Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of October 18, 2026
This week at The Sunday Paper, we’re sharing two new books, an audiobook, and a 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
“Grief is never finished, but neither is love.”
Rachel Morrison’s Love of Your Life begins as a love story, then asks what becomes of that love when the person is gone. Margaret Qualley stars as Maya, a Boston nurse whose whirlwind romance with Charlie, played by Gabriel Basso, ends in heartbreak and sends her life in an unexpected direction. It’s a film about carrying someone with you while you manage to find your way forward. Maria’s son, Patrick Schwarzenegger, is also in the cast as Jason, which gives us one more reason to press play! Stream it now on Prime Video.
Our Be Lit Bookshelf
It’s been more than 5 years since Lisa Kleypas’s last book, and her readers have been patient. Now she’s back with Queen of Lombard Street, and she’s traded the ballroom for the ledger. After a long run of Victorian love stories, this one is historical fiction with a romance woven through it. In 1880 London, economist Reina Martin can outthink any man in the City, yet she isn’t allowed to open a bank account of her own. So she sets out to build the first bank for women. Her household is a motley crew of paroled prisoners, a very opinionated cook, and a butler who may not be who he claims.
Maria calls it an honor to be the messenger for this book, and after reading it you’ll understand why. My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments is Eric Dane’s gift to his daughters: a funny, unfiltered, sometimes shocking account of his past, his fight with ALS, and what it took to finally live in the present. He wanted them to know the man underneath, the one who struggled and the one who came fiercely alive. It arrives November 3 from The Open Field, Maria’s Penguin imprint, the same day her conversation with Eric’s wife, Rebecca Gayheart, airs on NBC. Pick up a copy, or listen to the audiobook narrated by Jacob Elordi, who played Eric’s son on Euphoria.
Read the Exclusive Excerpt Here
There’s more to discover on our Be Lit Bookshelf, coming Tuesday!
What We’re Listening To
Zac Brettler was nineteen when he died after a fall into the Thames. His parents were left searching for answers, and then they learned that he’d been living a double life, introducing himself as the son of a Russian oligarch. The persona was made up, but the people it led him to were real, including a slippery businessman and a gangster known as “Indian Dave.” In London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth, Patrick Radden Keefe, the author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain, follows the Brettlers as they try to learn who their son had become and what really happened to him. It’s a true story that reads like a thriller, and Keefe narrates the audiobook himself.
What We’re Eating
Roasted Chicken With Schmaltz-Braised Zucchini
From AMMAZZA!: Culinary Adventures from New York to Italy and Back Again
I left Lupa to open Bar Milano, pouring myself into researching regional northern Italian food for the menu. The multimillion-dollar space—with white leather couches and upscale cocktails—lasted just eight months, closing during the 2008 financial crash. Heartbroken, I took a line cook job closer to home at Marlow & Sons in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and had the most fun three months of my career. I’m all for time-outs after things go sideways to regroup, reset, and return stronger. Travel, family time, and even hoisting a twenty-pound slab of scrap metal to make Marlow & Son’s version of pollo al mattone (“chicken under a brick”) helped me grow. There’s no brick in this dish, but a juicy roasted half-chicken slathered in a simple marinade of sweet garlic confit, sharp Dijon, and a few fresh, assertive oregano leaves for a rich, tangy, savory flavor. You can make it seasonal by changing the side: in spring Snap Pea, Asparagus, and Bulgur Salad (page 8), in summer zucchini, in fall Delicata Squash (page 270), and in winter chard.
SERVES: 4
Ingredients:
BRINED CHICKEN
- 3 quarts (2.8 liters) hot tap water (hot enough to dissolve the sugar)
- 11/4 cups (170 g) kosher salt
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 1 whole organic chicken (31/2 to 4 pounds/1.6 to 1.8 kg), split (see page 265)
MARINADE
- 10 tablespoons (142 g) Dijon mustard
- 25 to 30 cloves (140 g)
- Garlic Confit (page 272)
- 1 fresh oregano sprig, leaves picked
TO FINISH
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Kosher salt
- Schmaltz-Braised Zucchini (page 264)
- Lemon wedges or cheeks
Directions:
BRINE THE CHICKEN:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the water, salt, and sugar until fully dissolved. Set the brine aside to cool completely.
- Once cool, submerge the chicken in the brine.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
MAKE THE MARINADE:
- In a food processor, combine the mustard and garlic confit and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the oregano leaves.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Place the halves skin side down on a sheet pan.
- Spread the marinade over the flesh side, then fold each one in half, skin side out, like closing a book, to seal in the flavor.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour and up to overnight.
TO ROAST IN THE OVEN:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle a large roasting pan or baking dish with olive oil.
- Open the chicken halves and place them flesh side (marinade side) down. Smooth the top of the chickens, stretching their skin.
- Drizzle olive oil over the skin and rub it in well. Season generously with salt.
- Roast until the skin is golden and crispy and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 160°F, about 30 minutes.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving with zucchini and lemon wedges.
TO GRILL THE CHICKEN:
- Prepare a grill to high heat. Once hot (450° to 500°F), turn off one burner (or set it to low) to create a cooler zone.
- Place the chicken skin side down over the hot side and sear until the skin is golden and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and sear the other side, 3 to 5 minutes more.
- Move the chicken to the cooler side, skin side up. Close the lid and cook, turning occasionally, until the breast hits 165°F and the thigh reaches 175°F, about 25 minutes.
- Let rest 10 minutes before serving with zucchini and lemon wedges.
NOTE: Brining makes a notable difference since it infuses the chicken with flavor throughout; my brine tastes salty, with a touch of sweetness from granulated sugar, which helps caramelize the chicken. Also, chicken should be swimming in brine, not packed like sardines, so double the recipe, as needed.
Schmaltz-Braised Zucchini
Repurposing scraps, such as using chicken fat (schmaltz), stale bread, root vegetables, or bones to build flavor is a hallmark of cucina povera in Italy, and also in Ashkenazi, Eastern European cuisines. My grandmother always cooked with chicken fat, or schmaltz, but I never appreciated it back then. Here, schmaltz coaxes out zucchini’s sweetness, making it humble and indulgent all at once. In winter, swap the zucchini for hearty greens like Swiss chard—cooking the stems slowly in the fat with onions, then pouring the mixture over the leaves to gently wilt and soften them.
SERVES: 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480 g) chicken fat or duck fat
- 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 2 zucchini (170 g total), ends trimmed, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken stock (see Note)
Directions:
- In a small pot, cook the chicken fat over low heat until melted and warmed through. Add the onion and gently poach until softened, about 15 minutes.
- Place the zucchini in a medium skillet. Pour the chicken fat and onion mixture over the top, then add the stock. Warm gently over low heat until the zucchini softens, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to serve.
NOTE: To intensify the flavor of chicken stock: Simmer 1 cup homemade or store-bought stock over low heat until reduced by half.
Excerpted with permission from AMMAZZA!, on sale now from Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Copyright © 2026 by Hillary Sterling.
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