Books.
My reading goal for 2018 is 100 books, and I’ve read/listened to 42 so far. Some have been really good! Some… not so much.
Loved:
- Heartburn by Nora Ephron. Cannot say enough how much I enjoyed this book, and how much I LOVED having Meryl Streep read it to me! I think Meryl should narrate all audio books from now on.
- Townie by Andre Dubus III. Really good memoir about a childhood/young adulthood heavily influenced by an absent and difficult father. I started listening to this right after reading House of Sand and Fog, which he also wrote. It also inspired me to add some of his father’s works to my to-read list.
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. This is one of those ‘wow’ books. Gut-wrenching and painful but beautifully written.
- I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. What timing! I was reading this the day they arrested the Golden State Killer, how crazy is that? Fantastic book, if you like true crime. She wrote so well and there’s a ton of research.
- Janesville by Amy Goldstein. The story of an ‘auto town’ in Wisconsin, and how their economy was torn apart during the great recession. It’s told from both sides (Rs and Ds, well off and struggling), quite fairly I think.
Wouldn’t Recommend:
- No Baggage by Clara Bensen. Basically the story of her traveling the world with a dude who mentally and emotionally abuses her, and she thinks it’s cute.
- Into the Water by Paula Hawkins. Maybe it’s because I was listening as opposed to reading, or perhaps it was just because there are 4,376 characters in this book, but it’s impossible to keep them all straight.
Movies.
I got MoviePass a few months ago (when they were having that $7/month sale – making it an even better deal) and I absolutely love it. In case you’re not familiar with MP, how it works is you sign up and pay a monthly fee (although they charge you for the whole year up front) and send you a debit card. You can then use that debit card to purchase up to one movie ticket per day. And it works at all but a handful of theaters. I’ve gotten really into going to the theater by myself too, because the more often you go, the better deal it is, and who’s got time to waste always finding someone to go with? Here are the films I’ve seen so far, all of which I’ve really enjoyed:
RBG was of course FANTASTIC. I actually teared up a few times during that documentary. She’s an amazing woman, truly a national treasure. Tully was a mind-f***, and Black Panther was just as good as everyone says. I can’t wait to see all the big blockbusters this summer!
Podcasts.
Here are a few of the new (or, at least, new to me) podcasts I’ve been in to lately:
- Cover-Up – an all new investigation of Chappaquidick and Ted Kennedy and what happened on that fateful night almost 50 years ago. There’s only one episode so far (it’s that new), but I’m already completely sucked in. Growing up in New England I have always been fascinated by the Kennedy’s, and honestly I’ve always been such a fan of Ted’s achievements in Congress… Of course, no one really talked much about Chappaquidick. Can’t wait to learn more about the cover up!
- 2 Dope Queens – Two best friends who are funny AF discussing sex, romance, and everything else. I routinely LOL on the bus while listening to this show and I don’t even care. If you’re easily offended or don’t like to hear about sex or unruly language, then not the ‘cast for you. But oh man if you want to laugh, these two ladies are amazing! Just a funny aside- when my friend Cynthia first told me about this podcast, I was expecting two bitchy gay guys- and I was excited about that too, haha!
- The Habitat – “On a remote mountain in Hawaii, there’s a fake planet Mars…” This podcast is based on interviews and stories from the crew of 6 people who lived in this domed habitat for a whole year, to help NASA understand what life would be like for humans on Mars. Drama, love, fights… all of it!
Okay, those are all the books, movies and podcasts I’ve been into lately. What are your suggestions??
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