A Few of My Favorite Things
RECS #28: Books, meals, movie, tv, and more.
Dear friends,
I arrived yesterday morning back in New York after a brief few days in LA. The trip was as fulfilling as it was exhausting, and, after a long nap, I got dressed up for a New Year’s Eve celebration with some friends and family of my beloved trivia team. We ate lots of pasta, drank lots of sparkling wine, and turned a random Italian restaurant into a dance party just before midnight. I’ll save the details of the last few days for next week’s newsletter. For now, I wanted to put together a list of my favorite things from the last year—specifically, and unsurprisingly, in terms of what I’ve read, ate, consumed, and savored. It probably would’ve made more sense to send this before the beginning of 2025, but timeliness with these has never been my strength. Maybe this is the year that changes.
READING: Some of my favorite books of the year will be completely unsurprising to anyone who reads these dispatches consistently. For the first time ever, I kept a log of everything I read, so I can honestly say these picks aren’t my most beloved simply because I read them most recently. They are Jenny Offill’s “Dept. of Speculation,” Lorrie Moore’s “Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?,” Rachel O’Donoghue’s “The Rachel Incident,” and Edith Wharton’s “The Age of Innocence.” Elena Ferrante’s entire Neapolitan series sits at the top of the list, but I’d first read “My Brilliant Friend” in 2020, and I’ll admit that the second book, “The Story of a New Name,” was felt particularly resonant for me. Some honorable mentions include “Help Wanted,” by Adelle Waldman, “A Gate at the Stairs,” also by Lorrie Moore, and Barbara Kingsolver’s devastating and funny “Demon Copperhead.” It was a fantastic year in reading for me, and I’m eager to continue diversifying and broadening my tastes. I’m starting Maggie O’Farrell’s “Hamnet” today, but after that, I really want to read more classics. Any and all recommendations are welcome.
EATING: Unlike my books, I’ve been less fastidiously tracking all the restaurants I’ve dined at, recipes I’ve cooked, or dinner parties I’ve attended. However, there are a few that come to the top of my mind—not necessarily because it was the best food (though that is true for some of these), but because the entire experience of the meal was satisfying. Conor, for better or for worse, is most often my dining companion, and we’ve eaten beautifully this year. There are two meals between us that stand out. The first was at Sushi Nakazawa for my birthday back in June. It’s a Michelin-starred Omakase in the West Village that has exceptional service and the freshest fish I’ve ever tasted. I’ll likely not be going back in the near future, but it was an exceptionally special meal. The second was at Prospect in the Catskills for Conor’s birthday. We sat in a wood dining room with large windows that had views of the mountains. The food was delicious and seasonal, but the company and the conversation were even better. My other favorite restaurant experiences from the year were at Bosco de Lobos in Madrid when Sophie and I visited Kayla and Elena, Gjelina in Los Angeles with a handful of friends from high school, and, most recently, Waverly Inn on Christmas Eve. At my home and at my friends’, I’ll look back on our fondue and raclette night in January of last year with Sophie, Al, and Conor, panang-ish curry and coconut cake eaten in Boston at Sophie’s cozy, comfortable house, and home-cooked mussels made by Lydia and Andrea on a summer evening at their home in Brooklyn. In terms of recipes, I’ve returned frequently to this farro and these black beans from the New York Times. To this salad from Grossy Pelosi. And to this pasta (which I’ve loved for a long time) from Bon Appétit. I’ve also made a few recipes from Molly Baz’s “More Is More,” including her “tangled leek ‘za,” “not so basic B turkey sando,” and “crispy salmon with coconut rice and crackle sauce.” Her abbreviations may be annoying, but her dishes have never once disappointed me.
CONSUMING: I consumed a lot of “content” this year, but highlights include “Hacks” and “Abbott Elementary” for television. “Conclave,” “Anora,” and “The Zone of Interest” for movies. Critics at Large and Up First for podcasts. And, most tenderly, I’ve loved watching football this year. The Jets are the most upsetting team in professional sports, but the friendly competition in my fantasy football league and the camaraderie that comes with rooting for a team, even a terrible one, has redeemed my Sundays. My taste in and consumption of music this year was lacking, so I’ve made it a goal to spend more time with artists in 2025—listening to whole albums, instead of just singles and paying attention to lyrics, rather than just melodies.
SAVORING: This past year was not my favorite. Between the state of the nation and personal tribulations, I cried a lot more than I would’ve liked to, but when I look more closely at these past twelve months, I’m proud of what I’ve managed to accomplish. I got promoted and invested significantly more effort into my relationships at work. I ran two half marathons and joined a run club. I read almost every day and consciously tried to stay off my phone. I started and ended the year with people who make me feel safe, silly, and joyful—and every day in between, I had the privilege of living in my favorite city alongside my favorite people. This year, I’ve come to earnestly admire the shape my life is taking.
Wishing you all a healthy, happy new year,
Erin