Reading, Watching, Listening (February 2022)
/I haven’t posted one of these in a long time. But now that winter’s finally in full gear I’m enjoying lots of books and media. What about everyone else? Any recommendations?
READING
(1) The Copenhagen Trilogy - I’d never heard of Tove Ditlevsen (a Danish poet) before reading this, but I really enjoyed her diaries. As summarized by The Guardian, “Though written years after the events they describe, the pages – fluidly translated by Tiina Nunnally and Michael Favala Goldman – have the immediacy of diary entries so fresh that the ink has barely dried. In reconstructing her own gaucheness, lack of education and shameless opportunism, Ditlevsen’s strength as a writer lies in her militant refusal to present her choices and their consequences – be they love affairs, backstreet abortions or chronic drug addiction – through the filters of hindsight or amour-propre.”
(2) Crossroads - This novel, about a minister and his family, was an emotional roller coaster. Every chapter sort of broke my heart, but I couldn’t stop reading. And now I can’t get it out of my head. Reading it made me feel like the characters were somehow making big mistakes, but I could never pinpoint exactly how things would have ended up differently.
(3) Second Place - I read Second Place last year and I couldn’t figure out how I felt about it. I still can’t figure out how I feel about it, but, for better or worse, it has stuck with me. This novel is about a horrible person/artist and how he mentally abuses one of his patrons (a female). But it’s also about love, aging, art, and cruelty.
(4) Oh William - “My Name is Lucy Barton” is one of my favorite books and this sequel/companion piece filled in a lot of the original novel’s missing pieces while telling more of Lucy’s story. In Oh William the narrator, Lucy, takes a road trip with her ex-husband so he can meet his newly discovered half-sister - and hence begin a lot of reflections on the nature of love, death, and commitment.
(5) Beautiful World, Where Are You - I’m a little obsessed with Sally Rooney and her newest novel doesn’t disappoint. Nothing really happens, it’s just a very detailed, intimate portrait of friendship and two new(ish) romantic relationships. Every character is flawed, which is what makes the book so wonderful.
(6) Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Gallery - Reading this book is like watching Succession. The Sackler family seems to be full of awful people and their opioid legacy will haunt America for years to come. Fascinating.
(7) Murakami: the T-Shirts I Love - As many of you know, the last few months have been extremely hard/painful for me personally. So this light read about the famous Japanese author’s t-shirt collection was the perfect not-so-serious antidote for winter blues. Especially the essay on Americans’ love of hamburgers and ketchup.
(8) Wayward - I sort of hated the narrator of this book, a mother who seems (to me) unhealthily and selfishly obsessed with her teenage daughter. But I also related to her in some ways (not necessarily re: the obsession, but more so regarding her thoughts on aging). Worth a read.
WATCHING
(1) The Alpinist (Netflix) - It’s been a really tough winter and personal circumstances have caused me to spend a lot of time thinking about death and what it means to have a “well lived life” (wow, so many cliches in one sentence). And then I randomly stumbled upon this film about a free soloist climber and his fear-seeking life and now I understand nothing, but it’s still worth watching.
(2) The Sex Lives of College Girls (HBO) - This is Mindy Kaling’s new comedy project and, so far, I’m loving it - finally a tv show that documents female friendships (and sexuality) in a funny, honest light.
(3) Zola (Amazon for rent) - This movie is based on a viral tweet about strippers, which began “You wanna hear a story about how me and this bitch fell out? It’s kind of long, but it’s full of suspense.” At times, the movie feels more like a music video than a plot-filled drama, but oh well. The cinematography is wonderful and I couldn’t stop watching.
(4) The Lost Daughter (Netflix) - I’m mixed on this movie, as I felt all of the characters seemed elusive and strange (i.e. why does Olivia Coleman steal the doll? I’m sure this is a metaphor about motherhood but it sort of lost me). Also the cinematography is not very forgiving with its use of super bright light and odd close ups. But I’m a huge Ferrante fan (she wrote the book on which the movie is based) and I sort of enjoyed how the movie presented no easy answers (or even easy questions).
(5) Drive My Car (theaters) - Between the beginning of August and the middle of December I only had one weekend without weddings. I spent my off-work Saturday taking my teenage daughters to a three hour Japanese film that incorporates a Murakami short story and a Chekov play. My daughters are still mad at me as they found the movie boring (plus the softcore-porn-feel of the first thirty minutes was super awkward), but I thought it was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. It’s slow. The characters spends A LOT of time in the car. But it has so much to say about loss and art and the human need to connect. After all, “What can we do? We must live our lives."
(6) The Other Two, Seasons 1 and 2 (HBO) - This sitcom, about two older siblings dealing with the success of their pop star younger brother has several mixed reviews. But each episode made me laugh. Plus Molly Shannon, who plays the mom, is, as always, spot on.
(7) Insecure, Season 5 (the final season) (HBO) - The narrative arc of this show over the years is fantastic. As is the focus on female friendships. The end made me happy.
LISTENING
(1) Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time - Courtney Barnett is one of those artists that I always want to like, but her songs tend to all blend together for me. Luckily, her new album is catchier/poppier (is “poppier” a word? what about “pop-like”?) than previous releases. “Write a List of Things to Look Forward to” is on constant repeat these days.
(2) Sleigh Bells - Texis - This is so upbeat and catchy. Perfect when I’m getting tired in the afternoon.
(3) Bleachers - Take the Sadness out of Saturday Night - This was my first post-Covid concert and it did not disappoint. Plus, it was so fun to go with my daughters. Anyways, the new album is wonderful. And catchy.
(4) Sweet Bobby - I’m trying to listen to more podcasts - especially since we have a new puppy who requires lots of walks (any good podcast recommendations?), but I find many podcasts overproduced. And this one was especially overproduced - I’m not sure why a catfishing story that could have been told in 45 minutes was spread out across 6 episodes. But, oh well, the story is still somewhat fascinating. If you, like me, hate hearing stories dragged out then you can read a synopsis here.
(5) Lucy Dacus - Home Video - Dacus is such a great songwriter - I’ve had Brando and Hot and Heavy on repeat for months now.
(6) Armchair Expert - Matt Damon & Barack Obama = must listens.
(7) Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails Over the Country Club - Some days I could listen to Lana Del Rey’s voice for hours and hours. And some days she depresses the hell out of me. But I always come back to her.
WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE? ANY GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS?
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