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What's Good Wednesdays
Read: “The Mercy of Gods.” The first installment in a thrilling new sci-fi trilogy from James S.A. Corey (the author of “The Expanse” series). It delivers a gripping and darkly atmospheric tale of authoritarian alien domination: humanity is subsumed under the terrifying Carryx empire and forced into a brutal contest with extinction as the stakes. In other words, some nice bedtime reading. – Alex G
Watch: “Couples Therapy.” Dr. Orna Gurlanik is a genius. As the therapist at the center of this hit Showtime docu-series, Gurlanik tries to walk couples back to happiness, getting to the core of their issues and understanding how their past experiences affect their behavior. The show can be a little bit haunting, but, whether you’re in a couple or not, Gurlanik delivers great insights about the challenging aspects of long-term relationships. – Zac
Read: The Booker backlists. Last week, the nominees for the 2025 Booker Prize were announced. If your library is anything like mine, every book now has a months-long waitlist. So why not read the nominees’ earlier works – which, turns out, tend to be pretty award-winning in their own right? High on my list: The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, a brilliant novel about joy and despair set in the Himalayas and New York City; Intimacies by Katie Kitamura, the story of an interpreter at the International Court exploring language, love, and identity; and Trust Exercise by Susan Choi, a metafiction novel about a 1980s performing arts high school with an unexpected twist. – MollyRead or Watch: Kyla Scanlon or @kylascan. The 28-year-old economic commentator breaks down complex financial problems in a regular Substack and Instagram. I first encountered her in this Wall Street Journal article last year, and have been hooked ever since. – Lizzy
Attend: A New York City rat walk. Led by Kathleen Corradi, the city’s famed rat czar. Learn about how to mitigate rat populations and bask in Corradi’s knowledge of and reverence to our rodent shadows. – Riley
Watch: “The Waterfront,” a new series on Netflix. If you were an “Ozark” fan, you’ll feel right at home on the shores of North Carolina as the Buckley family navigates treacherous waters moving narcotics for a cartel. While not as epic as “Ozark” in its storytelling, it's certainly a nailbiter over eight fast-paced episodes and a good diversion for the dog days of summer. – Tony
Watch: Laura Loves New York (aka Laura Daniel), a TikToker who explores NYC with one of the most positive attitudes I’ve ever seen from a New Yorker, she even has a theme song that will get stuck in your head. She can take the most boring things (like the JFK airport) and make it whimsical and fun. I have been obsessed with Laura all summer, ever since she first appeared on my For You Page and have manifested meeting her. As a proud follower (one of almost 7,000), I strongly recommend checking her out, she’ll make your day! – Hannah
Play: Codenames is a fun party game where players try to guess secret words on a grid, steered by one-word clues from their “spymaster.” The twist? Avoid the rival team’s words and the sneaky assassin. It’s a blend of deduction and wordplay, making every clue count. Much like New York Times Connections, you’ll hunt for hidden links between words, leading to those “aha!” moments along the way. – Natalie
Read: “The House of My Mother” by Shari Franke, the eldest daughter of a Mormon family known for their controversial Youtube channel, 8 Passengers. The channel, created by the Franke family matriarch Ruby, was created in 2015 was originally meant to share the Frankes’ seemingly perfect life. However, it emerged in 2020 that one of the children had been forced to sleep on a beanbag chair for over seven months, so fans grew suspicious. It later came out that Ruby and her friend Jodi Hildebrant had been arrested and later charged with six counts of felony aggravated child abuse of the two youngest children. The House of My Mother dives into the personal, first-hand experience of Shari’s childhood, the twisted, abusive nature of her mother, and how the Mormon church played a large role in both the behavior of Ruby and the creation of the channel. – Hannah
Play: Untitled Goose Game is pure, honking chaos in the best way. You play as a troublemaking goose let loose in a sleepy village, stealing stuff, messing with people, and generally being a menace. It’s light, clever, and full of charm. Perfect when you need a good laugh. Who knew being an annoying goose could be so satisfying and so much fun? – Natalie
Cook: Fresh tomato sauces. Whether you pronounce it “to-may-to” or “to-mah-to,” summer means one thing in the kitchen: it’s tomato season. Just chop a load of this delicious red fruit (yes, they are a fruit, but don’t put them in a fruit salad!) and let it simmer on the stove for a while and you’ll have yourself a delicious sauce that you can pair with your pasta (or zucchini noodles, if you’re gluten free). Obviously, you can – and should – add other ingredients, like onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, or even eggplant to make a pasta alla norma. But keep it simple. It’s really about the tomatoes. – Zac
Watch: Ozzy Osbourne’s last performance of “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” – Alex G
Hot take: An egg bagel is not a bagel. – Zac
Read: “The Nickel Boys.” Colson Whitehead’s novel is a devastating read, and one that I can’t stop recommending. Loosely based on the true story of an abusive reform school for boys in northern Florida, it follows Elwood Curtis, an industrious and rule-abiding student, and his friend Turner, as they navigate the horrific injustices of post-Jim Crow America. – Lizzy
Watch: “Too Much.” Lena Dunham’s latest laugh-out-loud TV series is Girls meets Bridget Jones’ Diary, as the protagonist Jessica (Megan Stalter) plays a quirky and angry line producer who swaps New York City for London following a nasty break-up. Come for the cast (ft. supermodel Emily Ratajkowski, White Lotus star Will Sharpe, and comedian Leo Reich), and stay for Dunham’s incredible screenwriting. – Zac
Play: Bracket City. This new word game from the Atlantic will have you feeling like a cryptographer. It’s addictive. Shoutout to GZERO’s gamemaster, Natalie White, for showing it to me. – Riley
Play: PARKS is a beautifully designed board game where players hike through scenic trails, collecting memories and resources across all 63 US national parks. With gear in hand and a trusty canteen, you’ll navigate changing seasons and limited trail space. Blending smart resource management with immersive ever-shifting trail conditions, PARKS is a fun relaxing way to enjoy the great outdoors right from your tabletop . -- Natalie
Read: “Breaking History: A White House Memoir.” Liberal readers may be skeptical of Jared Kushner’s politics, but US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, the one-time real-estate investor-turned-White House adviser, reveals a plethora of details about negotiations over the Abraham Accords. As American, Israeli, and Palestinian officials try to make peace in the region once again, this book gives readers invaluable insights about Trump’s thinking. – Zac
Read: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. I read this memoir/manifesto in one sitting – and then immediately restarted it. Focusing on the destruction of Gaza, it is an exploration of the moral bereftness of the Western ideals, the Democratic Party, and liberalism itself. Omar El Akkad, an Egyptian-Canadian journalist and novelist who has spent years reporting from the frontlines of war, interrogates how many stand by when atrocity is happening only to be against it once it becomes the stuff of history books. – Riley
Play: Papers, Please is a dystopian puzzle game where you play as an immigration inspector in the fictional country of Arstotzka. Your job: inspect documents, catch smugglers, and decide who enters. Its appeal lies in the tense moral choices, retro pixel art, and unique gameplay that mixes strategy and storytelling. It challenges both your logic and conscience. It’s perfect for players who enjoy narrative-driven games with ethical dilemmas. – Natalie
Hot take: Can’t a girl get a plate anymore? From CAVA to DIG to NAYA, the bowl-ification of America’s fast-casual restaurants needs to stop. I understand the appeal of the bowl’s convenience, but I don’t need all my ingredients mixed into mush. Not all good things come in bowl-shaped packages. – Lizzy
Read: Apollo’s Angels. I’m only part way through Jennifer Homans’ magisterial cultural history of ballet, but it’s off to a jeté of a start. I never knew that ballet originated in the court of French King Louis XIV, an avid performer himself, who used dance to create new courtly norms that would break the old nobility and reinforce his power. Centuries later, ballet and geopolitics did another stunning pas de deux, as some of the greats fled the Russian revolution for the West, making the ballet stage a Cold War battlefield of its own. Homans, a talented historian and ballet dancer in her own right, gives us a fascinating look at the life, meaning, and possible death of one of the world’s most rigorous and transcendent art forms. – Alex K
Watch: Birds. I went bird watching with a group in New York City’s Riverside Park this weekend and had a blast. Grab your binoculars and buckle up for the most exciting two hours of your week. – Lizzy
Watch: “Vermiglio.” An Italian film set in the high mountains of northern Italy in the closing days of World War II, Vermiglio tracks the arrival of a wounded soldier en route to faraway Sicily into a home that centers on the emerging lives of three daughters. This movie threatens to tip into melodrama at every moment – and it never does. Beautifully shot, masterfully acted, and a story that refuses to compromise, this is a gem of a film. – Willis
Hot Take: “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” is better than the first “Cheaper by the Dozen.” You get all the best of the Baker family and their adventures from the first film but the addition of the Murtaugh family, including Eugene Levy and a young Taylor Lautner. Plus, the sequel takes place during the summer, adding a “Grown Ups”-esque vibe that makes it an annual watch. Overall, it takes all of the best parts of the original and adds some more, making it the stronger film. I recommend a rewatch just in time for the Fourth of July weekend!– HannahRead: “Journey Into the Whirlwind.” I bought this memoir on a whim in a second-hand bookstore a few weeks back, and cannot recommend it enough. It’s rare to get a female account of Joseph Stalin’s Great Terror, and Eugenia Ginzburg captures the harrowing story of her eighteen years in captivity with an astounding level of detail. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of modern Russia. – Lizzy
Read: “All The Light You Cannot See.” Anthony Doerr’s 2014 novel about the journey of blind French girl and a young German radio nerd through World War II was an instant classic, and is perhaps more relevant today. With political commentators warning that autocracy is spreading, this book reminds readers of the ways people can try to undermine all-powerful dictators – both large and small. – Zac
Watch: “Love Island USA.” Two weeks into season seven, “Love Island USA” is the perfect “turn your brain off” post-work watch. With constant tension between day one couples and the new bombshells, there’s always some new conflict to tune into. With some unforeseen political aspects, such as contestant Yulissa being booted off the show due to using racial slurs in the past and Austin, part of the current cast, being an alleged Trump-supporter and receiving a lot of backlash online. – HannahPlay: Split Fiction: Released earlier this year by the creators behind It Takes Two, Split Fiction is the newest, and probably the best co-op game in the market right now. The story follows two contrasting women, sci-fi writer Mio and fantasy writer Zoe, trapped in a simulation of their own stories after being hooked to a machine designed to steal their ideas. Both women rely on each other’s actions to cross these worlds. Pro tip: play the PS5 game on your television to get the complete experience and look for side quests! - Suhani Lakhotia