good things take 4

a look inside the things that are consuming me

May 07, 2026

Hi, hello! A new installment of what I want to refer to as “a look inside my brain”.

Kin by Tayari Jones - I’m finally reading a book where I basically want to be locked in a room with just the book and a chocolate bar. Or maybe on a blanket in a park (we are slooowly moving towards my favorite season i.e. park reading season). This book is STUNNING - a historical fiction novel following the lifelong friendship of Vernice (”Ni”) and Annie, two young women coming of age in the 1950s/60s Jim Crow South. The book touches upon class, motherhood, and separation, as one woman attends college while the other journeys to Memphis. I love the alternating story lines and I love their friendship. It’s just a beautiful book.

Sam Gilliam as seen at the Pace Gallery - the exhibit is now over but absolutely breathtaking (and all the works came about because he needed to find a workaround - limitations force creativity)

What I bought from TRR in April – I acquired 3 things this month. The most INCREDIBLE Donna Karan eel skin clutch in the most stunning color – a true evening bag though I like the idea of it with just jeans and a tee. I haven’t seen anything like it! A perfect 90’s era Prada silk sweater with the faintest boat neck and a cropped, slim fit. You don’t find fabric like this anymore. It’s kind of slinky and sexy but in an easy way. I don’t have any sweater like it so it should unlock a lot of my wardrobe in a new way for me (which is what the best purchases do). Last thing is these The Row pants which I own in white and LIVE IN ALL SUMMER. I found the white ones on eBay a couple of years ago and wished I also had black. I don’t love drawstrings and I prefer a wider/flat elastic band vs the slim elastic style. The fabric on these pants read fancier which makes them more wearable to me. The only thing that gave me pause is the person who sold them also shortened them. I was deeply upset about this but when they arrived I didn’t hate them shorter. I am now fully set with casual summer pants.

eel clutch on the left with a pair of vintage pants I wanted to keep so badly but tailoring the waist would have been a monumental undertaking so they had to go back / on the right the prada sweater and row pants

Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables – I’ve spoken about this cookbook before and I’m here to speak about it again because its spring and the farmers market is now filled with produce (bok choy! Ramps! Green Garlic!). If you eat seasonally, this book is organized in a way that you can find a recipe for basically any vegetable you’ve purchased (and then its laid out by season so you basically run through the year front to back!). All the recipes are fairly simple making it a good inter-week cookbook. Our weekly dinners usually involved a recipe from this book, good bread, a piece of cheese and maybe some sausage or a dip of some kind.

carrot and asparagus dish from the book (the carrot dish is a personal favorite)

Best Baguette in NYC (and accoutrements to go with it) - In Paris (I promise a longer write-up is coming), Jen and I had the best jambon-beurre that we bought from a random cheese shop around the corner from our hotel. This made me realize that the best sandwiches are made at the stores that sell the crème-de-la-crème of ingredients. A French cheese shop is going to have the best comte and ham and therefore the best sandwich. We were only able to eat said sandwich once (it’s so very French to say we only make sandwiches 3 days a week in this 2 hour window) but we managed to get a second one from a different cheese shop after I showed up with a baguette and asked the cheesemonger in broken French if she would make me one. She laughed and agreed. All that is to say that this summer is going to be a big summer of picnic sandwiches with the best ingredients. If you are in NYC, the best baguette can be found at Partybus Bakeshop in the Lower East Side (they also make a FANTASTIC corn muffin that is super old school diner style and is best served toasted with butter and jam). From there, walk a couple of blocks up to Formaggio Kitchen in Essex Market to buy very good comte, ham, French butter, and cornishons (I will die on the hill that the pickles are necessary).

the perfect sandwich (I imagine the glorious mid-60 and sunny weather also helped the overall sandwich experience)

Margo’s Got Money Troubles on Apple – I read this book when it came out and loved it. This adaptation is fantastic – funny, charming, and with a great cast of characters (DOES MICHELLE PHIEFFER AGE??). If you haven’t read the book a synopsis for you – Margo, the daughter of a former Hooter’s waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, is a recent college dropout and aspiring writer. Faced with a new baby, mounting pile of bills, and dwindling number of ways to pay them, Margo must find a way forward. If you want something easy but delightful, I highly recommend – it’s just so fun.

Madeline Fass holding her grandmothers vintage bag - still on a rabbit hole for anything remotely like it

Chris McMillan - The Glassy Smooth Blowdry Spray for Frizz – I have quasi frizzy slightly wavy hair. Taming it requires more effort then I am generally willing to spend. Over the winter when everything was dry and the frizz was out of control, I found myself In Sephora wandering around trying to figure out if there was anything I could buy to save my hair. The cashier recommended this and I decided to buy a mini bottle to try. THIS IS THE GREATEST SPRAY EVER MADE. I don’t know what voodoo magic is in it but it has made my hair shinier and smoother then I ever though was possible. I’m on my 2^nd big bottle of it. I won’t stop talking about it and everyone else who has bought it to try and shut me up feels the same way.

Things I’m Looking at and Like A Lot