The Special List of Our Favorite Things

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We hope you enjoy this list of our recommendations. Let us know what you think by tagging us on social @radiotopia or sending us an email at giving@prx.org. We appreciate you!

Jody Avirgan, This Day in Esoteric Political History

This year I cultivated an incredible resource — a fellow parent at my daughter's school who does independent fiction book marketing. Which means that he 1) reads everything 2) has to think about how to efficiently explain what a book is about 3) is really good at understanding what an individual likes and may like next.

The other day at drop-off he sidled up to me and whispered "The God Of The Woods." He didn't need to say anything else. I walked to my local bookstore, asked if they had it, and a couple hours later I was 100 pages in. It's a story of a missing girl at a summer camp, it's got nostalgia and mystery and weaving timelines and characters with heart... So, this is me walking up to you and whispering "go read The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore."

Kellie Carter Jackson, This Day in Esoteric Political History

My favorite thing is making photo memory books. I usually make them with Shutterfly, but there are a lot of great services out there. I have one for each of my kids, but I'm currently working on my youngest, CoCo. It will be a memory book of the first few years of her life with all the highlights such as birthdays, holidays, and cute moments.

Sure, I can swipe through my phone, but there is something about a hard copy. I'm also making one for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. If you've got special memories, make it a book!

Nate DiMeo, The Memory Palace

I whole heartedly recommend The Memory Palace, by a debut author named Nate DiMeo. This is a delightful collection of short, surprising stories of America's past that Booklist called "Ceaselessly entertaining." Man oh man, what a gift!

Also, I have found the perfect pen and it is the Sharpie .4mm felt-tip. It's thin. It never leaks. it never smudges. It's super-precise and it magically seems to make very dark, very deep, Sharpie-style marks that aren't so dark that they're too visible on the opposite side of the page.

Nellie Giles, Radio Diaries

I've been making this sesame noodle recipe from the NYTimes on repeat with either Udon or Sun Noodle Ramen as the base. It's simple, rich and delicious. Bonus points: you can double or triple the recipe and store the extra sauce for a super quick, comforting weeknight meal.

Alex Goldman, Hyperfixed

My recommendation is the Erica Synths LXR-02 drum machine. It has a bit of a learning curve, but it has both drum samples and a synthesizer built in, so you can make entire songs with this little dude. It also has effects and space to save your sequences and a million other little tricks if you are patient enough to read the whole manual (I am not). Still, it sounds like a million bucks.

Nicole Hemmer, This Day in Esoteric Political History

My recommendation is a fabulous cookbook, My Mexico City Kitchen, by Gabriela Cámara. Filled with captivating stories, luscious food photography, and the best refried beans recipe I've ever tried, it's my go-to cookbook for both everyday Mexican recipes like guacamole and chilaquiles to more elaborate projects like moles and flans. It got me to finally get a tortilla press! From Masienda, which I also highly recommend.

Hrishikesh Hirway, Song Exploder

Reservation Dogs ran for three seasons, from 2021 to 2023. Even though it’s smart, funny, and moving, I never felt like it got the attention it deserved. The second season was so perfect, I was sure it would become a hit. But even among my most tuned-in, TV savvy friends, I’ve found a lot of people who’ve said they’ve heard good things, and have meant to check it out, but haven’t yet. Well, I’m here to nudge everyone towards watching it.

The show is mostly about the lives of four indigenous teenage friends who live on a reservation in Oklahoma. The show feels like it’s made with a scrappiness that reflects those characters, but it’s also beautiful to look at (it was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography). And it features great music, like the song “Cicadas” by Ken Pomeroy.

Alex Sujong Laughlin, Normal Gossip

My recommendation is Glerups house slippers! They are expensive, but worth it, I promise. I'm a huge house slipper person and these are incredibly comfortable, beautiful, and somehow don't smell! I don't think I own a single article of clothing that I wear more frequently than these, and they're still in great shape. I have the slip-ons with a leather sole, but there are a bunch of different options!

Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Recipe

Am I allowed to recommend my podcast partner's braiser? I sure hope so, because it is my new favorite pot to use. Just the right size and height to braise in, simmer in, and bake. I use it for pasta bakes, for making stews, sauces, and curries, for pan-roasting chicken and vegetables—anything I'd use a straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven for.

Yooree Losordo, Radiotopia Managing Producer

My recommendation is the song "No Problems" by Ginger Root, a California band self-described as "aggressive elevator soul" — and my personal theme song. It's the song I play on repeat when I'm getting ready for an evening out, need a pick-me-up getting out of bed in the morning, or itching for a mid-day dance break.

Audrey Mardavich, Radiotopia Executive Producer

Glazed Apple Cider Donut Cake from Smitten Kitchen. I feel like I don't need to say anything else?? But if I must, well, it's fall and apple cider donuts are a main source of LIFE for us New Englanders. In my free time, I love to bake and I have been a fan of Deb's recipes long before we started working with her and Kenji on The Recipe with Kenji and Deb. THEY NEVER FAIL. Just please go bake this cake-donut donut-cake.

Davia Nelson, The Kitchen Sisters Present

Ray Charles is in my head. Somebody turned the Ray Charles switch on in my brain about two weeks before the election and I haven’t found the off switch yet. It’s not “Hit the Road Jack,” “Georgia,” or “I Got a Woman,” though I am mesmerized by those tunes. It’s “In the Heat of the Night,” the theme song Mr. Charles belts out in the searing 1967 southern racial police potboiler of a film starring Sidney Poitier (“They call me Mr. Tibbs”) and Rod Steiger.

When I read the obituary of Quincy Jones, who passed a week or so back and saw the mind-bending list of music he scored and produced in his long life time, his credit for scoring the film In the Heat of the Night leapt out at me. I highly recommend listening to the music of Quincy and Ray in the heat of the night.

Nigel Poor, Ear Hustle

Growing up I always wanted to wear glasses but unfortunately, I didn’t need them. So when I hit middle age, I was pretty excited when my sight started to change and glasses were required. I now have a great collection of glasses thanks to Uber Optics in Petaluma, California.

It’s a small, independent business and the owner Nancy is incredible. She is funny, charming and super excited to help you find the exact right pair of glasses for your face. If you go, please tell her Nigel sent you.

Kaitlin Prest, The Heart

My controversial recommendation is and always will be: EUPHORIA. It is art. It is magic. It is everything to me.

Shabnam Sigman, Ear Hustle

I have been wanting to watch the TV show Yellowjackets forever, but I don't subscribe to Showtime. But, right in time for spooky season, Season 1 appeared on Netflix, so I binged it in a week. Things I already knew about the show: dark, foreboding, Lord of the Flies but with a high-school girls' soccer team. Things I didn't know but loved: angsty '90s soundtrack, really eerie score, fully developed characters, coming-of-age vibes and also horror vibes. Highly recommend!

Nikki Silva, The Kitchen Sisters Present

My recommendation to everyone is to get a bird book. I personally use Sibley's Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. It's old and ragged and all my little post-its are curled and torn. But I've written in this book for many years. Yes, written. I know that's a "no" for many—but, I have to say, it's been revelatory. Just one line — when, where and with whom did I see this bird. Patterns emerge, relationships ebb and flow, drama, suspense, anticipation. The Bewick's Wren is late this year. The Great Blue Heron ate a gopher in the front field. The Dark-eyed Junco hit the window and didn't make it. Put out a seed bell, a finch sock, a hummingbird feeder. Watching birds is joyful and soothing — much needed right now.

Rahsaan Thomas, Ear Hustle

I recommend seeing the movie Sing Sing, which stars formerly incarcerated men that were in an acting program while in prison, playing themselves and profit sharing the proceeds of the film. It has no nudity, explosions, gunplay, or physical violence. It's the art of subtlety and it's one of the best movies I have ever seen.

Avery Trufelman, Articles of Interest

This sounds so completely silly but I just discovered hand cream. I used to bite my nails compulsively — a nasty habit that visibly advertises your stress levels. I've been trying to stop doing this for years, but only just realized that when you moisturize your hands, your nails get stronger and harder and suddenly I have these hands that I love! I've stopped biting my nails entirely. It's like a miracle.

Truly, I used to not understand what hand lotion was for and what all the fuss was about, but now I love it. As a bonus, it's a nice excuse to just give myself a little hand massage whenever I can. It is a very efficient form of self soothing (my favorite is Weleda's Sea Buckhorn Hand Cream).

Benjamen Walker, Benjamen Walker’s Theory of Everything

I recommend Kate Conger and Ryan Mac's book Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter. It’s a rare book that with a little bit of distance enables us to better understand something we just went through. Also the book provides us with a way to understand Musk as a new business type. The sociopath Tycoon!

Bruce Wallace, Ear Hustle

Currently, one of my favorite things to do is to ride my bicycle with our toddler in his bikeseat behind me. It's how I start many days. And we love listening to music on the speaker I have on my handlebars. Specifically this playlist, where someone has arranged Bob Marley's discography in chronological order.

So my recommendation is: listening to reggae while bicycling. Toddler is optional. (And a bonus rec, this is the bike speaker I use: it's cheap and durable and also has a decent headlight.)

Earlonne Woods, Ear Hustle

Earlonne’s Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe
Layered with savory, satisfying flavors, this one-pan recipe was inspired by a dish Earlonne Woods regularly prepared for himself while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. Mr. Woods, a co-host of the popular Ear Hustle podcast, generally relied on kitchen connections to secure a raw chicken hindquarter.

Missed last year’s producer playlist? As a bonus, you can check it out at the link below. Happy listening!