Weekend Reads for The Beginning of September

Weekend Reads

Idaho’s parental consent law impedes 988 suicide crisis hotline access for some youth. (Idaho Capital Sun)

One thousand vintage garments found in an Appalachian farmhouse. (Pre-Loved via Substack)

Now we have to compete with AI models? (Glamour)

Love this Magsafe battery pack for my phone. Can you guess my favorite print?

Can RFK Jr. track my Oura ring? (The Cut)

I'm a high schooler. AI is demolishing my education. (The Atlantic)

If you're looking for a highly-rated, reasonably priced ankle jean for fall, I'm liking the look of these.

The last interview with Giorgio Armani. (Financial Times)

You have such a pretty face. (Flesh World via Substack)

Yes, I got them. And I love them.

Customs officers seize over 11K counterfeit Labubus in Seattle. (My Northwest)

The baby died. Whose fault is it? (Wired)

Samantha Brown recently shared her favorite travel sandals, saying she just wished they were less clunky. These are the same concept, same brand, but with a less chunky yet still comfy sole!

Is partying dead, or are you just old? (New York Times – gift link)

Why using ChatGPT is not bad for the environment – a cheat sheet. (The Weird Turn Pro)

Sale Report & Style Inspo

It's funny, since Tiffany's report on J. Crew Factory for summer, the retailer has been even more on my radar. And this fall, they're doing classic J. Crew style so well with some fantastic staples that both transcend trends and fit the collegiate Americana Chic vibe going on right now.

blazer | leopard sweater | striped ruffle-trim shirt | Breton striped knit top | jeans | belt | loafers | cords | bag | jacket

The blazer with the striped top, the leopard sweater, or the ruffle-trim shirt. The ruffle-trim shirt under the leopard sweater. The barn jacket with the jeans (denim on denim is so hot this season). The leopard with the cords (yes, mix your browns this fall!). The mix of on-trend prints (leopard, classic plaids and tweeds, and stripes), the texture (texture is big this season), the croco (bring out your bags, loafers, and belts)… It's very easy to replicate from some closets and thrift stores, but J. Crew Factory is doing it so well at a nice price and up to size 3X.

And this fall, bring out the fun socks. Color, stripes, prints, lace, mesh, ruffle trim, you name it. With your sneakers, loafers, or peeking out of boots, socks will be a statement-maker this coming fall. Even Adidas has adorable ruffle-trimmed and colorful athletic socks. I ordered a pair of these socks from Bombas and I love the little message at the bottom of these striped socks! You can see the socks that caught my eye on ShopMy.

See/Hear/Read

I am a Juliette Lewis fan. Only a couple of years older than I, I have appreciated how Lewis hasn't tried to be a megastar or a bombshell, taking smaller and more eccentric roles throughout her career. My husband was intrigued by the description of the 2024 movie The Thicket (Tubi, Prime), and when he saw that Juliette Lewis was in it, he invited me to watch it with him.

The Thicket is a Western adaptation of a 2014 novel of the same name. Lewis was phenomenal playing a violent killer known as Cut Throat Bill. She was weird and creepy and maintained this gravely voice and destroyed face and had you wondering WTF happened to turn her into this person. Too bad the movie sucked.

Lewis was excellent, as was the rest of the cast, which included folks like Peter Dinklage and Esmé Creed-Miles (best known for the Prime series Hanna). The cinematography, especially at the beginning, is excellent. The early 20th-century mix of horses and motorized vehicles was cool, and the snow added beauty and complexity. But the script really failed.

Two teen siblings, Jack and Lula, orphaned due to smallpox, are heading to Kansas to live with their aunt when they cross paths with Cut Throat Bill and their posse. Jack wakes from the scuffle to find Bill has gone off with Lula.

As he heads off to find his sister, Jack teams up with an unlikely group of folk, which includes Peter Dinklage, who is phenomenal as always, Gbenga Akinnagbe, who was great, and Leslie Grace, who is stunning and had the most unrealistic hair for someone who hasn't bathed or been able to groom for quite a while.

In fact, when Grace's character, Sue, enters the story, that's where the movie begins to lose me. Because when the film introduces her, it also introduces a character I thought looked an awful lot like Andrew Schulz (gift link to NYT article on him). That's because it IS Andrew Schulz (gift link to NYT article about The Manosphere, for which he is a part).

The movie had a lot of inconsistencies (guns had more ammo than they could hold, folks looked clean-shaven after days, sharp-shooters who can hit a mile away but not 20 feet from them, Sue's perfect afro), it focused a lot on slow moments but not enough on the character building (Jack and Sue, what happened at the church, what happened at the end, maybe a flashback to Dinklage's past).

As for books, I borrowed Beautiful Day, one of the few Elin Hilderbrand books I had yet to read, and enjoyed it while on my Virgin Voyages cruise. It is typical Hilderbrand, with a few references to previous books and characters. And no shock, the “beautiful day” is the wedding of the younger sister of the protagonist. Typical amount of romance, luxury, name/location dropping of Nantucket, St. John, and books. Nice mix of romance for folks from their 20s to their 60s. Good beach/pool/cruise read.

And then I transitioned into a drastically different book – One Second After by William R. Forstchen. This is a dystopian novel set after a nuclear EMP (nuclear electromagnetic pulse) hits the continental United States, shutting down anything electric or computer-based, including most cars, generators, cell phones, pumps, etc.

I am halfway through, only on Day 10 after the EMP, and it is freaking me out. I have always been someone who buys an extra can of tuna or bag of beans, didn't blink when K bought AquaPod kits after our last hurricane power failure, and have even written about how to prepare for a natural disaster. Not the best book for one's mental health or for a good night's sleep, but it's also a stark reminder of what can happen without vaccines and the power of community.

For Your Entertainment

Sabrina Carpenter was America's darling last summer and this summer she got caught in the need for 24/7 ragebait news. Is she a feminist? Is her album cover degrading? Is it satire? Yadda yadda… Sabrina Carpenter is not boring, and she clearly has talent and knows how to work both the camera and the media, and her latest video for her single, “Tears,” is proof.

So far there have been four different endings since it came out (she keeps changing it), it stars Coleman Domingo, and is inspired by Rocky Horror. It kept me engaged, the song is dirty but empowering, and I will be back to see if there is a different ending with my next view!