From the Beach Boys to Jack Kerouac to Slim Aarons, many artists have sought to capture the California lifestyle. London-based photographer Frederic Aranda and lifelong Californian Christine Suppes have compiled California Elegance: Portraits from the Final Frontier with that same intent. The pair spent four pre-coronavirus years traveling the state, and the resulting book, published by Rizzoli, is a combination of remarkable portraits, taken by Aranda, and profiles, written by Suppes, of the characters they met along the way—including actress Kirsten Dunst, Glide Memorial United Methodist Church pastor Cecil Williams, fashion designers Laura and Kate Mulleavy, young NASA scientists, farmers, and firefighters. Beyond the personalities, the book highlights the state’s diverse landscapes, from Humboldt’s redwood forests to the swaying pines of Yosemite. ($80, amazon.com) —Bridget Arsenault

Founded in 2013 by chef Ayako Iino, Yumé Boshe is a small-batch food company in Oakland that aims to conserve the art of Japanese preserves. The idea for the brand came to Iino by way of California’s ume-plum orchards, where she was reminded of her childhood in Japan, and how her mother would dry and pickle the fruit to make umeboshi. This delicious item is on offer, as are other pantry staples such as syrups and shiso flakes, but the plum jam is my favorite. Its complex flavor—tangy, slightly floral, and a bit bitter—pairs well with savory and sweet items alike, from cheese to ice cream, but it’s good enough to eat on its own. ($17, yumebosheshiplum.com)—Clementine Ford

I’ve never been the type to sit around daydreaming, thinking about some special someone I’ve yet to meet. But music inspires that hopeful pining in me: the next great love of my life could be a recommendation or stream away. My latest love that has been singing me to sleep: Dion DiMucci, someone you likely know from “Runaround Sue,” “The Wanderer,” and his other rock ’n’ roll classics. But you almost certainly don’t know his later work, a wide discography that blends rock with folk and results in magic. Start with Born to Be with You/Streetheart or Wonder Where I’m Bound. I promise it will be love at first listen. (spotify.com) —Alex Oliveira

For those who haven’t tried it yet, Lupin, the captivating French crime series about a sophisticated jewelry thief, doesn’t look at all like its literary inspiration. For one thing, it’s set in contemporary Paris, not the Belle Époque beau monde where Maurice Leblanc’s literary hero, the foppish gentleman-thief Arsène Lupin, focused his criminal pursuits. Here, Omar Sy plays Assane Diop, the strapping son of a humble Senegalese chauffeur who is wrongly convicted of a crime. Assane grew up reading—and re-reading—the Arsène Lupin mysteries. When he decides to avenge his father’s memory, Assane adopts Lupin’s ingenious techniques—and gentlemanly insouciance—to get the job done. Lupin takes a much darker look at corruption and social injustice than Leblanc’s novels do, but, in large part thanks to Sy’s charm, it manages to preserve the esprit and clever feints that made the original stories so magical. (netflix.com) —Alessandra Stanley