Monday Missive: January 25
What We’re Reading and Watching
I started watching Flack on Amazon this weekend and I’m only two episodes in, but It’s so good so far. It stars Anna Paquin and is about a group of women who work in crisis PR dealing with celebrity scandals as well as the fall out in their own lives. Full of very flawed people and dramatic situations, it’s good soapy entertainment. - E
White Ivy is a book recommendation that I got from Grace Atwood and it’s a good one. Ivy grew up a poor Chinese immigrant, who just wanted to blend in at the wealthy white Massachusetts private school where she was a scholarship student, and she had an enormous crush on the popular and preppy Gideon Spear. When they meet as adults, she’s determined to get a second chance and write a very different future for herself. - E
My HBO binging continued and I finally watched The Flight Attendant. It was definitely a bit violent and suspenseful, but I really enjoyed Kaley Cuoco in the lead role and the cast of characters around her. I loved that they really built out her personal relationships with her co-workers, best friends and brothers and there were some fun familiar faces that I hadn’t seen in a while (Zosia Mamet! T.R. Knight! Michael Huisman!). - D
I’ve been reading a crazy amount this month, and right now I’m about halfway through The Right Swipe, a modern romance book about a woman who is very clearly based on the founder of Bumble, and the dreamy former NFL player who is the spokesperson for what is essentially Match.com. It’s fun and just the right amount of steamy! - D
What We’re Buying
Cece got the cutest bike basket for her birthday! It’s from my friend Jenny’s company, Your Preppy Present, and she customizes them to match your bike color. It fits just enough LOL dolls and snacks without weighing the bike down and makes every bike ride a little more attractive. - E
Eloise put a sample of the Caudalie Premier Cru eye cream in my stocking over Christmas and I’m obsessed and planning to buy the full size when I run out. It has a really nice texture that absorbs quickly, but keeps my concealer from settling in fine lines on days I am wearing makeup. - D
What We’re Making
My girls are continuing to bake up a storm. They had some help from their grandmother with the Giant Crinkle Chocolate Chip Cookie’s from the Barefoot Contessa’s newest cookbook, Modern Comfort Food, which were delicious but labor intensive-you can only cook four cookies at a time and you have to take them out of the over every four minutes and bang the pan on the top of the stove to flatten them. Yummy but also a lot of work! They also made, all on their own, the Strawberry Cupcakes from Christina Tosi’s Kids Only Cookbook. Tosi is the chef behind Milk Bar and the dessert recipes in this book are amazing! - E