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Hi, hello, I am back from my two-week staycation.
I don’t love staycations as a rule. Vacations, the kind that include a change of scenery and possibly an airplane, allow me to completely abandon all my responsibilities. A staycation kind of just makes me… sit amongst my responsibilities. Like, what am I gonna do, ignore the laundry and the basement that got water during The Storm and the many alerts about The Storm? LOL.
But I did read, watch and listen to a bunch of stuff so this week’s NEXT is gonna be one big Reading/Watching/Listening.
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First up, reading. I read and enjoyed arguably the most buzzed-about novel of 2026, Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear, which is about a tradwife influencer named Natalie who finds herself back in 1855.
I understand some of the criticism about this book, including that the “past” didn’t seem well researched — Little House on the Prairie heads will spot the issues immediately — but the lack of research actually makes sense when you get to the end. It’s a quick, dishy read about the performance of womanhood, and I enjoyed it. I do wish Natalie had a little more insight into her own behaviour, but not all stories can end with a Very Special Lesson.
I also read Lisa Taddeo’s novel Animal, which was, fittingly, wild. It is about a woman who experiences a lot of horror at the hands of men, and travels across the country to connect with the one person who might help her make sense of it all. Major content warning here, but I loved the prose in this one. It made me feel itchy and weird (complimentary).
Both of these books feature unlikeable protagonists. That’s not an issue for me; I just need to find them interesting and compelling, but your mileage may vary.
I crushed a bunch of shows, but I want to single out three in particular.
If you’re not watching Widow’s Bay, the Matthew Rhys-led comedy/horror series about a cursed island trying to be “the next Martha’s Vineyard,” move it to the top of your to-watch list.
Matthew Rhys as Tom Loftis in Widow’s Bay. (Apple TV)
Created by Katie Dippold, who was a Parks and Recreation writer, the tone is so perfectly dry, managing to be both workplace comedy and genuinely twisty mystery. I love it and am sad I’m finished of it.
I’m also enjoying Mindy Kaling’s latest joint, Not Suitable for Work. She is a master of the cozy romcom and, although I find some plot points deeply yawn (can we, as a culture, move away from telling stories about young women having affairs with their bosses?) it is a breezy, funny watch. Like a Gen Z-era Friends.
Last, snaps to Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, a thriller about a newly divorced woman named Paula who gets scammed by a Cam Boy and gets swept up in a murder investigation in which she might be a suspect.
The premise is hooky, but Tatiana Maslany’s performance as Paula is what has kept me invested. She’s at once so funny and frustrating, you never know if you want to cheer for her or shake her by the shoulders. Make better choices!
Tatiana Maslany as Paula in Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. (Apple TV)
Listening! You know I love Lizzo, and I wanted to love her new album Bitch.
It features a lot of interesting musical interpolations — including the chorus from Meredith Brooks’ 1997 hit of the same name for the title track — it just isn’t grabbing me like her previous albums. There’s no Juice or About Damn Time here. Gonna give it a few more listens to see if it’s a grower.
What does slap, however, is the new Olivia Rodrigo album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. Just trust me.
Some housekeeping: next Wednesday is Canada Day, so there will be no NEXT. It will return the week following.
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