Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of February 15, 2026
This week at The Sunday Paper, we're sharing a new book, a podcast, and a new series sure to add fun and inspiration to your days. We hope these suggestions open your heart and mind and encourage you to come together for meaningful conversations. Enjoy!
What We’re Watching
Knock, Knock. It’s The 'Burbs Peacock's new horror-comedy series starring Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall as new parents who relocate to the husband's idyllic childhood suburb. Inspired by the 1989 film, this reimagining puts Palmer's Samira—a lawyer on maternity leave—at the center of the mystery. While adjusting to life among manicured lawns and gossipy neighbors, Samira's unease deepens when a creepy stranger moves into the dilapidated Victorian mansion across the street. Is it connected to the disappearance of a teenage girl years ago? And could her husband Rob be involved? With sharp humor, genuine chemistry between Palmer and Whitehall, and a deliciously unsettling suburban mystery, The 'Burbs asks whether Samira's suspicions are new-mom paranoia—or if something sinister is lurking beneath the surface of this seemingly perfect neighborhood.
What We’re Reading
When sociologist Laura Mauldin fell in love in graduate school, she never imagined that months later, she'd become a full-time caregiver, navigating a healthcare system ill-equipped to support her partner's battle with leukemia. Now a professor of disability studies, Dr. Mauldin transforms her deeply personal experience into a powerful investigation of how America's broken care system places impossible burdens on intimate partners. Through conversations with couples across the country, she reveals heartbreaking stories of love strained not because it isn't strong enough, but because our society has quietly shifted the responsibility of care from the state onto spouses and partners. In Sickness and In Health asks: What happens when our most cherished romantic ideals become excuses for systemic failure? Urgent, unflinching, and deeply moving, this is a rallying cry for anyone who believes that love—and those who give and receive care—deserve better.
What We’re Listening To
After seven years, beloved actress and singer-songwriter Rita Wilson is back with new music. Her latest single, "Sound of a Woman," co-written with Grammy winner Amy Wadge, is a stunning ballad about becoming who you're meant to be. Inspired by Michelangelo's words about freeing the angel from the marble, Wilson reflects on the process of sculpting ourselves—shedding the excess to discover who we are in our most essential form. Wilson delivers a raw, vulnerable, and deeply moving track that celebrates the work it takes to become the person you are.
Sunday Paper Recipe
Praline-Topped Brie “Flower” with Breadstick Twists
SERVES 6
One 5- or 6-inch brie wheel
One 11-ounce can Pillsbury Original Breadsticks Original Breadsticks
½ cup brown sugar ½ cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
I will never forget the fi rst time I had this eye-catching app, and neither will you. The nutty, buttery, caramelized topping you drag the hot bread pieces through to unveil the melted brie underneath will stick with you forever! I know it sounds dramatic, but it’s just that good. And it makes such a pretty presentation. You simply twist the prepared breadstick dough, loop the twists around the brown sugar and pecan–topped brie so that it resembles a flower, and serve it in the glass pie plate you make it in. Only one dish to wash! Mark my words: It’s the appetizer that will disappear first.
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Skim the rind off the top of the brie with a sharp knife and discard. Place the brie wheel in the center of a 9-inch pie plate.
2. Unroll the breadstick dough. Twist each piece of dough and place around the brie. This should fill the pie plate and look like a flower.
3. Sprinkle the top of the brie with the brown sugar to completely cover the wheel and then sprinkle with the pecans. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the breadsticks are golden brown and the brie has melted.
4. Serve warm and invite everyone to tear off a breadstick and dip it into the praline-topped melted cheese.
Excerpted from The LORAfied Cookbook: Easy Recipes and Budget-Friendly Hacks to Feed the Whole Family by Lora McLaughlin Peterson with permission.
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