28 Long Weekend Reading Recommendations That are Worth the Click
By Stacy Lee Kong
Image: instagram.com/chrisbrownofficial
If there’s one thing I’m going to do, it’s make sure we are sufficiently entertained for a long weekend (even if I am also a little stunned that it’s already Victoria Day…). So, this week’s newsletter is an extra-long list of And Did You Hear About recommendations. Expect plenty of really good criticism, from Pitchfork’s viral review of Chris Brown’s Brown—they gave it a 1.3 rating 😅—to a NYT essay on Gisèle Pelicot and the genre of survivor memoirs, plus a recap of the recent pap smear discourse that took over my X feed, a take or two on tradwife bestseller Yesteryear and one very cute dog video. Onto the recommendations:
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s op-ed about the horrific sexual violence Palestinians experience at the hands of Israeli soldiers, settlers and prison guards. A note: It does start by mentioning the claims that Hamas soldiers committed mass rape on Oct. 7, which have been widely debunked, but the piece is still an important read, I think. The fall-out from this piece has been fascinating, if predictable; the day after Kristof’s piece went live (literally), the Israeli Civil Commission released a 300-page report purporting to provide evidence of those alleged mass rapes. Western media outlets, including the Globe and Mail, covered the report credulously, but the Electronic Intifada does a good job of explaining why it’s actually not credible.
Pitchfork’s delightfully negative review of Chris Brown’s new album, Brown, which famously (and accurately) contains the line, “this album is a real piece of shit.”
All the recent discourse around Drake, who just dropped three new albums, the expected Iceman, plus Habibti and Maid of Honour. I haven’t read any actual reviews yet, but the X reactions have been phenomenal. And, the cultural criticism surrounding Iceman et al. has also been really good: This week, the Guardian dug into his misogyny and embrace of the manosphere, while the Toronto Star focused on his turn from hometown hero to divisive figure. And, not strictly about the album itself, but the Wall Street Journal is wondering if Iceman will end hip-hop’s streaming slump.
This line from Catherine Called Birdy, which is circulating on my TikTok feed again and makes me laugh every single time.
Wired’s recent feature on ‘AI widows.’
This spot-on analysis of race in The Testaments.
Bestselling tradwife novel Yesteryear. It’s everywhere right now, not least because Anne Hathaway snapped up the rights to adapt it into a horror movie before it was even officially released. But this is not a unqualified recommendation—I read it in one day and thought the premise was fantastic, but also that it kind of fell apart in the last third. Reviews in the Guardian and Argument Magazine help explain why; writer Halina Bennet makes the case for reading it anyway, because it’s fast-paced, entertaining and has broad appeal.
Seattle-based R&B singer Lazā. (Tip: Start with “Mi Amor.”)
The Cut’s on-point analysis of the uproar over Olivia Rodrigo’s babydoll dresses.
This trio of recent reproductive health-related conversations that I swear are related, though I’m still working out exactly how: The Atlantic’s piece on the rise of content around ‘natural’ menstrual cycles + pap smear discourse on X + PCOS being renamed to PMOS.
Nicki Minaj on her MAGA conversion.
An encouraging reminder from Tiki the rescue dog.
Pow Magazine’s Paul Thompson on Kanye West’s Bully and why it had shockingly little cultural impact.
This fascinating Vox feature about the recent spike in social pressure to look ‘perfect,’ how accessible cosmetic interventions have become—and how chasing an idealized face or body impacts our identities.
Current Affairs’ very sharp critique of Jimmy Fallon’s whole… thing.
A recap of the great Womblands TikTok controversy of ’22.
This New York Times essay Gisèle Pelicot’s memoir and why it’s actually not a ‘survivor’s memoir.’
An accurate description of what summer ’26 is shaping up to feel like.
(P.S., if you enjoy these recommendations, a reminder that paid subscribers get access to curated list of the most interesting things on the internet at the end of every newsletter. Upgrade here!)
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