Halloween is still a long way off, but as summer ends, some 国产吃瓜黑料 editors are getting in the spirit early with a new HBO听horror series, an unsettling novel about the dangers of technology, and a book all about death rituals. Others are sticking to lighter fare, like a heartwarming film about food and human connection.听
What We Read
This month I couldn鈥檛 stop thinking about , the most recent book by acclaimed Argentine writer Samanta Schweblin. The novel centers around a听technology听called kentukis,听stuffed animals with a camera inside that can be remotely controlled by a stranger on the other side of the world. Users can choose to be either 鈥渒eepers鈥 (those听who keep kentukis inside their homes) or 鈥渄wellers鈥 (those who control the kentukis from afar).听In the novel, Schweblin weaves together the stories of several keepers and dwellers around the globe, exploring factors that lead them to connect with a person听in a way that feels both intimate and invasive. Some characters buy the gadgets out of simple curiosity or a desire for companionship, while others use the technology for more sinister ends. It鈥檚 an odd concept, but in Schweblin鈥檚 hands, it works, and the result is an eerie, fascinating meditation on privacy, surveillance, and performance.听鈥擲ophie Murguia, assistant editor
With fall (read: spooky season) approaching, my ever present morbid curiosity听drew me to mortician and activist听Caitlin Doughty鈥檚 exploration听of death rituals, . Rather than treating unusual (to many American eyes) funerary rites as something to be gaped at and dissected, Doughty describes how people听bond with and grieve over our dead with earnestness, reverence, and even humor听and joy. Her unblinking and sympathetic look at the diverse ways humans come to their final resting places is an oddly comforting reminder of what a compassionate burial听can do for the living.听鈥擬aren Larsen, Buyer鈥檚 Guide deputy editor
I just read , a 1974 novel by John Nichols about a little town in the mountains of New Mexico, the singular people who live there, and a generations-long fight over water, land, and resources. It鈥檚 wildly funny and smart, and I never tire of reading books about the state I live in鈥攅specially since it would take multiple lifetimes to get to know a place like this. 鈥擜bbie Barronian, associate editor
Like many privileged white people, I emerged from the wake of George Floyd鈥檚 killing and subsequent racial-justice protests with a long list of reading material听to learn more about anti-Black racism in America. I started with听, by Michelle Alexander, which outlines the methodical听yet supposedly 鈥渃olorblind鈥 racism that has led听to African Americans being incarcerated . The book helped me understand the scope of mass incarceration and the laws, decisions, and systems that perpetuate it. It was astonishing and brutal.听But the most powerful book I鈥檝e read so far is听, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This听2015 National Book Award winner听is a letter to the author鈥檚 son about the struggle, weight, and fear of growing up Black in this country. This firsthand听portrait of life as a young Black man painted a picture for me that no op-ed or prison statistics could.听鈥擶ill Taylor, gear director
What We Listened To
I鈥檓 a huge fan of Gillian Welch, the folk singer who became popular after her cover听of 鈥淚鈥檒l Fly Away鈥澨齱ith Alison Krauss听was included on the Grammy-winning 听Welch听records and performs with her partner, David Rawlings, and their spare songs鈥攈eavily influenced by old-time and bluegrass musical traditions鈥攎anage to sound both timeless and fresh. I was very excited when they released not one but two albums this summer: comprises covers of folk songs (including those by Bob Dylan and John Prine), and is a cache of previously unreleased tracks recorded quickly in 2002 to fulfill a contract. 听earlier this year and almost destroyed their archives, inspiring them to release the music听as soon as they could. I, for one, am happy it鈥檚 now out in the world. 鈥擫uke Whelan, senior research editor听
This month, reemerged after a long hiatus. I was a devoted listener听of the old Cut on Tuesdays听show that ended last year, and the first few episodes of the redux鈥攆eaturing a new host, Avery Trufelman鈥攈ave kicked off with a strong start. One of my favorites so far was (surprise!), exploring who feels welcome in nature, the rise of the pandemic-inspired 鈥渘ature is healing鈥 meme, and how people in cities are getting outside in surprising ways right now. Like the rest of , the podcast highlights a wide range of topics, including culture, politics, and more (another recent episode took听a deep dive into sexting), so you won鈥檛 get bored after a few listens. 鈥擬olly Mirhashem, digital deputy editor
What We Watched听
The famous Indian film star . One of his听more charming performances was as Saajan, an older accountant nearing retirement in . Saajan is mistakenly delivered a hot lunch intended for the ungrateful husband of an unhappy housewife, a man who doesn鈥檛 appreciate the care that鈥檚 gone into her cooking. Instead, happily, a correspondence blooms between Saajan and the housewife, who share with each other听their longings for a different, better life听via short handwritten messages deposited into the lunch tins that are transported between the woman鈥檚 kitchen and Saajan鈥檚 office each day. The footage of the incredibly complex network of dabbawalas, the men responsible for running some 200,000 meals around Mumbai throughout听the workweek, was mind-boggling but wondrous to watch. And the idea that two people could come together over a meal in such an unexpected way made it all the better. 鈥擳asha Zemke, copy editor听
I鈥檓 loving HBO鈥檚 horror series听. Set in 1950s segregated America, the show follows Army veteran and sci-fi fan Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) as he searches for his missing father. Given this summer鈥檚 call for social change, the first episode feels especially timely, as Atticus road-trips from Chicago to Massachusetts with the threat of deadly racial violence lurking at every pit stop. Fantastical monsters await in the woods, too, but Lovecraft Country is a stark history lesson on the very-real-life horrors of traveling while Black in the Jim Crow era. 鈥擜leta Burchyski, associate managing editor听