Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of July 19, 2026

Listen to this article.

0:00

/771.409206

1×

This week at The Sunday Paper, we’re sharing a new book, song, and show 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

Hollis Shaw has built a career on making everything look effortless—the recipes, the marriage, the perfectly plated life. Then a devastating loss cracks it all open, and instead of falling apart quietly, she invites one friend from each era of her life to Nantucket for a weekend meant to put the pieces back together. That’s the setup for The Five-Star Weekend, Peacock’s new drama adapted from Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling novel, with Jennifer Garner leading the cast and turning 72 hours of pajama parties and spa days into something far messier than a girls’ trip. Old histories surface, secrets come loose, and Hollis learns the friends who knew her before the spotlight might be exactly what she needs now—proof that Hilderbrand’s Nantucket magic translates just as well off the page.

For readers who want to dive deeper, check out our previous conversations with Hilderbrand:

• Revisit our conversation with her on seeing her novel come to life on screen, following The Perfect Couple’s hit Netflix run.
• Go back to where it started, with Hilderbrand’s reflections on embracing the moment and her book picks for The Sunday Paper.

What We’re Reading

What makes a romance novel even better? When it’s written by two best friends! Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, aka Christina Lauren, have been writing under the combined pen name for 16 years, and their newest book proves they’re not done pushing the genre somewhere new. It opens with a question most romances never ask: what happens after you get the person back, but not the memories? After three years of marriage, scientist Emery Finch loses her husband Luca in a sudden accident, and grief pushes her to do the one thing she swore she never would: use classified research she was never meant to touch. She brings him back, only to discover he remembers none of it—their marriage, their inside jokes, the life they built. The Romance Revival follows Emery as she tries to make Luca fall for her all over again, proof this duo of best friends can still pull the rug out from under readers.

Shop on Bookshop & Support local book stores Shop on Amazon Shop the Audiobook Narrated by Julia Whelan and Vas Eli

What We’re Listening To

In bowling, a 7-10 split is the shot everyone dreads: two pins standing at opposite corners, nearly impossible to save. Theo Kandel borrows the term for his new folk single, “7-10 Split,” turning the alley mishap into a symbol for the moments when something feels unfixable no matter how you aim. Kandel is actually a skilled bowler himself, which makes the metaphor land even better. It arrives alongside a song and short film video that brings that same setting, and all its familiar frustration, vividly to life. It’s a fitting companion piece, letting the song’s central story play out beyond just the lyrics. Kandel’s warm, acoustic sound turns what could be a small, silly moment into something genuinely moving. Listen to the song and watch the music video now, and see if he manages to pick up the spare.

What We're Making

S’mores Pavlova

This is the ultimate dinner party dessert. It’s often served with fruit, but since pavlova is meringue-­based, it is the ideal marshmallowy vessel for a s’mores spin. This one features a molten chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, and a graham cracker crunch, all placed in a marshmallowy pavlova nest.

Makes: 8 pavlovas

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Bake Time:
Pavlovas: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour cooling in oven
Graham crunch: 12 to 15 minutes
Molten cake: 14 to 15 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours

Counter & Equipment Prep: Stand mixer, large baking sheet, parchment paper, piping bag with round tip, 1-­pound loaf pan, 2-­tablespoon cookie scoop, kitchen torch

Heads Up: Order matters in this recipe! The pavlovas should be made first, along with the graham cracker crunch. See the make-­ahead instructions for details there. Make the molten cake just before serving. We want it molten, gooey, and hot!

Ingredients:

Pavlova

5 egg whites, room temperature

⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon white vinegar

½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

1¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons cornstarch

Graham Cracker Crunch

7 tablespoons (98 grams) unsalted butter

¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

8 sheets (136 grams) graham crackers, crushed roughly (I do this in a plastic bag with a rolling pin)

¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

Molten Lava Cake

½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup (85 grams) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

½ cup (85 grams) dark chocolate, roughly chopped (if you aren’t using a scale, this is 7 squares of a Ghirardelli chocolate bar)

½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

¼ cup (31 grams) all-­purpose flour

¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

1 pint (453 grams) vanilla ice cream

Directions:

To Make the Pavlova

1. Preheat the oven to 275°F
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, cream of tartar, vinegar, and salt. 
3. Whisk on medium-­low speed until the mixture becomes foamy, then continue mixing and begin to slowly add the sugar, leaving about 1 minute in between each addition. 
4. Keep the speed on medium-­low, about 4 on a stand mixer, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is bright white, glossy, and all granules of sugar have dissolved. Increase the speed to high and whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 3 more minutes, pausing to check for peaks every minute. 
5. Once it reaches stiff peaks, fold in the cornstarch with a nonstick spatula and transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (about ½ inch wide, such as Ateco #809). If you don’t have a tip, you can use two spoons to dollop the mixture for a rustic look.
6. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Pipe a 3-inch mound of meringue, then use the back of a spoon to make an indent, pressing lightly into the middle and swirling outward to create a shallow nest. 
8. Smooth the sides upward as you go so the rim stays taller than the center.
9. Place the sheet tray with the pavlovas in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 250°F. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pavlovas are dry and firm but not browned. Turn off the oven but leave the pan inside and let the pavlovas dry out for another hour. 
10. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

To Make the Graham Cracker Crunch

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat add the butter and sugar. 
3. With a nonstick spatula, stir constantly as the butter melts. Continue stirring until the butter starts to foam and sizzle and all the sugar dissolves into the butter. 
4. Turn off the heat and add in the graham crackers and salt. Mix with the nonstick spatula to ensure they are evenly coated. The mixture will look like wet sand. 
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and use the spatula to break up big chunks. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crunchies are lightly golden brown. 
6. Remove from the oven and cool.

To Make the Molten Lava Cake 

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 1-­pound loaf pan with a parchment sling; no need to leave much overhang.
2. In a microwave-­safe bowl, combine the butter and chopped chocolates. 
3. Microwave in 30-­second intervals, stirring with a nonstick spatula between each, until the mixture is completely smooth. 
4. Stir in the sugar until it is fully incorporated. Vigorously mix in the egg yolks and the eggs to form a thick, smooth batter. Gently fold in the flour and salt. 
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 14 to 15 minutes; the center will be wobbly and shiny, but the outside should look set. Go straight to assembly.

To Assemble

1. Once your pavlova shells have cooled completely, use a kitchen torch on its medium setting and torch the outside of the shells by moving in a smooth motion around the outside. The color should be light golden brown with a few darker spots.
2. Time to plate! Get your serving plates ready and place a pavlova on each. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, place 2 scoops of that rich molten cake onto each pavlova. Top with a scoop of ice cream, sprinkle over the graham cracker crunch, and enjoy!

Storage: Fully assembled pavlovas should be eaten right after plating.

Shop on Bookshop & Support local book stores Shop on Amazon

Excerpted from In The Mood To Bake. Copyright (c) 2026 by Alex George. Used with permission of the publisher, The Countryman Press, a division of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Photo credit Alex George.