Reading, Watching, Listening (February 2024)
/Winter is all about relaxing on the couch and curling up with good movies, tv, books, and podcasts. Isn’t it??
READING
(1) Beware the Woman - This is probably my one “must read” on this list. It starts off as somewhat of a love story as the newly married and pregnant main character travels with her husband to the upper peninsula of Michigan to meet his father, but gradually the plot grows darker as everyone becomes overly involved with how best to care for the unborn child inside the woman.
(2) Wellness - This was not the best written of novels - I found myself skipping over whole paragraphs. But the plot itself resonated with me as an “of the moment” example on how our parents mess us up and how we mess our kids up and the role society plays in it all.
(3) Prairie Fires - I was never much of a Little House on the Prairie fan - I hated the TV show and the books always bored me. But then I stumbled on the Wilder podcast and realized I needed more info. Turns out the true story of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life is so much more interesting than the feel-good stories in her books, especially Wilder’s relationship with her daughter, Rose. I couldn’t put this book down.
(4) After the Funeral, Stories - In my opinion, Tessa Hadley is one of the best writers alive right now. Every sentence reads like a well-crafted gift to the reader. I’m in awe.
(5) Death in Her Hands - My oldest daughter is obsessed with Ottessa Moshfegh as all of her books are fascinating and well-written, but seem to lack any obvious moral or conclusion. This novel is the inner monologue of an older widow who finds a note in the forest about an unknown woman’s murder and takes it upon herself to solve the mystery. The narrator mostly does this by imaging what the woman’s life must have been like and then the things she’s imagining become real.
(6) The Woman in Me (Britney Spears) - Okay, so obviously Spears continues to be sort of a trainwreck (do you follow her on instagram?), but I’m still not clear on how or why her rights were completely taken away from her for so many years. A really sad read.
(7) The Rachel Incident - This was an easy pleasurable read about two best friends/room mates in their 20s and their love interests. Of course, like all “love stories” everything starts off simple and becomes complicated.
WATCHING
(1) Leave the World Behind (Netflix) - I’m not sure how a movie staring Ethan Hawke and Julia Roberts didn’t get more buzz, but I really enjoyed this subtle humanist take on the end of the world. And all the Friends’ references made me revisit the series (I forgot how funny each episode could be).
(2) Bottoms (Amazon) - I thought a movie about teenage girls starting a fight club would be ridiculous. And it is. But in all the best of ways. So clever. and So funny!
(3) Saltburn (Netflix) - I sort of loved this movie. It’s quirky and dark and also really funny. Rosamund Pike is fabulous as a socialite mother, who says things like, “"It couldn't have been about me. I've never wanted to know anything” (when discussing whether or not she inspired the Pulp song “Common People”). As is Carey Mullagan as her boring, but well-dressed friend. And the cinematography was wonderful.
(4) Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (Bravo) - Do any of these women even like each other at all? And why can’t I stop watching?
(5) Anatomy of a Fall (Amazon) - Was it a suicide or did his wife kill him? This is the plot of this well-done courtroom drama, which stays away from all of the cliches we are used to in courtroom dramas (it probably helps that it a French film). I also loved how all of the characters looked like real people and not models.
(6) The Holdovers (Peacock, Amazon) - The previews for the Holdovers were so cheesy that I didn’t plan on seeing it. And, truth be told, it is somewhat of a cheesy movie. But the characters are so well-developed and three-dimensional that you end of loving them. I cried. How could you not?
(7 ) The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, Seasons 1 and 2 (HBO) - WTF is this? A documentary about a couple who adopts a little person and then insists she’s an adult. And a psychopath. I feel sort of bad as every episode definitely has a “gotcha” vibe and surely there’s a kinder way to tell this story. Or maybe not. It’s all SO WEIRD!!
LISTENING
(1) Terrible News, Middle Kids - This isn’t a full album (or at least I don’t think it is), rather it’s five songs released before the new album (I think). Anyways, they are all super catchy - so catchy that it takes you awhile to realize how sad they are. I can’t wait to hear the rest.
(2) Tiny Moves, Bleachers - All Bleachers’ songs sound somewhat alike, so whenever they release a new album it feels like when an old friend comes to town - you’re not sure exactly what you’ll talk about, but you know you’ll have fun.
(3) We Will Always Love You, The Avalanches - I’m a little obsessed with this record, esp. the Kurt Vile track - it’s all somewhat sad but still hopeful. And hard to explain.
(4) Blame Brett, The Beaches - The first song of Blame Brett is about how the singer is a trainwreck because of her ex-boyfriend, which is a fun/funny premise. And the rest of the album keeps up this energy. Great for dog walks and long drives.
(5) The Rest, Boygenius - This is sort of a “bonus album” as it is just four songs that didn’t make it on their earlier album, the Record. But each song is SO GOOD!! (Freya and I keep debating which ones are better).
(6) Guts, Olivia Rodrigo - I wasn’t a huge fan of Vampire, the first single off this album, so my expectations for the rest of the songs was pretty low (maybe Rodrigo was just a one album wonder?), but then I heard the rest and loved it. It’s fun, but also super clever. Seriously, how great is “all-american bitch?” This verse alone - “ Am I built like a mother and a total machine/I feel for your every little issue, I know just what you mean/ And I make light of the darkness/ I’ve got sun in my motherfuckin’ pocket, best believe.” Actually, with the exception of Vampire, every song is pretty great.
(7) Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert - Dan and I saw Cat Power perform this set live last Tuesday night and I’m so mixed. On the upside, her voice is so powerful that every song came alive. But, on the downside, as Dan put it, “maybe every Dylan lyric doesn’t need to be enunciated.” (ie. maybe something is lost in translation).
WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE? ANY GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS?
CLICK BELOW SEE TO ALL OF MY READING, WATCHING, LISTENING POSTS
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE OF OUR FAMILY’S CRAZY LIFE? Then please click below
. . . .
Darcy Troutman Photography is a Northern VA/Washington DC/Maryland documentary-style family photographer, who believes in capturing real moments. Interested in learning more? Please click here to sign up for my newsletter or schedule a session.