Reading, Watching, Listening (November 2019)

I wrote my first “Reading, Watching, Listening” post in May and found it fun to share what I’ve liked recently and hear what everyone else has enjoyed. So I’m hoping to make this a regular thing - every few months or so.

In autumn I spend most of my time editing, so to stay entertained I listen to a lot of music and watch A LOT of TV and movies (on an ipad, which I keep under my big screen). Not as much reading as I would like, but luckily I had all summer for that.

Here are some of my recent faves :

READING -

(1) The Farm - This fictional account of a real issue - baby surrogates for wealthy families - asks several questions. And does not give a perfect answer. There are no stereotypical bad characters or good characters. But so much grey. And I couldn’t put it down.

(2) Disappearing Earth - I’m really sick of missing girl stories, but I still loved this book, probably because it’s totally different than all the other ones. Julia Philips’ novel is a series of interconnecting stories - all centered around two missing girls. Each story is totally fresh and different and everything (sort of) comes together at the end.

(3) Every Man in This Village Is a Liar - An Education in War - My only nonfiction pick might be the best writing I’ve ever read. The author is a woman and a war reporter (not a common combo) and the story may break your heart. But it is definitely worth reading.

(4) The Great Believers - If you’re only going to read one book I recommend, then pick this one. I could not stop reading Rebecca Makkai’s novel about the 1980s AIDS crisis in Chicago. Each character is so real and I loved them all.

[Honorable Mention - Nora Ephron’s 1996 Wellesley college commencement speech - Each time I read this I cry and I’ve read it SO. MANY. TIMES.].

LISTENING -

(1) Kishi Bashi - Omoiyari - This album is so pretty. It makes me happy. (Thanks to Linda for the recommendation!)

(2) Kurt Vile - Wakin On a Pretty Daze - I’ve never listened to Kurt Vile before this summer, but on vacation our rental minivan came with satellite radio and Kurt Vile was always on. And he’s grown on me. His songs are sort of like stories with no real point. Almost like a one-ended conversation. And I kind of like that.

(3) Middle Kids - New Songs for Old Problems - I love that this album has so much energy and great lyrics. It keeps me awake (especially “Real Thing”).

(4) The National - I Am Easy to Find- Usually by the time a band releases their 8th album they’re going downhill. But this may be their best album yet. So much awesomeness.

[Honorable Mention - the Obamas summer playlist 2019 - it’s so good.]

[One More Honorable Mention - Rostam’s Half-Light - Rostam was one of the founding members of Vampire Weekend and is responsible for a lot of their “sound”, he left the band a few years ago and this is his first solo album. Some songs are better than others, but all in all it’s a good listen.]

WATCHING -

(1) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Amazon paid rental) - I saw this movie years ago but this summer I watched it again with Freya and remembered how seriously great it is.

(2) Fleabag, Season 2 (Amazon prime) - Possibly the best season of TV ever (and a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes).

(3) Below Deck Mediterranean (Bravo/Hulu Live) - I can’t stop binge-watching this reality show (about the crew of super yacht). In particular, I’m obsessed with Captain Sandy (FINALLY after 43 years, a female role model who continually inspires me). For the most part, this show is mindless entertainment, but I still love to watch.

(4) Parasite (still in theaters) - Several critics are calling this South Korean film the best movie of 2019, so last weekend I dragged Freya to E Street Cinema to see it with me. Dan heard it was a dark comedy, whereas I would describe it as a horror movie. Either way, there’s a lot to unpack. In the broad sense, Parasite is about relationships between the wealthy and the poor. But it’s so much weirder than that.

[Honorable Mention - Late Night (Amazon Prime) - I know this flopped in theaters, but I thought it was great. Who doesn’t love Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson?]

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So those are my recommendations. What about everyone else? Have you come across anything interesting lately?

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