Another week, another need for some good podcasts, books, TV shows or new music to get you through the sweltering days.
This summer more than any, we all need escapes. So if you’re looking for ideas on how to pass the time, a new show to get into, or some fresh tunes to put in your earbuds—we’ve got you.
Read on for what the 225 Dine team is into right now.
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For some chill tracks
Jessy Lanza’s ‘All The Time’
“Lanza’s voice is unmistakable: breathy yet steady yet clipped. And the introspective, chill vibe she’s created with frequent collaborator Jeremy Greenspan sets the layered groundwork for some glitchy yet smooth R&B. It’s not a far departure from her earlier work, like 2014’s sultry ‘Pull My Hair Back.’ But it provides enough shiny flourishes and oddly constructed beats to keep things interesting. And at moments, the pulse quickens just enough to make this a solid soundtrack for a brisk walk or a run around the neighborhood.”
—Benjamin Leger, managing editor
For an uplifting read
‘The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You’ by Lydia Fenet
“It’s super empowering and a great read about achieving your goals as a woman in today’s day and age. Read it if you want to feel recharged in your career or optimistic about what’s next for you!”
—Julia-Claire Evans, contributing writer
For a true crime binge
‘To Live and Die in LA’
“I know there’s a whole true crime die-hard community (see what I did there?). But as much as I’d love to be a part of it, I personally haven’t found many podcasts that have gripped me as much as the first season of Serial. That is, until, I stumbled upon this story of a 20-something actor who went missing in Hollywood. When the LAPD failed to turn up answers, Rolling Stone journalist Neil Strauss dug into the case. The series starts off a little slow, but a couple episodes in I was hooked by Strauss’ storytelling. I’m a little late to this one—the show’s buzzy release was about a year ago—but I managed to resist the urge to Google the case and risk spoiling myself. I think what struck me the most was how Strauss, who was more accustomed to celebrity profile writing than investigative pieces on murders, was able to unearth evidence better than the police—simply by forming real connections with those involved.”
—Jennifer Tormo, editor
For a hefty, ‘On the Road’-style novel
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‘The Savage Detectives’ by Roberto Bolaño
“I’ve found myself during the pandemic reaching back into my book collection for some of my favorite reads. This novel came out in 1998 but wasn’t translated into English until 2007. It was also the novel that propelled Bolaño to a sort of cult literary status. It follows Ulises Lima and Arturo Belano, two young bohemian poets in 1970s Mexico City who start a literary movement they dub ‘visceral realism.’ They were inspired by an elusive poet whose works are hard to find, and there are rumors that she disappeared somewhere in the Sonora Desert. Their mission to find her is divided into three sections, the largest of which—the middle section—is told entirely through interviews with people who encountered Lima and Belano over the years and were either swooned by their ideas, adventures and wanderlust or considered them drifters. It’s an ambitious, wild and dark book, but once you find the rhythm, the story almost becomes dreamlike as you piece together the chronology of their quest and try to solve the mystery, yourself—even if you aren’t quite sure what the mystery is.”
—Benjamin Leger, managing editor