Reading, Watching, Listening (August 2022)
/I haven’t posted one of these in a long time, but I’ve spent a lot of time this summer reading, listening, and watching. Here are some of my current faves.
READING
(1) Animal - Everyone should read this book. It’s so well-written and full of rage. The narrator almost begs you to hate her, but you end up loving her. This is how it begins - “I drove myself out of New York City where a man shot himself in front of me. He was a gluttonous man and when his blood came out it looked like the blood of a pig. That's a cruel thing to think, I know. He did it in a restaurant where I was having dinner with another man, another married man. Do you see how this is going? But I wasn't always that way.” And it just gets better and better.
(2) Either/Or - I loved Elif Baufman’s first novel, the Idiot, in which a Turkish/American female at Harvard documents her first year of college by constantly questioning societal norms. Some people considered the book a comedy or even labeled it under “humor”, but I found it a little deeper (why is asking questions so funny?). Anyways, this is basically the sequel and it leaves off where the first novel ended (though it’s not really necessary to read the books in order) and it is just as good as the first (though much sadder as the main character becomes involves with a series of somewhat gross men).
(3) The Candy House - I loved Jennifer Egan’s novel, Message from the Goon Squad, so I was pretty excited for her newest book. The Candy House follows a similar format to Goon Squad in that every chapter presents a new character’s story, spanning different times and places, all of which center around technology as a theme (both in past and future). And while I appreciated this book, the stories seemed too disjointed for me to really love the book. I could never really dive into to any of the characters.
(4) Five Tuesdays in Winter - As cheesy as it sounds, these short stories were a joy to read. When each one ended it felt like a loss. I’m not sure how Lily King managed to carry off such believable, wonderful characters but I’m so glad she did.
(5) French Braid - In my younger years I read Anne Tyler’s novels all the time (remember the Accidental Tourist?), but I forgot about her for awhile, which is a shame because her newest novel - about an extended family growing apart over the years - was SO GOOD! It made an especially good family vacation read as I hugged my children close (much to their annoyance) and hoped that we’d always be together.
(6) The Nineties - I’m really not sure what the “message” of this book is other than a series of somewhat random thoughts about the nineties (I haven’t finished yet). But it’s totally worth reading for the first essay alone, which reflects on the ninetie’s culture of not selling out and why oh why did we all just assume that Ethan Hawke somehow deserved to win Winona Ryder’s love in Reality Bites? Seriously, why?? Anyways, tons of nostalgia and a lot of insight as well (or maybe I’m just obsessed with dissecting my youth lately).
WATCHING
(1) Hacks, Season 2 (HBO) - This comedy about an aging female comedian and her younger writer was a fun/funny take on both the relationships that can occur both between generations and between women. A little cheesy and predictable at times, but still so many really great moments. And laughs.
(2) Girl in the Picture (Netflix) - In general I’m not a huge fan of true crime as it tends to depress me and/or induce nightmares. But this story was fascinating (and, of course, REALLY depressing). Has anyone else seen it? So much to unpack.
(3) Everything Everywhere All at Once (theaters) - I thought I would hate this movie as I’m pretty sick of hearing about the multiverse. But then they made a middle aged mom a-sort-of-superhero with great special effects. To top it off she became a rock trying to get closer to her daughter rock and I was crying while also believing that maybe anything is possible.
(4) Winning Time - The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO) - I never thought I’d enjoy a show about the founding of the Lakers dynasty, but it’s so well written, with multifaceted characters (hard to believe they’re all based on real people). Also, the cinematography is excellent (they used different types of cameras, angles, etc), I can’t say enough good things.
(5) The Women (Hulu) - I’m not sure how I stumbled across this 1939 film, but it both disgusted and fascinated me. Apparently if your husband leaves you for another woman you must beg him to come back because a woman in love cannot have pride. This is the moral. Without irony. Is this what happens when men write movies for women? Also, the poster for the movie says “The women. It’s all about men.” Oh well, I was also fascinated by the technicolor fashion show in the middle of a black and white movie. And the well-acted all female cast. Basically this movie is the opposite of Hacks (featured above).
(6) The Lost City (theaters) - The Lost City received somewhat lackluster reviews so I put off watching it. Luckily it was on the in-flight entertainment menu on our plane ride to Greece because I found it funny and cute in the cheesiest of ways. I looked around the plane and almost everyone was watching the same movie as me and laughing. Lesson learned - sometimes I need to ignore metacritic and watch what I want to watch.
LISTENING
(1) New Yorker Fiction podcast - I keep searching for podcasts and yet I find myself bored by so many (does anyone else have this problem?). I want to like podcasts as they seem like the perfect companion for long dog walks, but I just can’t seem to find my match. So I keep returning to the New Yorker Fiction Podcast where contemporary writers read older New Yorker short stories written by other writers then discuss the material. There’s some great stuff on there.
(2) Lizzo, Special - This is 100% catchy, happy pop music and I can’t stop listening.
(3) NPR’s Rosewave: Summer Getaway Playlist - This is the “almost” perfect summer background music. (Except I could have done without Avril Lavigne).
(4) Phoebe Bridgers , Strangers in the Alps - I love Punisher so much, but up until now I hadn’t paid enough attention to Bridgers’ first album, which is also crazy good. Scott Street especially.
(5) Florence and the Machine, Dance Fever - I recently gave up Diet Coke, so now I need this to wake me up when I’m tired. The song Free is especially catchy.
(6) We Can Do Hard Things - At a recent dinner with friends we discussed how Abbie Womback and Glennon Doyle’s marriage can’t possibly be THAT perfect. But maybe it is. Either way I’m here for it. I don’t listen to this podcast all the time, but they do a great job - I especially enjoy it when I’m feeling defeated and need a reminder that there are super cool women out in the world fighting for change.
WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE? ANY GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS?
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