April 11, 2025, 2:34pm
Here on the Eastern seaboard, we’re waiting out the April showers. But it turns out there’s plenty to be grateful for, despite the gloom. This week the Lit Hub staff are shouting out nostalgic reads, making things with our hands, and group dinners.
Oliver Scialdone has been blasting down memory lane, care of some Buffy the Vampire Slayer novelizations. A cornerstone of many a 90s kid bedroom, these fictional looks at the Buffyverse include Go Ask Malice, an expansion on Faith’s backstory.
James Folta, our resident punk, is excited about this new song from Turnstile, “which features lots of synths, washed out vocals, and some heavy but approachable riffs.” James thinks this tune is perfect for the April gloom, and the video is easy on the eyes, too. (James: “The beach and jet ski portions remind me a bit of Micheal Mann’s Manhunter
Julia Hass is enthusiastic about big communal dining experiences—ideally at a table that resembles a trough. A jaunt to the beloved MáLà Project in New York’s East Village yielded some excellent neo-Sichuanese cuisine.
Jonny Diamond experienced his “own personal episode of Yellowstone” this week. Our leader/resident homesteader spent some time putting up 800 feet of fence in an early spring rain with his son, with an eye to a frolicsome summer free from poison ivy.
Drew Broussard is touting Little Treats this Friday. Specifically, a certain miso-tahini cookie found at Kingston’s terrific bar/bookstore, Rough Draft. Here is that cookie, in all its glory.
If this also made your mouth water but you find yourself far from Kingston, this Toasted Table recipe might do the trick.
And I am grateful that Hacks is back, which is another way of saying that I got through this week on a tide of pure love for Jean Smart. (Hannah Einbinder is also wonderful on this show, but the woman giving me life goes by Debra Vance.) In this spirit, I revisited this 2021 New Yorker profile of Smart, by the always-excellent Rachel Syme.
And inspired by Julia, here’s some more in person joy. This week my writers group had a meeting after a few weeks off fracture, and quite by accident everyone showed up wearing identical black turtlenecks. It was very auspicious. And of course we all got to feel like serious, beat bohemian artists as we dug into some raw new pages, which proved motivating.
Wishing you and yours all the Little Treats this weekend. And/or, may you live your own personal episode of [insert favorite show here].
