you want to go in that direction. I’m not sure how it is for non-runners, but I can’t think of anything more chatty than The Drop (Believe in the Run).
For food – I love the NYT cooking app. Well worth the subscription. The Chickpea Harissa Soup is on regular rotation (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019897-chickpea-harissa-soup?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk0.Q-15.Qh1M8OepUYHc&smid=share-url) (gift link). Probably the highest effort to yum ratio of anything we make. Postpartum, we burned ourselves out on just baked salmon (olive oil, salt, pepper) and whatever random salad kit we had on hand.

If you like Elin’s podcast, you might like the Read with Jenna podcast! Her interview with Amor Towles was incredible.

Grossy Pelosi is my go-to for easy meals and ones that save well!

On the over the ear headphones…sorry I just cant get into it, haha!! Plus carry-on space is valuable for me, so why do I want bulky headphones taking up all that room!

For an easy comfort food meal, I love Smitten Kitchen’s Rigatoni alla Vodka (https://smittenkitchen.com/2021/02/rigatoni-alla-vodka/). Its pretty quick and delicious! You can leave out the vodka and lower the red pepper flakes for kids. I also use the full can of tomato paste and extra pasta water to make it extra saucy. Highly recommend.

This time of year, I also love making a big pot of hearty soup to have for meals throughout the week. This one from NYT Cooking (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1845-tuscan-farro-soup) is a good base recipe – you can easily add/subtract ingredients based on what everyone likes. Hope this helps!

For podcasts, I recommend After Bedtime with BLF (amazing rapport between the hosts) and Culture Study, a new podcast hosted by Anne Helen Petersen where I feel like I’m learning something every week! Hope you have a smooth last few weeks of the pregnancy Carly <3

Podcasts – Be There in Five, The Popcast with Knox & Jamie, Esther Perel on Armchair Expert, Blindspot (done by the History channel, so good); search for favorite authors/tv shows by name to get random interviews on podcasts you don’t otherwise listen to

Books: King: A Life, JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, The Course of Love, Mating in Captivity, Brooklyn, The Bin Ladins (fascinating)
Can’t wait to read through others’ suggestions!

Podcast: The Toast. You probably are already familiar with it. It’s not for everyone but it’s easy to listen to as they are hour long episodes and they just talk about pop culture. After Bedtime Podcast. It’s the two ladies from Big Little Feelings on Instagram. I’m not a parent so my POV from their topics are slightly different. They have some episodes with trigger warnings (e.g. miscarriage, divorce, etc) but overall I appreciate their honesty, real advice, and opinions on being parent.
Books: it’s not literary fiction but the Harry Potter series. It’s easy. They’re long. It’s also familiar.
Recipes: Simple. Home. Edit. On Instagram has yummy and easy recipes! My favorite is the creamy tomato chicken orzo recipe.

A book I absolutely loved this past year was Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Also Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver!

Podcast rec! A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica

I loved this post and added so many books to my cart from the comments! Xoxo

If you haven’t read The Heart’s Invisible Furies you MUST! It’s my favorite book of all time. Other favorites: The Secret Life of Bees (an oldie but a goodie), I Liked My Life, My Year with Eleanor, and Save Me the Plums.