Life and Art from FT Weekend

Romance is fiction’s top-selling genre. And ‘romantasy’, where romance meets fantasy, has become a literary phenomenon. That’s thanks to the novel we’re discussing today, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and its writer, Sarah J Maas. Also known as ACOTAR, this is the first novel in Maas’ five-book series. It tells the story of a human girl who is taken captive in a faerie kingdom, and falls in love with one of its aristocratic lords. Maas’s books have sold more than 38mn copies worldwide — spawning memes, tattoos and immersive fan clubs. What is its appeal, and why has ‘romantasy’ exploded in recent years? -------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Madison Darbyshire’s piece, ‘Hot stuff: why readers fall in love with romance novels’ is here: https://on.ft.com/3YiLEQ1 – A profile of Sara J Maas, by Anna Nicolaou: https://on.ft.com/4deUD9h – For more summer reads, check out Laura Battle’s selection of the best summer fiction books here. – Laura is on X @battlelaura. Madison is @MADarbyshire. -------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

When it comes to writing, Anne Lamott’s philosophy is to take things one step at a time, keep moving, and give yourself permission to be who you are. She expressed it most famously 30 years ago in her seminal book on writing and life, Bird by Bird. But it also appears across her many non-fiction books, from parenting, to faith. Anne recently came out with her 20th book, about love, titled Somehow. She tells Lilah how she applies this philosophy to creativity, love, grief, ageing and more.-------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

‘Sunny’, a new robot-comedy series, came out on Apple TV+ last week. It stars Rashida Jones as an American expat in Japan, who enlists the help of a cute robot to find out what happened to her late husband. What questions does the show raise about our relationship with tech? And what do we want to see in shows that ponder AI? Lilah's joined by FT columnist and crypto sceptic Jemima Kelly and FT money editor Nathan Brooker to figure it out. -------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – The FT”s review of Sunny by Dan Einav: https://on.ft.com/4d3914j – Madhu Murgia’s piece Lilah referenced on how different cultures, including Japan, have depicted AI: https://on.ft.com/4d1nOgt– Nathan Brooker is on X @ncbrooker. Jemima is @jemimajoanna-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips this week courtesy of A24. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

You have probably noticed by their clothes: this summer, men just want to have fun. Crop tops, short shorts and even kilts and skirts are in. Long sleeves, and long inseams, are out. Today, two of the FT’s men’s fashion experts, Robert Armstrong and Eric Platt, join us to discuss how and why this happened, and what the rise of skimpy menswear tells us about masculinity today. -------Will you take our survey, for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and email at lifeandart@ft.com.-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Rob’s latest style column is here: https://on.ft.com/3xWm8pa– Rob is on X @rbrtrmstrng. Eric is on X @EricGPlatt– Here’s the GQ piece we mentioned, called “Why is everyone on steroids now?” https://www.gq.com/story/why-is-everyone-on-steroids-now -------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Today, we’re talking about the “femininomenon” that is pop girl summer. This season's music scene has been dominated by unfiltered female sensations, including Chappell Roan, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter. How did these artists become so popular? How does this scene compare with that of the pop girls of the early 2000s? And what is a ‘brat’ summer? Lilah is joined by music writer Arwa Haider and US media correspondent Anna Nicolaou to chat through it.-------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and email at lifeandart@ft.com.-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – You can listen to our curation of pop girl summer hits in this Spotify playlist, or by searching “Pop Girl Summer 2024: Life and Art”. You can thank our producer Lulu Smyth– The FT’s 4 star review of Brat is here: https://on.ft.com/4cvSTIQ – Arwa Haider is on X @ArwaHaider. Anna Nicolaou is @annaknicolaou – Lilah recommends Miranda July’s novel All Fours-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Today, we’re bringing you an episode from our archives: Molly Roden Winter was a frustrated mom of two in Brooklyn when she and her husband decided that they should open up their marriage. What followed was a 10-year journey of self-exploration that took her not only into some seedy hotel rooms but also to therapy, back to work, and into other activities that added up to a more fulfilling life. Today Molly is on the show to talk about her memoir More in which she details her journey. She also tells Lilah what polyamory could teach monogamous couples.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): –  Molly’s book More is out now – The FT’s review of More, by Rana Foroohar, is here: https://on.ft.com/3UmsdUF– Molly is on X @mollyrwinter-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Season three of FX’s “The Bear” is here, and today we discuss it with our top food writers! The Financial Times’s food and drink editor Harriet Fitch Little and restaurant critic Tim Hayward, who also owns a cafe in Cambridge, join Lilah to share their takes. How well does the show reflect the restaurant world? What itch is it scratching? And how does this season hold up?  -------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – The FT’S 5 star review of “The Bear” season 3 is here: https://on.ft.com/4eQixtq – A recent column by Tim Hayward: ‘Why the best seat in any restaurant is out by the back of the bins’. He is the author of Steak: The Whole Story, available now in all good bookshops– Our episode on ‘The Taste of Things’ featuring Tim and Harriet is here. Tim has also spoken with us about gluttony, and Harriet about throwing dinner parties. You can search wherever you listen– Tim is on X @timhayward. Harriet is @HarrietFL-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

What should you read on the beach this summer? What about if you’re stuck indoors, or if you need a break from kids? Each June, our literary editor Fred Studemann and deputy books editor Laura Battle put together the FT’s summer books special, and today they give us their recommendations, each with a different summer activity in mind. Their overall top picks are James by Percival Everett and Knife by Salman Rushdie.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify.-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – A few categories Fred and Laura drew on from the best books special: Best fiction: https://on.ft.com/3VH3WrnBest literary non-fiction: https://on.ft.com/3VI1kt9Best audio book: https://on.ft.com/3VM1W0U– Here are the other recommendations mentioned: More by Molly Roden Winter, Long Island by Colm Tóibín, Come and Get It by Kiley Reid, Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst, Beirut Station by Paul Vidich, You Are Here by David Nicholls, Memoir of My Former Self by Hilary Mantel, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen, and Glowrushes by Roberto Piumini. Fred and Laura also recommend This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud on audiobook, narrated by Cassandra Campbell.-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

This week, we talk about the very disturbing new film ‘Kinds of Kindness’. It is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, known for surreal movies such as ‘Poor Things’, ‘The Favourite’, and ‘The Lobster’. This film marks a return to dark, inaccessible weirdness for the Greek New Wave director. Is it grotesque in a bad or a good way? And do we like the ‘Lanthimos vibe’? Lilah is joined by film critic Nicolas Rapold and the FT’s Topher Forhecz to discuss. -------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify.-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Here’s the FT’s review of Kinds of Kindness, by Raphael Abraham: https://on.ft.com/3xBo4De – An interview with Yorgos Lanthimos (2015), about ‘The Lobster’: https://on.ft.com/3VG7J8g – Nicolas Rapold is on X @NicolasRapold. Follow him and his podcast ‘The Last Thing I Saw’, here: https://rapold.substack.com/ – Our episode ‘Is Poor Things A Feminist Film?’ is available here or wherever you listen. -------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com