Lovin' Lately no. 15
Replacing your AM social media doom scroll
Hi! Danielle Wraith here! The Second Act is the weekly newsletter I always wanted in my inbox, packed with obsessively-curated recommendations, thoughtful reflections on books, feelings, life, and the art of making room for more. Whether you're seeking inspiration or connection. The Second Act offers a warm, inviting space for all.
Imagine we’re catching up over coffee and I’m gushing over what I’ve been Lovin’ Lately…
This is a packed email so some of it will be clipped, you can access the whole post via the Substack web browser or app.
📚 Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason: One of the most honest, but also oddly funniest, depictions of living with depression and everything it takes to be human. Martha Friel has endured the debilitating mental weight that occasionally keeps her bedridden for months, through her job as a writer, two marriages, and neurotic sister Ingrid, until she moves back in with her parents in London. It’s also full of gems, like this depiction of three years of a marriage, “A holiday, a leaking pipe, new sheets, happy birthday, a technician between nine and three, a bird flew into the window, I want to die, please, I can’t breathe, I think it’s a lunch thing, I love you, I can’t do this anymore, both of us thinking it would be like that forever.”
📺 “Nobody Wants This” on Netflix:I am obsessed with this show, based on creator Erin Foster’s real-life love story with her husband. Set in Los Angeles, Joanne (Kristen Bell), who hosts a dating podcast with her sister, falls for a rabbi (Adam Brody). They hit it off, to the loud disapproval and skepticism of their respective families. It’s incredibly cute and funny, and I was impressed by the ways it navigated common rom-com tropes, with realistic dialogue. One major caveat: The depiction of Jewish women plays into stereotypes in a way that I found disappointing and surprising. I recommend listening to Emma Gray and Claire Fallon’s discussion around this on their podcast, Rich Text!
📺 “Three Women” on Starz: I’ve been eagerly awaiting this adaptation of Lisa Taddeo’s book covering the sex lives of three women across the United States. Like the book, this ten-episode series pushes boundaries, showing full nudity and depicting the complicated, myriad desires of women while including Taddeo’s process of writing and interviewing her subjects. Side note: I was interested to learn that writer Gay Talese was a mentor of Taddeo’s. I think about his famous article “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” and this one about a hotel owner/voyeur (my actual worst nightmare), all the time.
So, I signed up for this chili cook-off, feeling pretty confident. I mean, who doesn’t love a good white bean, chicken chili? The recipe came from my friend Mandy, and it was tried and true, I’d made it a handful of times. The morning of the cook-off, I started getting everything together, feeling like some kind of chili champion. But as I began rifling through the pantry, I had that sinking feeling: I was out of a few... key things. Like the white beans. I must have picked up the wrong ones at the market. And the chicken stock. You know, small details.
Cue the improvisation. I found a can of kidney beans in the back, way past their "best by" date but, hey, it’s fine—beans are beans, right? Then I had to get creative on the chicken stock. I substituted for beef stock. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
I wasn't sure, but I was in too deep to turn back. I slapped some cilantro on top, added a squeeze of lime for “flair,” and brought it to the cook-off like everything was normal.
Let’s just say... no one was prepared for the flavor journey that awaited them. But hey, I won 3rd place.
Okay, so heres the ACTUAL white bean, chicken chili recipe:
Sharing a few of my saves and other faves bc cool girls don’t gatekeep
How to strengthen your happiness muscle I love the practical tips shared in this article, especially “expanding your joy vocabulary".
Anthro has a TON of bag (and shoe) charms that, dare I say, are actually… really cute?
I’ll be continuing to track the charm trend taking over everything - great point that these charms are a great accessibility point for luxury brands to reach new customers and expand their consumer base to encompass a younger audience
I do agree that the future of fashion lies in individuality. I see hyperpersonalization as a growing force (AI will be part of this). Charms + trinket loading are a basic personalization tactic + we’ll see this concept expanding across categories, bringing “bespoke” to the masses
Publishers try skinnier books to save money and emissions — how typography tweaks can reduce carbon emissions in book publishing.
Really enjoying the “Nice Talk” pod from Marie Claire which features conversations with women like Erica Veurink, Tanner Adell, and Julie Schott (a personal fave).
Everyone has reported on it already. Lemme has dropped GLP-1 Daily supplements. They don’t actually contain GLP-1 at all. I thought we were against the Kardashians shilling flat tummy tea? Take it back, K.
My Fall Book Guide - something for everyone!
I’ve been cooking my way through Ina’s roasted chicken recipes - like this ones and this one - and it’s a new lease on family dinner!
Pasta Grannies sparks joy.
Victoria’s Secret relaunched VSX, “The intersection of performance, comfort, and fashion” (activewear). Lots of lime green happening here. They also partnered with Strava for a “movement challenge”
JoJo joins the list of celebs publishing memoirs this fall, including Ina Garten, Cher, Kelly Bishop, and more. JoJo’s “Over the Influence”
Luggage retailer Beis launches a secondhand resale program
Some really interesting thoughts on the fragrance boom here from Glossy - also, can you believe this is a thing that exists.
Speaking of which, I stumbled into our local Anthro last weekend and fell in love with this Plur body mist in scent Vanilla skin. A friend told me I smelled like heaven, so theres that.
Nespresso launched their first ever ready-to-drink canned coffee
Samhita Mukhopadhyay, author of The Myth of Making It + former Teen Vogue EIC, is hosting a podcast series at The Cut about women + leadership
Are early 2000s movies the reason we’re so addicted to the concept of a glow up?
Or the reason we love to travel? I might personally blame The Lizzie McGuire Movie for that one
The NY Times says you’ll love these books if you loved Nobody Wants This - I will cosign that Season of Love is a fantastic holiday romance
The “Ladies who Lunch” style trend has a strong hold on retailers right now. I think this may be, similar to the suiting resurgence, an answer to our general return to society post-pandemic. We’re craving structure not only in routine, but in clothing
The windbreaker is a breakthrough trend this season
If you made it this far, let me know what your favorite link this week was. This helps me continue to evolve Lovin’ Lately to best serve you and your interests 💖👯♀️🪩
