Weekend Reads for November 22nd & 23rd

I will not have a Weekend Reads next weekend. We are hosting on Thanksgiving proper and have various events throughout the weekend. And honestly, I hope to stay offline as much as possible. I have some paid work, but I will be filming and creating it ahead of time so I can share and roll out and into real life.

I know many are boycotting shopping the entire Black Friday season. Yes, it is a season, it already started and it keeps going through the Monday after the weekend if not longer than that. And those who are not shopping, I respect the hell out of you. But I also know some folks will be shopping, and have to shop to get the prices they can afford at the time when the paycheck has arrived.

I won't have any sale-related posts on Wardrobe Oxygen over the weekend, but there will be some Instagram Stories. I know Stories is where the impulse shopping happens, so if you don't need to shop don't go there. I'll see you after the holiday with plenty of content that mixes shopping with advice and life. And speaking of life, I am also sharing over on Substack and would love to see you there, too!

But back to me not being here next Saturday. Because of that, this Weekend Reads is extra beefy and I hope you enjoy it!

Weekend Reads

Jones Road Beauty has never ever had a sale… until this weekend! Get 10% off all orders, 15% off orders $75+, and 20% off orders $100+! On top of this, minis are up to 25% off.

Why don’t people return their shopping carts? A (somewhat) scientific investigation. (Behavioral Scientist)

Sex had become a chore. Then they started reading romantasy. (New York Times – gift link)

The missing kayaker. (The Atlantic – gift link)

I'm not one for holiday bedding, but these sheets could make me a convert.

Beaches. (Oldster via Substack)

The 100 must-read books of 2025. (Time)

Such a chic gift for a smoker in your life (or candle lover).

The podcasting medium significantly trails the diversity of other entertainment avenues. (The Wrap)

Gen Z is huge. Their TV shows are tiny. And Hollywood is panicking. (The Ankler)

How cute are these size-inclusive pajamas covered with NYC brownstones?

Why Americans are giving up on Sweetgreen. (CNBC; local yokels note the mention of Wonder, which recently opened a location in College Park)

The U.S. just produced its last penny after a more than 200-year run. (NPR)

What restaurants really do with the stuff you leave behind. (Food & Wine; loved the tidbit about reading glasses)

OMG, this embroidered fleece wrap coat… divine!

Why are young men embracing the quarter zip lifestyle? (New York Times – gift link)

How to turn the bureaucratic grind of life into a party. (Wall Street Journal – gift link)

Aging out of fucks: The neuroscience of why you suddenly can’t pretend anymore. (Life Branches via Substack)

I thought some of you may wish to patronize this small business for its unique gift wrap.

5 things to know before using an AI browser. (Time)

Olivia Nuzzi did it all for love. (New York Times – gift link)

What happens when even college students can’t do math anymore? (The Atlantic – gift link)

This hoodie looks so cozy; here's the matching pants.

It’s not just screens or COVID or too-strong weed. Maybe the culprit of our cognitive decline is unfettered access to each other. (Intelligencer)

This AI grandma is going viral. Is she the future of influencing? (Time)

This faux fur coat? Swoon!

GenX just found its new TV icon. (Small Talk via Substack… and this is now on my watch list!)

Now THIS is my kind of influencer collab!

Quince knows what you’re looking for. And it’s making it cheaper. (The Wall Street Journal – gift link)

College radio keeps its cool. (New York Times – gift link)

Teen girls’ interest in marriage has collapsed since the ’90s. (The Up and Up via Substack)

The chicest kitchen timer.

The cleavage shot no UK tabloid will print. (How to Survive the Broligarchy via Substack)

I thought it was acne. Turns out it was lupus. (Allure)

The beauty industry has its head up your butt. (Salon)

My house is old and drafty and I'm tempted to get this.

How to make sense of the federal forces on your street. (New York Times – gift link)

No, that AI-generated country song isn’t a No. 1 hit. (Time; about far more than the song)

I don't have a sale alert & style inspo section this week because I gathered all the sales into this post. I did update it for the weekend, so it's worth checking out again if you already saw it!

See/Hear/Read

My latest random Libby audiobook pick was Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. This is a 2024 novella about a mother dealing with all kinds of emotions and memories as her daughter prepares to get married. Anne Tyler is a familiar name; you may have read one of her previous novels or seen one or more films adapted from them (The Accidental Tourist is one). I recognized her name but couldn't recall if I had read any of her work, and the cover is cliche 2024 bestseller novel art so I was at a loss and said why not. It's gray and cold out, let's read about the summer.

Gail is a woman in her 60s who is socially awkward. She's divorced, her job is at risk, and her only child, is getting married. At first I thought I was going to haaaaate Gail, but she grew on me. Listening to this book was like going to coffee with a no-filter, no-frills neighbor who I don't know terribly well but like. Nothing terribly dramatic, nothing over the top, and not even much of a mention of the weather. But Three Days in June was an easy listen and a calm distraction in a world full of chaos.

I then had my hold for Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino available so I borrowed it… and didn't finish it. I should know that any book that is supposedly “hysterically funny” isn't my cup of tea. Also, while the protagonist is 35, she felt dramatically younger than I in attitude and outlook on life and her lifestyle and career trajectory was so unrelatable it was hard to emotionally connect.

I like to support my fellow content creators, but this book was not it. And after DNFing it I did a little research on the book to see if I was the only one who didn't like it and found that Sturino didn't even write this. A lot of content creators have gotten book deals pretty much because they have a built-in audience who will buy copies; I've read many of them. But this is the first one I DNFed.

I have watched a lot of mediocre television and movies as of late, and was thrilled on so many levels by The Beast in Me, a limited series on Netflix starring Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys. A thriller that isn't scary or stressful yet keeps you completely engaged with phenomenal acting… finally!

Danes plays Aggie, a Pulitzer-winning author whose life is now falling apart. Divorce, death, and really disgusting plumbing issues in her beautiful crumbling home in a fictional wealthy neighborhood on Long Island. Nile Jarvis, an infamous real estate mogul also known for the mysterious death of his first wife, moves in next door and Aggie has a new idea for her next book.

Danes is phenomenal, as always. Her character is complex and I found myself rooting for her, hating her, and often yelling at the screen for the stupid choices she made. Danes is so good at expressing emotion and as Aggie, she had a trembling chin, and gleams in her eye, and that nervous frown to smile and back that is hard to fake. What was especially cool is this grown-ass woman character was so engaging and valuable to the story and her appearance had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Rhys was so good as Nile. He is creepy and charming and awful and so very believable as a wealthy man with plenty of privilege and few ethics. He and Danes should win awards just for their expressive faces.

But the supporting cast was also so incredible. Brittany Snow, Natalie Morales, Jonathan Banks, Tim Guinee, Hettienne Park… all so well cast. David Lyons as FBI agent Brian Abbott really annoyed me until the end when they did a flashback to years prior and he not only made more sense, I also was able to see how well he too was playing his role.

Eight episodes, I hope they don't try to make some sort of season 2 because this tied up pretty perfectly. Highly recommend The Beast In Me, some of the best TV I've seen all year.

For Your Entertainment

If you're on social media there's a good chance you've seen a video of Jesse Welles. Usually standing in a field, Welles plays his guitar, rocks his wolf cut, and sings about what's going on in America. With song titles like “United Health,” “Ozempic,” “Walmart,” “Charlie,” “Tylenol,” and “The Poor,” Welles isn't romanticizing modern America.

Criticized by some for sounding too Dylan or Guthrie, being too simple with lyrics and too prolific (he has released four albums this year alone), Welles lives in a time of a lot of content and a lot of criticism. And I think, in a time when folks don't have attention span for the deeper thoughts of past eras. Sometimes the simplest words have the greatest effect. Below, I share Welles performing earlier this week on The Late Show: