Happy Saturday. If you’re lucky enough to have a long weekend, I hope you’re spending it doing exactly what you want to do — whether that’s molding butter into seashells and other cute shapes, listening to Ina Garten’s favorite love songs, or watching this Beyoncé x Irish step dancing collab on loop. Oh wait, that’s everything I’ll be doing. Though, feel free to copy. I’ll also be thinking about the “unexpected red theory” and whether my living room could benefit from it. And if double belting is the answer to my chronically millennial style. Probably not, but worth a shot…maybe.
— Melissa Goldberg / Senior Editor / Washington, DC
“A Love Song for Ricki Wilde” by Tia Williams
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Ricki Wilde has long dreamed of leaving her family’s business in Atlanta and opening her own flower shop. So when a fairy godmother-like figure appears to help her, she seizes the opportunity and soon has her own store in Harlem. It’s there that she meets and is immediately drawn to Ezra Walker — but while the attraction is mutual, there’s something that pulls him away. A secondary timeline, set during the Harlem Renaissance, offers clues about Ezra’s past. We asked Williams a few questions. Here’s what she had to say…
Q: Over the past few years, there’s been a rise in Black romance novels. Why was it important to you to write about Black love?
Williams: Growing up, I was obsessed with historical romance and “glamour” romance, like Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins. But Black people were never in those stories, so in my mind, I’d recast the characters with Black actors and actresses. I knew, even then, that I wanted to grow up and write books starring us — because we’re not the Black versions of anything. We should exist loudly and proudly in stories amplifying our love.
Williams: I’ve lived in Brooklyn my entire adult life, and all my novels have been set there. I wanted a new challenge. And modern Harlem has such a cool, chic vibe. But I’m also a huge fan of the Harlem Renaissance. I love the fashion, literature, It girls and boys, all that 1920s glamour. I knew I wanted to weave in the Renaissance, somehow. So, I came up with a Jazz Age-era scandal that has modern-day consequences for Ricki and Ezra.
Q: I imagine you’ve since gotten to know Harlem pretty well. What’s the one place you’d say everyone must visit?
Williams: Tsion Café — it’s the best Ethiopian food I’ve had in ages.
Q: You’re hosting your dream book club: Who’s invited, what are you reading, and what are you eating?
Williams: We’re reading “Flowers in the Attic.” I’m inviting all my Gen X girlfriends who inhaled this book as inappropriate tweens — and we’re eating Stouffer’s microwave pizza. A night of 1987-era nostalgia.
The Brunch Recipe Worth Getting Out of Bed For
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There are many reasons why being an adult is overrated — but getting to eat what you want, when you want isn’t one of them. Especially if that’s a big bowl of mini croissant cereal for breakfast (sorry to moms and dentists everywhere). Inspired by the iconic Petite Croissant Céréale from viral Brooklyn bakery L’Appartement 4F, this homemade version from food blogger Erika Kwee makes itty-bitty croissants that are just as cute and just as crispy — without the long lines and $50 price tag. Plus, the recipe has one crucial hack: store-bought puff pastry.
The Time Commitment: Full disclosure, these take a while to make. As in, approximately an hour and 20 minutes. But that can vary, depending on how fast — or slow — you roll and cut the dough.
Erika’s Tips: For a fun, fruity twist, replace the cinnamon coating with a freeze-dried fruit powder, which you can buy or easily make. Also, to make sure your cereal looks as good as it tastes, it’s important to keep the dough as cold as possible. After you’ve finished rolling a section of dough into miniature croissants, place them on a plate in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to bake.
Try It With: Your favorite milk or milk alternative, of course. And fresh strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries for extra sweetness.
Other Takes: We normally wouldn’t recommend revisiting 2020, but we’ll make an exception for the cerealization of everything. In case you blacked that year out (we don’t blame you), people were making all kinds of cereal spin-offs, including pancakes , waffles, donuts, muffins, French toast, and, our personal fave, chocolate chip cookies. Essentially, gourmet Cookie Crisp.
The Norwegian Destination with ‘Bright Lights, Small City’ Energy
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If seeing the northern lights is at the top of your bucket list, Tromsø, Norway is the place to go. Located more than 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the surprisingly cosmopolitan city is considered one of the best spots for witnessing the aurora borealis, particularly now that it’s the middle of aurora season, which runs from September to April. Not to mention, scientists are predicting that this year may bring the best northern lights activity in decades.
🛏 To gaze at the northern lights — without leaving your warm bed — check out the greenhouse-like glass lodges at ÆRA. They’re 30 minutes from the city center, so there’s no light pollution, and alarms alert guests when the aurora borealis is in view. On the other hand, if you’re more concerned with staying in the heart of Tromsø, you can’t beat Clarion Hotel The Edge.
🦌 Need something to do during the day? There’s a sprawling reindeer camp, where in addition to feeding its 300 residents, you can learn more about the culture and customs of the indigenous Sámi community. Or, to explore more of the city’s nearby fjords and islands, take a ride on the Hermes II, a restored wooden fishing boat from 1917. Whatever you choose, make sure to stop at Pust, a floating sauna where you can heat up in the steam room, plunge into the Arctic waters, and repeat.
🍴 Start your day with a perfectly brewed coffee and a fluffy cinnamon roll from Risø Mat og Kaffebar. For a taste of Arctic cuisine — think: locally sourced fish, high-quality meat — make a dinner reservation at Mathallen, before ending your evening at Ølhallen. The pub opened in 1928 and offers 72 tap beers by Mack, the northernmost brewery in the world.
We asked you to vote on an etiquette question you’d like answered. The winner was:
Q: My friend invited me to an expensive restaurant for her birthday. How do I ask her who’s paying, or if we’re expected to all split it?
“If you’re hosting and intend to pay for the group, I always recommend stating that in the invitation. Something like, ‘Please join me on X date, Y time, and Z place to celebrate my birthday. My treat.’ But if it’s unclear who will be paying, you should expect to pay your own way. [If you can’t afford it], you have a couple options, depending on your relationship with the person. If you are very close, you could be open, honest, and direct and say, ‘You know I love celebrating you, but I don’t think this is going to fit into my budget this month. Maybe [the two of us can do something else] or I can drop your gift off this week.’ Alternatively, if you don’t know the person well, you could thank them for the invitation and politely decline, without mentioning why.”
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Up for a challenge? These new puzzle games are easy to get into, but tough to excel at. (Trust us, we’re still trying.) You can play alone, as a team, or competitively against your frenemies 😈. We’ll see you on the leaderboard.
Have a book, recipe, or travel rec? Or, a dicey etiquette question you want answered by an expert? Submit them here.
Skimm’d by: Rasheeda Campbell, Melissa Goldberg, Alex Carr, Margaret Wheeler Johnson, and Niven McCall-Mazza
Photos by Grand Central Publishing, Erika Kwee, Myka Meier, MuYeeTing via iStock, pawopa3336 via iStock, Riska via Getty Images, Brand Partners
