As usual, the opening notes of Fridays’s letter are free to read, with the meatier recommendations — journalism, short fiction, podcasts, documentaries — below the paywall.
I’ve been by the seaside for the last few days and without real life (aka sick bugs, sleep regressions and the psychic toll of motherhood), I’ve been able to go full CONTENT MONSTER. And I’m pleased to report, that after discussing the slow death of magazine journalism with Tina Brown for Tuesday’s letter, I worked my way through a pile of 8 glossies and found a slew of non-milquetoast celebrity interviews. Loads of those below the paywall today, along with two excellent (and shocking) podcasts, a moving insight into teenage mental health and a surprisingly funny piece on driverless cabs.
Notes from the week:
Julia Donaldson has overtaken J.K.Rowling as Britain’s best-selling author1. I have never been more starstruck than when I met Donaldson, the author of 210 children’s books2 and her collaborator, Axel Scheffler, at a charity gala last year. In a sweet act of generosity, Scheffler drew a tiny gruffalo and an even tinier mouse on my place card, for my kids
I chatted to Ochuko about Another Marvellous Thing and spoiler alert: it’s my favourite Laurie Colwin yet. Obsessed with this line, from Lincoln to Polly: “It’s not your job to go around spreading happiness like a fertiliser machine”
After 8 series, I’ve wrapped The Missing — a podcast about long-term missing people that I’ve been honoured to host for the last 4 years. The show is a brilliant example of how to make ethical crime: true crime which doesn’t exploit and which helps find closure for the families involved. If you listen to one episode, make it our last one
If anyone asks, I’m mood-boarding my vibes, a la Addison Rae. The millennial Cliparted so the Zoomer could Canva
400,000 passports go missing every year, which is no surprise to me as I once lost a passport during lockdown3. YES, WHEN YOU COULD NOT LEAVE YOUR HOUSE
Bolu Babalola on the shilling of “pum pum vitamins” (the new flavour of “feminine self-hate”) made me laugh out loud. “How much was that girl paid to hawk THRUSH gummies? PH annihilators?” Vulvas should not taste like cookies!
This week, Tina Brown learned what TL;DR meant and I learned about DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender). Yes, I am still obsessed with the Lively/ Baldoni suit. The more I read, the more baffled I become
Here’s a wtf stat: there are more lawyers in the USA than there are doctors - approximately 1.3 million to 1 million4
Here’s another: there are currently only 15 prisoners in Guantánamo (max capacity: 780) and The New York Times estimates it costs the US govt $36 million per inmate5
And now for a fun one: slugs have 27,000 teeth! They are called denticles, and these microscopic gnashers are scattered all over their tongue, which is called a radula. From now on, I’m telling my kids to brush their denticles
The Oscar noms have landed and to nobody’s surprise, Emilia Perez has cleaned up. Karla Sofía Gascon was a strong lead, but… that script is an abomination!6
Prince Harry has received an 8 figure settlement and an apology from News Group Newspapers (who own The Sun and News of The World), for illegal intrusion between 1996 and 2011. They also issued a posthumous apology to Princess Diana. Murdoch’s NGN has spent $1 billion on damages so far, with high profile figures receiving settlements including Sienna Miller, Mel C and Hugh Grant. A disgusting abuse of journalism, during a truly unhinged era of celebrity gossip
Vulture’s report adds to the allegations against cult fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, broken by Tortoise last summer — and in doing so, heavily implicates Amanda Palmer. It’s giving de Beauvoir/ Sartre… and Maxwell/ Weinstein
More and more stories of bad therapy are emerging - and while I hope it doesn’t put people off from seeking psychotherapy (which can be life-changing) I do hope it reminds everyone how vital it is to check that your therapist is BACP registered
At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious… meme coins are not a good idea
I paid a visit to England’s best pub of 2024 and, well, it was nice — but Visit England needs to get itself to The Gurnard’s Head! I hadn’t stopped thinking about this pub in the little village of Zennor since I visited 3 years ago and I’m pleased to confirm that the food, decor, service and location are as sublime as I remembered it.
