47 Things I Love

Including book recs and gift ideas!

In honor of my 47th birthday this week, I put together a list in the style of Maurene Goo’s 45 things to love (very much worth a read–also her book One & Only is terrific!). Mine is a highly subjective and random collection, mostly having to do with my favorite topics of books, travel, and/or food. Take them, leave them: I don’t use affiliate links so no pressure to click! I do think it’s important you switch to the pen I feel strongly about.

In no particular order, here are 47 things I love:

1. Romance books. If you don’t think you are a romance person, may I ask, do you not want a guaranteed dopamine hit? Do you hate joy? Are you anti-sex? Some recent faves include Into the Blue and Star-Crossed Summer. I’m reading The MASH Up right now and WOW is it fun.
   
   I’m sorry if it’s obnoxious to include in my literal number one Thing I Love but I must mention: I wrote one! MY FRIEND’S BEST WEDDING follows a woman helping her best friend plan his last-minute wedding to a bully from her past. As feelings emerge, a decision is made: She’s going to stop this wedding. The book comes out next June from Dutton and will be available for preorder in September, thank you for asking!

2. Library card. What’s more exciting than getting a robocall from the library that the book you put on hold months ago is ready? This week I picked up a haul that includes Maria Semple’s and Allegra Goodman’s latest (sorry, not gonna link all books, you can google!). When someone recommends a book to me, I immediately place a library hold. (By the time the book is ready, do I remember who told me to read it? Of course not; I’m 47! It’s cluttered up there!)

   

   My July TBR, a mix of library books and debut novels and classics and non-fiction: I’ve read about half so far!

3. Libro subscription. Why would you pay the overlords at Amazon for your audiobook needs when you can give that money to a beloved indie bookstore? I have a one-book-per-month subscription that goes to Books Are Magic, the jewel of my neighborhood. I prefer listening to non-fiction books read by the author (London Falling was great, as was Ina Garten’s and Lena Dunham’s memoirs, and I’m currently enjoying the new David Sedaris), but I’ll make an occasional exception for fiction (dang if Lauren Graham didn’t absolutely destroy Rebecca Serle’s One Italian Summer; ditto Meryl Streep reading Nora Ephron’s Heartburn). Also, my kids love Louis Sacher’s Wayside School series. A truly absurd delight.

4. A Wednesday matinee. One of the great joys of living in NYC is grabbing a last-minute Broadway ticket off TodayTix. For like $60 I’ll sit in the dark theater and have an incredible few hours to myself. In the last few months I’ve seen Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Giant, and Death of a Salesman. (Fun fact: I interviewed Arthur Miller, a fellow Michigan alum, in college for The Michigan Daily.)

Death of a Salesman is darker than my smile would have you believe.

5. Thank you notes! I wrote 365 in them in one year, which I turned into I WANT TO THANK YOU: HOW A YEAR OF GRATITUDE CAN BRING JOY AND MEANING IN A DISCONNECTED WORLD. Every time I write a note of gratitude, I’m reminded of one of that year’s many lessons: A good mood is just a thank you note away. It’s always worth the five minutes or less it’ll take, and it might make the recipient’s day. I’ll use any cards that I have around (I still have some branded cards from my book!), but my favorite stationery is Florentine. I studied abroad in Florence and fell in love with the elegant patterns and colors.

   

6. Postcards. It’s even easier to jot a couple lines on a postcard and drop it in the mail (plus postage is cheaper). I”ll grab a stash of vintage cards on Etsy or anywhere I spot them. Also, did you know anything can be a postcard? In my Thank You Year, I fortified old 4x6 photographs with a mailing label and bam, postcard.

   

   These are all postcards! Wish I flipped one around to prove it, alas, you’ll have to take me at my word.

7. Precise V5 Extra Fine pens. I started my career as a magazine editor, moving to NYC just before 9/11 and landing myself the plum job of Editorial Assistant at O, the Oprah Magazine. I then launched Rachael Ray’s magazine, and my last magazine desk job was Travel Editor at Food & Wine (a terrific job with a lot of good words in the title!). All magazine editors used these pens in their signature color so that on proofs, you know whose comments were whose. (I’ll never forget my bosses’ colors: Dana Cowin was purple and Maile Carpenter was green!) I’ve tried so many pens but these are truly the best. They make my handwriting look better. They’re currently stashed in every bag and all over my house.

8. Vintage Gourmet magazines. When I was working at O I decided I wanted to be a food writer just like Ruth Reichl, and ideally work at Gourmet, her magazine and my absolute favorite. It broke my heart when it folded in 2008. Some of my favorite recipes (like this split pea soup) still come from the giant green Gourmet cookbook on my shelf. And if I ever see vintage issues on a stoop in my neighborhood, I’ll grab them.

9. Good Instincts sunscreen. When I got laid off from Food & Wine in 2014, I knew my time at magazines was over. Sniff! But I didn’t want to be the last one left at the party. So I started googling things like “what is content marketing” and flexed my editorial skills for brands like Boll & Branch, DoorDash, and Kindred. Good Instincts is one of my remaining clients, but I am serious when I say: This is the best mineral face sunscreen out there. I’ve tried so many! It’s lightly tinted, but not makeup. Jake (my husband) uses and loves it, too.

   

10. House swapping! If you know me personally you might be thinking, it’s amazing she’s taken this long to bring up house swapping. Listen, I got used to traveling at a steep discount when I was a travel editor. When my travel perks disappeared, I was like, people drop thousands of dollars for a mediocre resort?! Paying retail for travel is the pits! House swapping has allowed our family to take so many incredible, steeply discounted vacations, all because we took the leap of faith and decided to trust people in our space. We use behomm and Kindred (here’s my code, if you want to try it: GIN.BER1).

11. Zingerman’s. My husband and I went to school in Ann Arbor, where this deli and import market is an institution. I get excited when the pamphlet comes: excellent design and writing! Our go-to for gifts. OMG the summer sale is on through Friday, July 31! Stock up on tinned fish and olive oil and balsamic and Koetze peanut butter like I’m about to!

12. Museum passes. Living in New York, it makes sense to have annual passes to your favorite museums. (They pay for themselves after a family visit or two, and it’s tax-deductible.) I belong to a rotating few, and always The Met. It’s such a luxury to pop in when I’m nearby, and sometimes I’ll take in an exhibit, or maybe just sit in the member’s lounge or the Japanese tea garden with my laptop and work, or grab a sandwich upstairs and gossip with a friend while overlooking people streaming into the great hall. What a town!

13. This travel alarm clock. You flip it over to turn it off or on; the charge keeps for months. And it’s cute. I use it at home and on trips.

14. Yoga. In COVID I switched to short yoga videos, but this year I’ve gotten back into the studio, and I’m reminded how incredible yoga makes me feel. I keep trying to convince my non-sporty 13-year-old to join me; wish me luck.

15. CrossFit. If you’re younger than me, I regret to inform you that weight-baring exercises are as important as they say. CrossFit is way less bro-y and way more fun than anticipated.

16. Scrivener. The software I used to draft my book–a huge upgrade from Google Docs, which I used for my last book. I love how I can work seamlessly on the computer and the phone, and how I can move the scenes from chapter to chapter, and how there are sections for character studies and research.

17. Birth of the Cool by Miles Davis. I listen to this album pretty much every time I write. It’s 33 minutes long, so it works like a Pomodoro session: When the album’s done, I take a break.

18. Nachos: A very good snack! Did you know that I wrote the most stylish nacho book ever made? TLDR from collecting and editing 50 nacho recipes: Oven > microwave; use more cheese than you think you need; the more textures and flavor notes you can hit, the better.

19. eBay. God, I love eBay. Right now I’m wearing a graphic Ton Sur Ton cotton sweater from the 90s that I nabbed for less than $50. I’ll also buy books, especially ones that are out of print, like Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey (huge hit with the kids).

20. Etsy. The fastest way to a thoughtful gift. I just bought my nearly 10-year-old a 6-inch penguin stuffy for his birthday, as well as a banner strung with all of his faces, ages 0-10, sob. Last Christmas I ordered the kids custom needlepoint pillows from a woman in Sweden that read: BUT I WAS ABOUT TO and BUT CHARLIE (their go-to excuses).

21. Parties! On June 13 I threw myself a 25th NYC anniversary party. I made guests fill out a questionnaire, including their favorite NYC songs, and had Jake make a playlist. It happened to land on the day the Knicks won the championship, a nice bit of luck. (I made mini black-and-white cookies in Knicks colors.) Please, throw yourself a party for a non-birthday, non-holiday reason (Priya Parker can help with ideas) and invite me, please. (Also invite me to your bday and holiday parties.)

    

    I ordered the good pizza: F&F

    

    This is my sporty child, can you tell? Knicks in 5!

22. The Berkshires. The ideal mix of nature and culture, 2.5 hours from NYC.

23. Merlin Bird ID app. It identifies and isolates birdsong–amazing! In the Berkshires, my 13-year-old will climb a tree with the app running and jot down the bird names in a science notebook! He also did this on our house swap to Slovenia last summer. (I warned you I talk about house swaps an annoying amount!)

24. Bow Glassworks. While driving my children around to their various forest camps this summer, I stumbled upon this artist’s studio and bought a bunch of handblown glasses I absolutely adore. They remind me of Murano glass but pop-y and modern and just gorgeous. I’m going to buy the Tutti Frutti Coupes as a present for a lucky someone soon! P.S. I want to visit more artists’ studios! Dying to check out the Pollack/Krasner house in the Hamptons.

25. Farmers’ markets. We hit up our Carroll Gardens market every Sunday we’re in town, and I love the one in Great Barrington, too. I seek out greenmarkets on our travels; we found an amazing one in a tiny southern German town where we counted no fewer than four babies holding giant pretzels. Very on brand, Germans! Maui might have my favorite one, though, earning 1,000 points for the fresh-squeezed POG.

26. Bookstores. I hit up local bookstore on travels because books make for perfect souvenirs, and because that way I only need to pack one book. We have an upcoming house swap in Whitstable, UK (are you counting my house swap mentions?), and the tiny town has three bookstores. Will report back.

27. Beaches. Favorites include RAT Beach in my hometown of Palos Verdes, California, and the beach in Paia, Maui. How can you compete with prehistoric-looking sea turtles that come out at sunset?

    

28. Pools. As a southern Californian, I will jump into any pool at any time. I have my eye on The Rockaway Hotel for a mini writer’s retreat at some point.

29. Lakes. I am also accepting invitations to your lakehouse. Jake and I had a terrific stay at The Prospect Berkshires, where I learned th most peaceful way to fall asleep is while staring at a lake.

30. Summer! It’s just the best. I’ve had one lobster roll this season but could use many more. I still need to bake a blueberry and/or peach pie, and I need more beach days with my younger son, a fellow “summer-born,” as he calls us.

31. Summer in NYC. It’s a great time to be by the beach, pool, lake and in the Berkshires, but you know what? Summer in the city is pretty special. I’ve managed to cross some items off my summer bucket list already (Shakespeare in the Park, Governor’s Island, the ferry, dinners on the roof, Coney Island baseball game). And it’s the best time to nab reservations. So far I’ve met friends at Crown Shy and Altro Paradiso, and have upcoming dates at King and Estela.

    

32. Four and Twenty Blackbirds pie. It’s so good. I think I love the chocolate chess pie best, even though I’m generally a fruit pie person.

33. Chocolate cake from The Chocolate Room. A neighborhood gem.

34. Farmer’s market tomatoes on bread (ideally something crusty but will mess with Dave’s Bread for sure) with mayo (or labne), chile crisp, and Maldon salt.

35. Ripe white peach chunks in morning oatmeal with maple butter, ideally from Canada but the one from the Great Barrington farmer’s market is very good!

36. From Roy panettone. I’m moving from summer to winter here, but I feel very bullish about this product. Expensive yet perfect. It’s our Christmas breakfast, and I’m already looking forward to it. If I can ever afford to I will be gifting these to everyone I know, like Tom Cruise with the coconut cakes!

37. Bengal tea from Celestial Seasonings. Warming and lovely and available at pretty much every grocery store.

38. This mapo recipe from the NYT. I make it about once a week! Sometimes vegetarian, with tofu or just a ton of farmer’s market mushrooms. I always add water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, and generally I do brown rice instead of the rice sticks. The NYT food app is full of bangers and is worth the subscription for the huge selection and the helpful comments. I made Ina Garten’s roast chicken last night!

39. In N Out burgers, I miss you! Californians, do not take your proximity for granted. Shake Shack is good, but it’s just not the same.

40. The ballet. I went last week to see what my pal Elisabeth Passerella dubbed PARIS BEEFCAKE BALLET, and it was fantastic! Not only because of Hugo Marchand’s naked torso but because I went with my friend Ellen Barr, a fellow debut author whose book The Flock comes out next spring! And who happens to be a former NYC Ballet soloist. She put everything in context for me, which made all the difference.

41. Satisfying tasks and sounds. My son and I name these when we come across them. Example: the sound a garden house makes if you listen to it closely.

42. Gilmore Girls. Always comforting! I’ve been watching from the beginning with my 13 YO. (We also love The Golden Girls and The Summer I Turned Pretty, and he’ll allow me to throw on the occasional romcom—although he thinks Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing is ugly so I can’t vouch for his taste. A family viewing of My Best Friend’s Wedding is on deck!)

43. These Japanese notebooks for my daily lists and brainstorms.

44. These refillable travel journal inserts, tucked into a leather cover. I bought this for our first house swap to Barcelona in 2022—sorry, sorry, can’t help it! I love house swapping!—and have filled one on every trip since. It’s such a satisfying way to stay off devices and capture the little jokes and details of a trip.

45. Pineider leather journal. This Florentine company makes such gorgeous things! It’s always a pleasure to unload my thoughts onto such a beautiful space.

46. Chloe Weiss Galkin’s paintings of flowers, and her custom commissions of houses and pets and profiles. We worked together at O Magazine a million years ago, and she gifted me a painting of calla lilies for my 40th bday, which is a treasure of mine.

47. Readers who humor me and let me go on and on about my favorite things a la that Sound of Music song (a movie that’s absolutely one of my favorite things) aka YOU! I will thank you with a super sexy romcom in less than 11 months.

Happy Leo season to all who celebrate and to the rest of you: It’ll pass!

Xo

gina