Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of April 12, 2026
This week at The Sunday Paper, we’re sharing a new book, podcast, and film that we believe will add inspiration to your days. We hope these suggestions open your heart and mind and encourage you to come together for meaningful conversations.
What We’re Watching
Have you ever wondered what happened in Gilead after the events of The Handmaid's Tale? In Hulu’s newest adaptation, The Testaments, the long-awaited follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale, we return to the world Margaret Atwood built as it raises a new generation. The series centers on two young women about four years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale. Agnes has grown up dutiful and faithful within Gilead's walls, while Daisy arrives as an outsider, a convert from beyond the border whose presence changes everything. As the two forge an unexpected friendship, the cracks in Gilead's surface begin to show. And for fans of the original series—just wait until you see who shows up in the very first episode! Stream the first three episodes on Hulu now, with new episodes premiering weekly.
What We’re Reading
We all remember that band we were obsessed with as teenagers—blaring their songs and belting out every word. But what if we could reconnect with that band and all that nostalgia 30 years later? In American Fantasy, New York Times bestselling author Emma Straub whisks readers aboard a four-day cruise ship voyage where all five members of a beloved 1990s boy band perform for three thousand obsessed fans. One of those formerly obsessed fans is Annie, a 50-year-old recent divorcée. Although the band shaped her teen years, she only finds herself there out of obligation to accompany her little sister. What she didn't expect was an unlikely friendship with the band's lead vocalist, Keith—or how much of her younger self she'd find along the way. Funny, warm, and full of heart, American Fantasy is the nostalgic escape you didn't know you needed.
What We’re Listening To
He was just an idiot—or so everyone thought. New York Times writer M. Gessen has spent their career writing about some of the world's most dangerous people. But their new story hits far closer to home. In The Idiot, the new five-part podcast from Serial Productions, M. turns their lens on their least favorite cousin, Allen, a pretentious self-described "international businessman" who turned out to be hiding something far more sinister. What starts as a family matter quickly becomes something far more unsettling once Allen is arrested for plotting to have his ex-wife killed. You won’t be able to pause this podcast as M. traces Allen's story from the quiet of the family's Cape Cod property all the way to a federal prison, uncovering what led to his shocking downfall.
Sunday Paper Recipe
Makaronopita - a.k.a. Macaroni-Cheese Pie
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Yield: 12 to 16 servings
Ingredients:
½ package (8 ounces, or 227 g) thick bucatini pasta
2½ cups (600 ml) whole milk
16 ounces (454 g) feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 large eggs
10 homemade (page 28) or store-bought phyllo pastry sheets (#4 or the thinnest you can find)
½ cup (120 g, or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the bucatini and cook for about 2 minutes under the recommended time on the package. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl.
2. To a separate large bowl, add the milk, feta, oil, salt, pepper, and eggs and mix until well combined. Pour the mixture over the pasta and mix thoroughly.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 12 x 18-inch (30 x 46 cm) deep baking pan with oil.
4. Add 2 phyllo sheets to the prepared pan and let them overhang slightly. Add 4 more sheets, brushing the melted butter in between each sheet. Add the pasta filling to the pan, evenly spreading it out. Layer the remaining 4 phyllo sheets on top, brushing butter in between them, then fold in the overhanging edges of the dough into a nice crust.
5. Score the pie into 12 to 16 squares (this makes it easier to serve after it is out of the oven).
6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Excerpted from My Greek Mom's Recipes: She Died. I Wrote This Cookbook by Gus Constantellis, published by Rock Point, an imprint of The Quarto Group. Copyright © 2026.
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