Lifestyle
Are These Shoes Hideous or Genius?
Some shoes we simply wear. Others, we debate endlessly.
New Balance’s mutant 1906L is clearly in the latter category. Introduced last year, New Balance’s shoe is a mash-up of a sneaker and a loafer, christened the “Snoafer” by the internet. It’s a mutt-like design caught in the liminal space between informal and formal.
Whatever else the Snoafer may be, it has been polarizing. Versions of the shoes keep selling out (though how many have been produced is unclear), yet detractors say that the Snoafer is just plain ugly.
In an edited conversation, Jon Caramanica, Stella Bugbee and Jacob Gallagher, three members of The New York Times staff (two of whom actually purchased the Snoafers) discuss the shoe’s Frankensteinian merits, how it has been received by their respective family members and if it’s actually ugly enough.
STELLA BUGBEE There’s something profoundly perverse about these shoes.
JACOB GALLAGHER I could see someone saying that they don’t go together in an orange juice and toothpaste sort of way, but perverse? Say more.
BUGBEE They don’t know what they want to be, and yet they are unapologetically themselves. That tension produces an uncomfortable feeling in me — in a good way, I think.
GALLAGHER I felt that way a bit when I saw them online, but when I put them on after buying them and looked down, I thought, “Oh, is that all there is?”
JON CARAMANICA Seeing them, I immediately thought of, say, vintage Geox shoes — the sort of brand you might see in a print ad deep into the cheap pages of a men’s magazine. Or even worse, those terrible attempts at athletic office footwear from Cole Haan. We all hate those things.
GALLAGHER You’re talking about Cole Haan’s LunarGrands, which were a monstrosity. They called attention to their juxtapositions. The upper was dressy, while the sole, which was often neon, was not just informal, but futuristic. Or so Cole Haan wanted you to think. The 1906Ls though, meld. They’re like the creature at the end of “The Substance.” They takes two distinct halves and distort them into one uncanny whole.
BUGBEE The reaction I got when I posted pictures of the 1906Ls on Instagram was overwhelmingly negative, which only made me think that they were cooler. If everybody hates a thing, it must be doing something right?
GALLAGHER But to go back to your earlier point, Stella. Do you think people thought they were perverse or merely ugly? Are people reacting to this shoe because it’s new or because they find it unappealing? That’s an important distinction.
BUGBEE I can’t tell. I don’t think the 1906Ls are ugly, but that was the consensus from my friends and family.
CARAMANICA My counterpoint is that they are not ugly enough! The black pair especially.
GALLAGHER I’m with Jon here. They’re not ugly. They’re definitely not in the category of Jon’s beloved Balenciaga Triple S, a sneaker that knowingly bonked itself on every branch of the ugly tree.
BUGBEE People especially hated the tiny “N” on the top.
CARAMANICA That’s funny about the “N” — that’s the gesture on this shoe that feels maybe a touch radical? Like some intersection of a $3 pair of “breathable sock shoes” you’d find on Temu and the very long tail of Virgil Abloh’s sense of play with text on clothing.
GALLAGHER The “N” might be the riskiest thing on the shoe! Who puts a logo there? That to me is part of the appeal. They’re giving something new to a hype consumer (after all, they keep selling out) while knowingly dipping into geriatric territory.
CARAMANICA Can I offer two more reference points for shoes that tried to walk this tightrope before? First, my beloved Jordan Two3 Cavvy from the early 2000s, which is essentially a Prada loafer with an athletic tilting sole and an accentuated elastic top. A messy blend of casual and formal. And second is the Nike Air Verdana, a golf shoe, also from the early 2000s.
In their day, I disliked both of these. But at least on the Cavvy, I have come around to its elegance. Which is to say, maybe the 1906L will just need two decades to be normalized and appreciated.
BUGBEE I put them more in the category of the Nike Air Rift Tabis — sneakers with mutant ambitions.
CARAMANICA Yes, but the Rifts don’t pretend to any kind of formality.
BUGBEE The 1906Ls do not feel formal to me. They retain their sneakerness.
CARAMANICA Then it sounds like what you want is … a sneaker?
BUGBEE No, I wanted a comfy slip-on, with the shape of a loafer and the sole of a sneaker that would make my whole family want to walk 10 feet away from me in public.
GALLAGHER So you wanted the repulsion?
BUGBEE Yeah, I like a little troll.
With more than 200 fiction titles in our annual Books We Love guide, it’s tough to narrow our 2025 favorites down into one single-digit list. But there are always a few standouts, and in the picks below you’ll find a little bit of everything that we enjoyed this year: romance, fantasy and sci-fi, oh my!
Curious about the rest of our fiction recommendations? Head to the full Books We Love site to browse hundreds of selections from 2025, and thousands from years past.
Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid will agree that Atmosphere is one of her best books yet. This thrilling fictional portrayal of NASA’s space shuttle program in the 1980s doesn’t miss. It opens with Joan in Mission Control managing a catastrophe on the shuttle. Then readers flash back almost five years to learn how each of the astronauts earned their place on the mission. The novel is immediately complex, compelling and high stakes. I recommend listening on audiobook so readers don’t destroy a paper copy with tears. Themes include sexism in the workplace, LGBTQ relationships and found family. — Jenna Molster, manager, Rights and Permissions
The Dream Hotel, by Laila Lalami
Archivist and mother Sara T. Hussein gets detained at an airport. Her crime? A dream deemed too high risk by an AI algorithm. Writing incisively, Laila Lalami brilliantly builds a world where a pre-crime system collides with surveillance capitalism. With the novel’s compelling cast of characters and endless parallels to today, I found The Dream Hotel instructive for navigating a society beset by mass surveillance – where the only escape can be found in shouldering risk together. — Emily Kwong, host, Short Wave and Inheriting
The Everlasting, by Alix E. Harrow
First things first, The Everlasting is not a book you’re going to get over easily. It’s razor sharp and designed to cut you deeply. You’ll be moved, you’ll probably cry, and by the end you’ll say thank you for delivering my suffering so beautifully. This story follows a scholar and a mythical (lady) knight who have lived the same story countless times – caught in a historical time loop. It’s a book about storytelling, and how nationalism cannot exist without the support of a well-told myth. It’s a thrashing examination of how we choose our heroes. And, most importantly, it’s a love story – about two people who learn over and over again that they’re doomed in every possible way but still choose each other anyway. What exquisite agony, wonderfully delivered. — Kalyani Saxena, associate producer, Here & Now
Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry
Journalist Alice Scott has stumbled upon what just might be her big break – a shot at writing the biography of a tragic heiress and onetime tabloid princess turned recluse no one has seen in years. But to win the book contract, Alice must compete with Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Hayden Anderson. As Alice and Hayden continue to bump into each other on the fictional Little Crescent Island off the Georgia coast, they begin to see beneath the personas both portray to the outside world, and sparks fly. This is a story about romance, but also about family, secrets and betrayal. — Rachel Baye, editor, NPR Politics Podcast
King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby
Family secrets are something and in this Southern crime drama, they burn! When Roman Carruthers’ elderly father is incapacitated by the local drug gang, this prodigal son returns to set things right and protect his hapless younger brother and his hardworking sister. She needs help keeping the family crematorium business going. Know what’s good for getting rid of a body you don’t want around? A crematorium! Roman gets pulled in deeper and deeper as he tries to take down the gang from the inside, just as his sister thinks she’s uncovered the mystery of what really happened to their long-missing mother. This story spins and spins violently to a dark and satisfying conclusion. — Melissa Gray, senior producer, Weekend Edition
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
The South, by Tash Aw
At times, Tash Aw’s The South evokes the quiet intensity of Chekhov. It explores the contradictions within a Malaysian family: generational divides, subtle tensions around sexuality, and class differences – set against the backdrop of late-1990s Malaysia during the Asian financial crisis. At its heart is Jay Lim, a teenager navigating desire and identity amid the disarray of a failing family farm. This coming-of-age novel, longlisted for the Booker Prize, is the first in a planned quartet. It’s a strong opening, and a compelling reason to anticipate the Lim family’s journey in the volumes to come. — Vincent Ni, Asia editor, International Desk
Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
Rebel plots, bootleg liquor, underdog alliances and Edgar Allan Poe-try all await you in the latest addition to the Hunger Games universe. Sunrise on the Reaping is the long-awaited account of Haymitch Abernathy’s path to victory during the 50th annual Hunger Games. With double the number of children sent into the arena and appearances from a cast of familiar characters, this book provides an entirely new perspective on the history of Panem. While Haymitch’s victory at the the end of this book is not a surprise, the stakes still feel higher than ever in the small wins and losses that Haymitch and his loved ones face both in, and outside, the arena. — Dhanika Pineda, assistant producer, NPR Music
Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy
A father and his three (teen and tween) kids live, not exactly harmoniously, on a sinking research island off Antarctica. It’s home to the world’s biggest seed vault and no other humans – until a mysterious woman washes ashore in a storm. Suspicions arise and trust is tested as the family helps the woman regain her strength. Wild Dark Shore is a thrilling page-turner, but all the action and suspense disguise something deeper: a beautiful meditation on love, loss and resilience in the face of climate change. — Rachel Treisman, reporter, General Assignment
This is just a fraction of the 380+ titles we included in Books We Love this year. Click here to check out this year’s titles, or browse nearly 4,000 books from the last 13 years.
Lifestyle
Our totally L.A. gift to you: Free festive phone wallpaper and wrapping paper by local artists
Welcome to our sixth year of free and festive phone and computer backgrounds created by Los Angeles artists. This year our designs were created by people who were in some way impacted by the fires in Altadena or the Pacific Palisades. For our loyal print subscribers (thank you!), the Dec. 7 issue of the Los Angeles Times will have these designs as prints you can use as wrapping paper. If you’re local but not a subscriber, go in search of a copy. The grocery store is a good place to check.
Download your favorite designs below and learn a bit more about the artists and what they love about their L.A. communities.
Find past versions of the project (and lots more free backgrounds) at these links: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.
Jess Miller
Jess Miller is a Los Angeles-born and -raised illustrator, designer and content creator celebrated for her vibrant hand lettering, whimsical characters and bold surface pattern designs. Her artwork appears across a wide range of products, from planners and phone cases to rugs, greeting cards and apparel, bringing her signature mix of color and joy to everyday life.
On community in L.A.: “Rooted in storytelling and playful detail, my work is deeply inspired by the plants, wildlife, and everyday magic of Los Angeles. Whether it’s the chatter of wild parrots in the trees or the golden glow of citrus groves at sunset, I find endless inspiration in the natural beauty of my city.”
Download phone background here
Download desktop background here
Austin Scott
Austin Scott is a visual artist, film editor and director based in Altadena who has gained renown post-Eaton fire through his large-scale public murals and black-and-white coloring-book style. From his joyful depiction of businesses lost in the blaze at Unincorporated Coffee Roasters, to a 30-foot-tall peacock inspiring kids to “dream bigger” at Alma Fuerte Public Charter School, Scott is dedicated to bringing smiles to people’s faces in the hardest of times through his art.
On community in L.A.: “In Altadena, community, creativity and diversity come together to create an incomparable synergy of vibrations that you have to be here to believe. Although our town has been through the worst thing imaginable this year, the strength and connectivity of the people here are unmatched, and indicative of what will no doubt be a collective rise from the ashes.”
Download phone background here
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Julia Wolinsky
Julia Wolinsky is an illustrator and designer from Pacific Palisades whose vibrant, hyperrealistic watercolor drawings explore how memory and emotion live within everyday moments. Rooted in her family’s tradition of expressing love through food, her work celebrates beauty, detail and the unseen stories within familiar subjects. In addition to her food-centered pieces, she creates portraits of people, botanicals and depictions of everyday objects that reflect shared histories, rituals and the shifting nature of contemporary life.
After losing her childhood home in the Palisades fire, Wolinsky began illustrating her hometown as a way to process loss and rediscover belonging through art. Her work has been exhibited at the Brand Library in Glendale, the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles and the San Francisco International Airport, and has been published by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
On community in L.A.: “I grew up in Pacific Palisades and my husband grew up in Altadena. In a matter of hours we lost both of our hometowns. I got to know Altadena through him and visiting his family there. The Palisades was always a place I would often go back to and reminisce about what it was like growing up there. One thing I miss about both places is they have their own small-town feel and unique character. You just can’t easily re-create the feeling that you got being there. I wanted these patterns to capture their individual and unique personalities and remind me of the landmarks that I remember most from being there.”
Download phone background here
Download desktop background here
Download phone background here
Download desktop background here
Keiji Ishida
Keiji Ishida is an artist and a graphic designer currently residing in Joshua Tree. He uses repeated characters and motifs that often find their way through various mediums. His process is design-oriented while revealing the imperfections and efforts of the handmade.
On community in L.A.: “I grew up in Los Angeles, and the city’s rich diversity, incredible food, unique architecture and landscapes, and strong sense of community continue to inspire me. L.A. remains one of my favorite places and a recurring theme throughout my work.”
Download phone background here
Download desktop background here
Meagan Boyd
Meagan Boyd is a Southern California–based artist and poet whose work blends ritual, ancestral memory and celestial symbolism into luminous visual poems. Through handmade pigments, intuitive process and mythic storytelling, her paintings honor the interconnectedness of all beings and the sacred nature of everyday life.
On community in L.A.: “I live in Altadena, a tight-knit and resilient community that came together with so much tenderness and strength during and after the Eaton fire. I love how our neighborhood continues to protect its natural beauty and deep sense of belonging, determined to maintain its charm and care for one another through everything.”
Download phone background here
Download desktop background here
Lili Todd
Lili Todd is an L.A.-raised illustrator and ceramic artist based in Yucca Valley whose work reflects her inherently optimistic spirit and interest in folk art, traditional craft and risograph printing.
On community in L.A.: “The Los Angeles art community is what shaped me as a person and quite literally raised me. Having creative spaces so readily available across the city, including the Creative Arts Group pottery studio in Sierra Madre, Giant Robot gallery on Sawtelle and Remainders Creative Reuse store in Pasadena (to name a few), is a truly magical experience that I will be forever grateful for. Thank you to all the small businesses that make up L.A. — a city like no other.”
Download phone background here
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Srimoyee Acharya
Srimoyee Acharya is an Altadena-based artist whose work features whimsical designs showcasing nature, backyard wildlife, and pets. Her illustrated goods brand, Srimoyee Handmade, supports animal rescue groups, and she has donated nearly $15,000 since starting her business.
On community in L.A.: “What I miss most about Altadena is how much my community loved and cared for local plants and wildlife. Neighbors put up ‘peacock crossing’ signs at intersections to protect the flock of nearly 40 peacocks that lived down the street (this flock is still residing and thriving!), and many gardens were filled with native plants and flowers.”
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A standout entry from our NPR College Podcast Challenge was a story about two sisters: One a college junior, the other a soldier in the U.S. Army.
This is an excerpt from “Dear Little Sister” by Trinity Chase Hunt, a student at the University of Delaware. Her story was a finalist in the 2023 NPR College Podcast Challenge.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Tomorrow is Veterans Day, which got us thinking about one of our favorite entries in NPR’s College Podcast Challenge. It was a love letter of sorts from a big sister. When her little sister Jewel shipped off to the U.S. Army a couple years ago, Trinity Chase Hunt tried to keep in touch. Back then, Trinity was a senior at the University of Delaware, and she kept calling and writing her sister. And then she made a podcast about it. It’s called “Dear Little Sister.”
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, “DEAR LITTLE SISTER”)
TRINITY CHASE HUNT: It is no small feat to watch from afar as your 18-year-old sister goes through one of the most difficult challenges that anyone could ever experience. Jewel has always been independent, but joining the Army was truly something that she had to go through all on her own. My mom, my youngest sister Nadia (ph) and I had to sit by and do nothing while Jewel transformed from an everyday civilian into a United States soldier. Throughout it all, I wrote Jewel letters to keep her updated on my life and let her know how I was feeling.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
CHASE HUNT: (Reading) Dear Little Sister – Sundays are like torture. I spend the entire day hoping that you’ll call. Once 3 p.m. rolls around, my heart starts racing and I can’t focus on anything else. Mommy has been reading articles that say sometimes trainees get in trouble and won’t be allowed to call home. It’s honestly starting to get to me. I think someone needs to take her phone away because she’s just been Googling and researching everything.
Sometimes she would call and she would be crying. I didn’t know how to comfort her. She told us before she left that she never wanted to hear that we missed her because she thought that it would distract her or make her sad. And so instead, she just wanted us to give her distraction from the military life.
Cardi B and Megan have a new song.
JEWEL: Cardi B and who?
CHASE HUNT: Megan Thee Stallion have a new song.
JEWEL: Are you serious?
CHASE HUNT: Here, wait. Let me play you a snippet.
It was different, though. Sometimes we would make a joke and Jewel wouldn’t catch on, or she wouldn’t care about things she used to care about. It was like she was stuck in soldier mode and we couldn’t relate to each other like we used to. Sometimes our phone calls would be disconnected in the middle of a story.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Like, I can’t do this again.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yeah.
CHASE HUNT: OK.
JEWEL: The phone’s breaking up, Mom.
CHASE HUNT: Hello?
JEWEL: Hello?
CHASE HUNT: Can you hear us?
Sometimes the phone calls would be interrupted by the entrance of a drill sergeant.
JEWEL: OK, I got to go.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Love you. Bye.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: Love you, Jewel.
CHASE HUNT: Love you. Bye.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: I love you so much.
CHASE HUNT: (Reading) Dear Little Sister – I’ve never been completely into politics. I care, and I vote, but it’s never been in the forefront of my mind. It even recently occurred to me that when I vote in the next presidential election, I’m voting for my sister’s boss. It’s weird and strange because, before Jewel enlisted in the Army, I didn’t really consider the fact that when they talk about the U.S. military as one whole group, as a union, as a force, there are individuals that make up that force. And there are individual families that are affected by the choices that our government and our politicians make.
So all of the letters and all of the phone calls led up to Jewel’s graduation from Army basic training. My family flew all the way to Oklahoma to see our new soldier.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
CHASE HUNT: I remember seeing all of the graduates come marching out and searching their faces for my sister’s. They all looked the same. They had the same expression, the same posture. They moved as one. At one point, I briefly glanced at a familiar face. She looked so different, I almost didn’t recognize her. But that was Jewel, and she was a soldier. My youngest sister was the first one to cry as my whole family gathered and embraced Jewel. All around us, soldiers who were so stoic minutes ago were all clinging onto their families, crying and rejoicing. I saw grown men break down as their children ran up to them. I saw a veteran father cry with pride when he saw his daughter in her soldier’s uniform.
This is who we are sending to war. This is who is fighting for us. So dear little sister – when you listen to this, proud is an understatement. You’ve inspired everyone who knows you. You went through something distinct and indescribable. I know I couldn’t have done it. But I thank you. And I thank your peers. And I love you so much.
CHANG: That story was from NPR’s College Podcast Challenge.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
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