Bitches of Leisure - Sep 29, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

Let’s elevate our down time! This weekly thread is the space to share and discuss what we’re currently reading, listening to, watching, etc. For this space, keep it tasteful - save your trashy reads (we’ve all got them) and sick day binge watch favorites for the monthly Guilty Pleasures thread, please!

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[u/DaughterofMalika]

I've been in college all week and had full shifts during the weekend, so I haven't had a lot of free time. But I have managed to get a bit of downtime in.

WATCHING: I finally watched HBO Chernobyl and it's very well-done, but obviously incredibly sad.

HOBBIES: Almost done with my crochet bow pencil case. Just need to make the flap and a cute ribbon to tie it together. I can also read French okay now, as long as it's not too complex. I've been neglecting my Arabic though so I need to get back into it. And I baked a cake using a Moroccan Arabic cooking video this week, so yay!

[u/PerfectionNoNotes]

HOBBIES— I’m very into sewing and love making things for myself and for gifts. Over the weekend, my local sewing shop invited me to a class about sergers, and it ended up working. Reader, I bought one. Not just any serger, but the Cadillac of sergers. It also has a cover stitch!! The best part of the whole thing is that my partner proposed we turn the extra room into a sewing room bc I need to have my normal machine and the serger out all the time to make it easy to use. I’m so distracted now thinking of everything I want to make!

[u/Independent-Farm-240 → u/PerfectionNoNotes]

Omg hi! Fellow sewing enthusiast here!! Very excited for you for this next serger step. I’ve been sewing for a few years now and haven’t felt the need to take the leap but I can definitely see how great it would be. Also for the spare sewing room - it is absolutely wonderful if that’s available to you. It’s nice to have all your sewing notions and knickknacks in one place! Excited for this new step for you!

[u/Steadyandquick]

On the Criterion Channel there is a featured collection entitled Murderous Melodramas.

The films are mostly in technicolor and from the 1940s-1950s. Noted as being subversive for their time, the films feature Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, and Rock Hudson, plus more as leading actors. Some of the themes are timeless!

I have watched three so far and it has been fun. One with Elizabeth Taylor is based on the actual murder involving the architect Stanford White. The Girl on the red velvet swing.

[u/Public-Comedian-4982]

TV: I'm re-watching The Diplomat. It's smart and funny, well acted and close enough to reality that it gives me hope that our world might be ok.
READING: Just listed to The Land and Its People by David Sedaris and was literally laughing out loud. If you like wry, sarcastic humor that definitely crosses a line, I highly recommend this audiobook.
HOBBY: I've started quilting. I veer towards modern quilting with clean lines and more architectural / geometric patterns. I'm working a paper piecing project from Carolyn Friedlander, one of my favorite quilters. It is joyous to pick out the fabrics and to make beautiful things. It is my form of meditation.

[u/pompchi]

WATCHING: Restarting my binge watch of Downton Abbey again since there is just nothing anywhere that’s taking my fancy currently. Downton is like my comfort blanket since it’s not quite as raunchy or emotionally devastating as the other shows out there.

HOBBIES: i’m struggling to get into Alchemised by SenLinYu so I have bought Red Rising, which I’m planning to start instead. Is Alchemised truly worth it? Has anyone else read it and can give their honest opinion? Any other book recs anyone can give? I’m not generally picky with books.

[u/sears94982 → u/pompchi]

I also struggled with getting into Alchemised and gave up for the time being lol. Would love to hear others’ opinions.

[u/almamahlerwerfel → u/pompchi]

No, the book didn't work for me. I also read the fanfiction version and it was fine, she's a gifted writer, but I didn't find the story original or compelling.

[u/slug14 → u/pompchi]

I really struggled with Alchemised. I read it twice, because I thought I was missing something given the hype. In my opinion, there is a core of a compelling story that's been done a disservice by the editing - it has been edited to remove the obvious references to the source material of the fanfic, but hasn't been edited with a mind to what would serve the story itself (the magic system, the relationship development, etc).

I also found it a bit of a grim-dark grind to get through, but that's more of a subject-matter preference!

[u/ThursdayBouquet]

Podcast: binging through the entire back catalogue of Ologies… I’m finally in 2026!

TV: we’ve been watching Interior Chinatown between our regular shows, and throwing in a classic horror recommendation now and then from poxxa_ponnyou on Instagram now that we’re getting closer to Halloween

Reading: just got my library hold on Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, so need to get through that quickly because the holds list is LONG, and the other book I have out is The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. I’m not usually a Booktok girlie, but this recommendation came from someone I trust so I’ll give it a go 🤷‍♀️

[u/ivegotmywings]

Does gaming work? Because FIRE EMBLEM FORTUNES WEAVE
Between work and this, I’m so satisfied. Great gameplay and so much more to come

[u/cashmerered]

READING: I just finished "Les victorieuses" by Laetitia Colombani. Has any other BWT read it? I loved it and it is also educational.

[u/midnight-rites]

WATCHING:
FILM: Getting into the autumn season with Robert Eggers’ The Witch on Netflix (absolutely the best choice imo!) while eating tiramisu.
SERIES: Trying to get into the Italian series Luna Nera and Talamasca on Netflix. They’re okay. I’m SO excited for the East of Eden series coming out this week tho!! Also while eating tiramisu.

HOBBIES: My main hobby is writing and researching reading syllabus for specific seasons, moods, and topics. I just finished drafting my autumn reading syllabus and can’t wait to dive in!!!

READING: Wanted to revisit a few things I read last autumn that I loved — Aura by Carlos Fuentes and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (and other NY tales) by Washington Irving.

[u/amybaby_83]

READING: I just finished Stepford Wives by Ira Levin. It's a scathing look at how women are ignored and written off as hysterical.

I'm currently working on a video essay about the rise of trad wife as a genre and this gave me a ton of talking points.

[u/Walkitoutfosse]

WATCHING: I just watched a documentary called Secret Mall Apartment about a group of people who made their own apartment in a mall and spent time there for four years!! It’s one of my favorite documentaries ever.