Reading, Watching, Listening (February 2025)
/Just trying to stay as distracted as possible lately . . .
READING
(1) The Anthropologists - As a photographer who has made it my goal to “create images that bring back the story of your day” I cannot even begin to explain how much I loved this novel about two immigrants from different places making a life together in a new country. I feel like my words won’t do the novel justice, so instead I’ll quote a few sentences from the New York Times’ book review - “[the Anthropologist’s] mission seems to be simply to plunge the reader into the mind of one woman as she evaluates her days and considers what she wants her life to be as she searches for a new home. I found it utterly enchanting. Even the most humdrum events resonate with importance when viewed through Savas’s meticulous and layered prose and plotting. Her storytelling is subtle but deliberate, and through it we see how drinks with friends, for instance, can be a philosophical summit or a romantic springboard or … just drinks with friends. The ordinary moments contain multitudes, the novel seems to say. The ordinary moments are significant.”
(2) Worry - This is a “just vibes” type of novel in that two sisters move in together and nothing really happens. The narrator is obsessed with instagram and mommy influencers and, thus, having a hard time finding any sort of path in life. Despite Worry’s slow plot, the writing is really good (and clever) and the characters, despite all of their faults, grew on me.
(3) The Abandoners: On Mothers and Monsters - The author of this book attempts to answer/examine, with kindness and empathy, the question “what type of mother abandons her children?”. I still haven’t finished, but so far I’m intrigued by all of the stories as I’m so sick of being told constantly in a simplistic way (by my kids, by the media, by society) what a good/bad/horrible mother looks like.
(4) Dogs of Summer - Whenever we travel to a new country I try to read a book by a local author. Some are better than others, but this pretty much unheard of novel about two friends growing up poor in a small island town was excellent. It reminded me somewhat of the Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels (which I love). The young girls’ friendship is layered, complex, and sometimes cruel.
(5) Long Island - The long-awaited sequel to Brooklyn (which I never read, though I saw the movie) makes for a great binge read. Much like Brooklyn, the location switches between Ireland and New York and most of the conflict is internal. There’s something so beautiful about the inner thoughts and reflections of all the characters. Plus, there’s a love story component.
(6) Martyr! - I was pretty excited to read this book, as it was listed on several “best of 2024” lists. And it was fine. I can’t really say anything bad about it. Other than I found it sort of boring and the “surprise” ending seemed sort of cheesy. I didn’t hate Martyr!, but I also didn’t understand all the praise. Did anyone else read it?
(7) Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall - East Germany was a confusing place (and fascinating).
(8) Colored Television - Lately I feel like there’s a new(ish) genre of fiction where the majority of the plot leads to an eluded-to, but still somewhat unexpected twist. This is one of those books. That being said, I enjoyed the twist and the novel itself. An interesting commentary on Hollywood, race, identity, and wealth.
WATCHING
(1) Nightbitch (Hulu) - I loved this movie and I’m so sad it didn’t receive more attention. Of course, Amy Adams as a new mother turning into a dog (sort of??) is not an easy plot for a marketing campaign. But this movie is so much more than “weird” - instead it operates as a love story to the early days of motherhood (esp. for stay at home moms) and a reminder of the strength and ferocity that motherhood awakens.
(2) The Brutalist (theaters) - On a cold, rainy Sunday I dragged the whole family to the Alamo Drafthouse (minus Freya, who is away at college) to see this 3.5 hour movie about a Hungarian immigrant because I knew we’d never take the time to watch if we waited to stream it at home. And the first hour was pretty slow with quite a few VERY uncomfortable sex scenes (I wouldn’t recommend watching it as a family), but, wow, was it good. Maybe 3.5 hours is what movies need to create complex, multi-faceted characters. I don’t know. But I can’t get it out of my head and I don’t think I ever will. The Brutalist stays with you.
(3) Landman (Paramount Plus) - This TV show is basically a commercial for the natural gas industry. And some of the plotlines are painfully cheesy. But still - Billy Bob Thorton is wonderful to watch. Same goes for Ali Larter who plays his often-off-the-rails ex-wife. (Honestly, she deserves an Emmy). And Josh Hamm is always so nice to look at. The show contains the perfect mix of drama and comedy - a fun watch.
(4) Race to Survive - Seasons 1 and 2 (Alaska and New Zealand) (Peacock) - This is worth watching for the scenery alone, but the drama of castmates competing in the wilderness makes Race to Survive super bingeable. I am now obsessed with New Zealand. Further, this show convinced me to exercise more as maybe one day I’ll be asked to hike/swim/jog for hundreds of miles a day (kidding, sort of).
(5) Somebody, Somewhere Season 3 (Max) - I love this show. Each episode feels like a hug in a real, non-cheesy way. Good friends are important. And it is wonderful to see a show invest in how wonderful and hard friendships can be.
(6) A Different Man (Hulu) - Like several A24 movies this is a clever, dark surreal tale. A man with disfiguring boils all over his face has a hard time making friends until a surgery removes the boils and makes him attractive. In a random twist of fate, he ends up in a play acting out the character of his former self. Then his role in the play is stolen from him by another man who has boils on his face. Jealousy ensues. An interesting commentary on looks, personality, and how the grass is always greener.
(7) A Real Pain (Hulu) - Dan and I saw A Real Pain in the theaters a month or so ago. After the movie ended he turned to me and said, “what did you think?” And I was like, “it was good. just really really good. wasn’t it?” And he replied, “I thought the same thing” - which made us both realize how incredibly bad most movies are. And how grateful we were to Jesse Eisenberg for making a fun, poignant insightful film where nothing really big ever happens, but yet you empathize with all the characters. Also, as two people who travel frequently, and have been involved in several awkward conversations with other American tourists in European cities - we appreciated the insights.
(8) The Beast Games (Amazon) - I had never heard of Mr. Beast before his show premiered on Amazon (apparently he’s some famous youtube guy?). The Beast Games is a more boring version of Netflix’s Squid Games reality show. But I’m still watching it. Because it is mindless and easy to watch and that’s what I need in February.
LISTENING
(1) Hurray for the Riff Raff/ The Past is Still Alive (album) - I’ve had this album on constant repeat this winter. The songs are both catchy and poetic, with a folksy nostalgic feel. Favorite tracks - Vetiver and Hawkmoon.
(2) Julie Fox’s Down the Drain (audiobook) - I listed to this on spotify, so I never know whether or not to list it under reading or listening. And Julia Fox narrating some of the most f** up stories I’ve ever heard in a baby voice really does add something (or substract something? who’s to say?). This is a wild ride of a memoir and I would love someone else to read it so we could discuss. Here’s one of several quotes “The rest of the trip, I’m fuming. Did I seriously just wait sixteen hours to get slapped in the face in front of the dead pope? I didn’t even get to have a moment with him!”
(3) In the Dark/ The Runaway Princesses (podcast) - Why are (some of) Dubai’s princesses risking their lives to run away? Um, this was disturbing.
(4) From Here to the Great Unknown/ Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough (audiobook) - As noted above, I never know whether to list audiobooks under listening or reading, but since Julia Roberts and Riley Keough narrate this book, I really suggest listening as their voices add something. In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley recorded several tapes, hoping to make them into a memoir, but couldn’t quite figure out how to tell her story, so she asked her daughter, Riley Keough, to help. And then a few weeks later, Lisa Marie died. So Keough used the tapes to intersperse her mom’s story with her own memories and reflections. I’ll admit, listening to this book did not make me a Lisa Marie fan - rather she seemed like a spoiled child who never managed to grow up. But I fell in love with Keough and her love for her mother shows through on every page.
(5) Jessica Pratt/ Here in the Pitch (album) - I’ll be honest, I’ve listened to this album several times and I have no idea what most of the songs are about but they’re so pretty that I keep listening to them anyways. Favorite tracks - The Last Year and Life Is.
(6) Spotify daylist (personalized mixtape) - Did you know that spotify will make you these several personalized playlists throughout the day with funny names like “power ballad situationship sunday afternoon”, “cowboy country backroads night”, “gentle autumn Friday afternoon” (despite the fact that it’s winter)? How did I not know about this until now? So fun!
(7) When the World Didn’t End (audiobook) - This memoir begins as the six year old narrator is waiting with her fellow cult members for a spaceship to Venus to appear. I listened to the audiobook while hiking through the Canary Islands and it felt sort of surreal to be surrounded with brush and cacti while hearing the narrator’s bizarre tales of cult life (sometimes funny, sometimes sad). About half way through the book the narrator’s family leaves the cult and that’s when things get dark. Really dark. And sad. Not an easy read/listen.
(8) Mannequin Pussy/ I Got Heaven (album) - This album/band was a Freya recommendation and it took me a little while to get into it, as some of the songs are mellow and some are most definitely not mellow. But after awhile I liked the variety. And the lyrics are amazing. It’s a fun listen when you’re feeling a little angry. Favorite track - Loud Bark and Sometimes.
WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE? ANY GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS?
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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.