The 📖📺🎧🔪🛍️ List

A love letter to Carey Mulligan, my thoughts on Saltburn, and three incredible recipes to try

Dear Carey,

Can I call you Carey? Care? Care Bear? I have a feeling it doesn’t matter since you’ll never see this anyway. But at the off chance you do, I was compelled to write you a love letter.

Carey — I love you.

I’ve always liked you, that’s for sure. But after watching Maestro this past week, that fondness exploded into a deep admiration and adoration I can only describe as pure, unadulterated love.

You are one of the greatest actresses of our time, I’m sure of it. Your understanding of the character and development of all her little quirks, facial expressions, and subtle reactions completely mesmerized me. You became her inside and out, and it’s hypnotic. When you were on the screen, I quite literally couldn’t look away. Your range knows no bounds; that is to say, your acting is truly boundless.

Your performance was, in a word, beyond. If you don’t win the Oscar, I’ll light my hair on fire. I STG.

Thank you for sharing your talent with the world.

Forever yours,

Emma

P.S. Loved this interview you did.

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READING

Finally, after what felt like months, I finished Small World and loved every page of it. I thought it was fabulously written and really enjoyed all the narrative. I’m a little annoyed that the present day storylines weren’t wrapped up in a bow a bit more, but I guess I’ll get over it. Jonathan Evison’s ability to write in almost a dozen characters’ voices was damn impressive, and the entire novel was a pretty big departure from what I usually read.

I wasted no time picking up my next book, which is one I asked for this Christmas: Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by

Bess Kalb

(who happens to write one of my favorite Substack letters,

The Grudge Report

, and be a hilarious and talented human being in general). Bess wrote this book in her grandmother’s voice to share all the stories and phone calls and voicemails her grandma told her throughout her life. They were extremely close and Bess revered her, which is apparent in the way she shares her colorful, heartwarming stories. It is so entertaining, hilarious, heartfelt, and I am flying through it.

WATCHING

Saltburn

We did it. We watched the IT movie of December 2023, and I have things to say. There are spoilers ahead so maybe scroll away quickly if the internet hasn’t already ruined the movie for you.

In general, we liked it but didn’t love it. I’m not obsessing over it the way so many women in/near my age group are. I was really enjoying it and appreciating how they were taking their time developing the story until the cum water. #cumwater. Whereas Oliver just seemed like an odd, kinda creepy, overly obsessed guy from a broken home, suddenly the #cumwater happened and it sort of felt out of nowhere? Obviously from there the wheels were off, but it felt so abrupt to me, that moment. It felt like a jump — like we were going along and suddenly one of the writers was like “This is taking too long. Let’s have him drink #cumwater.” Then, when all was revealed with Ollie’s parents, I couldn’t help but think there’s no way Felix would ever actually be like “Huh. Well. You’re clearly insane but come on back for your party but then you HAVE to leave, okay?” He would’ve left him right then, right? Like said, “Fuck this. Stay with your parents. I’m out.” IDK.

Then the grave scene. Y’all. Please. I just. It was so much, and that’s coming from me who can take a lot. I knew something was up when we were STILL at the grave site and it had been a few minutes. When he took his shirt off, I assumed the worst and I assumed correctly. Look, I get that most psychopaths don’t really have a rhyme or reason — they’re just, well, psychotic. But I can’t help but feel like got impatient with themselves and jumped way ahead with his level of inherent evil. It felt shocking for shock’s sake, ya know? Also the entire thing reeked of Talented Mr. Ripley, and if you haven’t seen that, I implore you to this weekend and compare the two. Saltburn is Gen Z’s TMR, IMO. And IDTIW (I don’t think I’m wrong).

Maestro

As evidenced by my opening love letter, I’m having trouble understanding how Maestro didn’t win a lot more of its categories at the Golden Globes the other weekend. Granted, I haven’t seen Oppenheimer or Flowers of the Killer Moon, but something tells me Maestro was robbed regardless. It was a gorgeous movie, done so artfully and thoughtfully, and the acting was beyond. Bradley Cooper is incredible and we all know how I feel about Carey. The connection between the two of them feels so genuine — you can see and feel how much time they spent on their characters and this movie. It’s just so beautiful. Watch Maestro on Netflix ASAP!

No Hard Feelings

We threw this on mid-week just because it felt easy, and it was. It was a super fun watch, and I respect J.Law for easing back into Hollywood after her baby hiatus in a fun, irreverent way. She also has a FULL frontal nudity scene that leaves nothing to the imagination, and it was really refreshing? To see a postpartum star give no fucks like that? She looks both incredible and normal at once. The plot is far-fetched and some of the bits don’t land (like the rollerblades thing at the beginning. IDK why but it bugged me), but it’s highly entertaining nonetheless and lovely to see a hilarious woman in a lead comedy role.

MAKING

Not to toot my own horn, but I’m really good at choosing good recipes to make. This week has been pretty epic in our kitchen with these dishes I found online:

Ambitious Kitchen’s Vegetarian Chili - so hearty and so flavorful

Salt & Lavender’s Ground Turkey Stir Fry - extremely vegetable-forward and very filling

Love and Lemons’ Baked Oatmeal - if I could eat this every single day for breakfast, I would. I might. It’s SO SO SO yummy and healthy!

SHOPPING

It seems as though I’ve found the perfect long sleeve t-shirts at lululemon. Hear me out — they’re only $58 (which is on the low end for Miss Lulu), the right kind of fit (not cropped, fitted in the chest and arms but not the midsection), and they’re perfect to wear as layers or on their own. I couldn’t help myself and got a black, grey, and white one — all the standards — and they’re already on heavy rotation. FWIW, I took a 6 so I’d say they run slightly big (I’m between an 8-10 usually).

This Clarins lip oil has quickly become my favorite everyday lip stuff. It feels amazing, smells great, and has a gorgeous shiny finish. It’s also available in a number of shades, but I got the Cherry 🍒. I just love it for a little somethingsomething that isn’t as heavy as lipstick, isn’t sticky like gloss, and has more going on than just colorless balm.

Lastly, I have been living in these cropped, wide leg Spanx pants for a week or so now. Yes, Spanx. They have a line called Air Essentials that I guess you’re supposed to wear while traveling to feel fancy and put together, but I’m wearing them around the house as I travel from room to room, so same difference. They have regular length, too, but I’m a shortie and like when things hit my ankles so I went with the cropped! Size medium.

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This week over the paywall, I shared my new The Weekend Digress series that will go out every Monday that I’m off Instagram and a house tour! Join us, won’t you?

I’ll meet you here next Friday for more. Until then, stay warm and consider making the best soup ever this weekend ahead of the winter storm.

— EGM