Read, Watched, Listened

I love reading just about everything (okay, you won't see any horror or sci-fi picks on here), watching things that make me think and especially if they make me laugh, and wholeheartedly embrace the podcast. Here's my two cents worth.

READ

I Hope This Finds You Well
Kate Baer is all the fire emojis. This is poetry for people who don’t think they like poetry. Promise.

Wish You Were Here and The Sentence
I’m putting these two together because they both tackled the year 2020, albeit in very different ways. Both place their protagonists in the middle of a 2020 epicenter: Wish You Were Here in NYC (though also with some escapist island vibes) and The Sentence in Minneapolis. I think it might be a case of “too soon” for me, as neither quite hit the mark. I’m sure MUCH will be written about this time in the coming decades (both fiction and nonfiction) and while I appreciate the idea of tackling this in the moment, I feel like I need a bit more distance to consume this type of writing.

But You Seemed So Happy: A Marriage, in Pieces and Bits
I adored this book. Kimberly Harrington’s writing is on point and even though she’s writing about her divorce, I read it as a happily married person thinking, “Yes, that’s exactly right.” It’s funny, easy to read, and tackles a difficult subject with honesty and nuance.

The Best American Food Writing 2021
I look forward to this particular collection every single year. As far as I’m concerned, this is a must-read if you’re interested in food at all.

The Midcentury Kitchen: America’s Favorite Room, From Workspace to Dreamscape, 1940s-1970s
Eh, I was hoping this one had more depth. This was a basic overview of what I learned in my college classes. Though if you’re interested in home design and a general history of what’s become the modern kitchen, this is a quick read that covers all the basics.

Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World
I’ll start by saying this book should ONLY be read in winter. Like, January is preferable. That said, I loved the premise more than the execution. It gave somewhat of an overview of coziness in the beginning, but the bulk of it was to present how different life scenarios or objects can be made cozy. It felt more like something that could be done in article or blog post form, not a published book. Though I will admit it made me think a lot more about how to make things cozy, which is a lifestyle I’m happy to pursue wholeheartedly.

Nightbitch
I’m still not sure what I think of this book. It was like no novel I’ve ever read. Not exactly fantasy but the woman thinks she’s a dog? Come for Rachel Yoder’s brutally honest writing about motherhood, stay to figure out what you think about the rest of it, I guess.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
SO GOOD. Just ask Tyson: I could not shut up talking about this book while I was reading it. Amanda Montell, a linguist, dives into the language of cults and cult-like phenomenons (think: MLMs, CrossFIt, Peloton) and it is FASCINATING. It made me realize why I chafe at so much religious speak and also certain Instagram accounts. Highly recommend.

Matrix
I…did not seem to have the same reading experience everyone else did. The premise: about nuns in a medieval convent, was something I wanted to like more than I did. The writing was generally beautiful but I took issue with the pacing. Some things felt incredibly drawn out and other things were glossed over too quickly for my taste.

Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch
Tyson gave me a memoir subscription for Christmas from Wild Geese Bookshop and this was the first pick. They did good! I was in somewhat of a reading rut until picking this up. Erin French’s writing is lovely. I’m always impressed when people can condense their stories into something so inherently read-able. And I didn’t think I wanted to visit Maine but now I want to eat at her restaurant.

Black Cake
This book is exactly in my wheelhouse: it’s a multi-generational family drama, excellent writing, and interwoven with food. I think people are going to be talking about Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel a lot this year.

Re-reads: Beartown, Us Against You

WATCHED

Bluey
We’ve been watching through the entire series as a family (which makes all these sub-zero January days more fun) and it is the best. The rare kid’s show that’s just as much for the parents as the children; it gives me faint Simpson’s vibes. You can just tell that the people who make the show are actually parents. (See: how they depict the backseat of the family car, the subtle sarcasm of the parents, how the kids talk, etc.) And at 8 minutes a pop, it’s not even that much of a commitment. Hammerbarn and The Claw are two of my favorite episodes.

The Righteous Gemstones
This show is ridiculous in a good way. It follows a famous televangelist family who are the most dysfunctional you’ve ever seen. I liken it to a comedic version of Succession, except instead of a media conglomerate, the empire is spreading Christianity.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts
This special is more nostalgia-bomb than anything else. It’s a delight, but nothing earth-shattering. You will laugh, you will tear up, you (likely) won’t learn much new. Still worth it. Also putting in my request to the universe for a 10-part making-of series re: the Harry Potter films. Make this happen, please and thank you.

WeWork: or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn
I will take a fall of an empire documentary every time. (See: LuLaRich, FyreFest, etc.) Why are these so endlessly fascinating?

LISTENED
Honestly, nothing revolutionary to share. My staples are The Daily, Pantsuit Politics, The Popcast, and Maintenance Phase. (And also highly recommend joining Pantsuit Politic’s Patreon for their premium content.)

Read, Watched, Listened

I love reading just about everything (okay, you won't see any horror or sci-fi picks on here), watching things that make me think and especially if they make me laugh, and wholeheartedly embrace the podcast. Here's my two cents worth.

READ

The Preacher’s Wife
This one missed the mark for me. There were some good nuggets but I felt like I had to wade through a lot of text before getting to them. So much of the book seemed anecdotal, which partly makes sense when it’s a book on the state of women in positions of power in the Evangelical church. But largely it felt like a parade of one woman after another and how they were examples of that without much meat or connection. In the end I wanted more!

The Midnight Library
I loved this one. It felt like a good escapist read, where a woman is given the choice to try out different lives to see how things would play out had she made different choices. It felt somewhat like a combination to me of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. (TR: suicide)

Good Company
This was…fine? I almost DNFed it a couple of times…it seemed like it dragged on. The premise—of two couples and their bond over several decades—was interesting enough to me. The discovery of the infidelity of one of the husbands (not exactly a spoiler alert) is supposed to fuel most of the plot but I found it rather tired. “Middle-aged man has affair which is discovered years later by his wife” isn’t exactly an inventive plot point, and I don’t think this book added anything new to that conversation.

Several People are Typing
This book was bizarre and I mean that in the very best way. Once you get past the fact that it’s entirely written as Slack conversations, it’s a quick, entertaining read.

Wholehearted Faith
All the stars. I won’t even pretend to be unbiased where Rachel Held Evans is concerned. I keep hoping this can’t possibly be her last book, and someone will stumble upon some hidden treasure-trove of her writing. A girl can dream.

The Guncle
This feel-good novel, about a guncle (that’s gay uncle) who ends up with custody of his niece and nephew for the summer. It’s funny and lighthearted, though it times it turns sort of preach-y. The first half was a delight but I thought the second half dragged on.

Harry Potter
If you’ve paid attention to me on Instagram at all this fall, you know I’ve been re-reading through Harry Potter for the first time in about a decade. I mean, I knew Harry Potter was good, I’ve been a Potterhead since middle school, but I forgot just HOW good. Here are my hot takes on each book in the series:

Sorcerer’s Stone
Brilliant. A great introduction to the series. Pair with the first movie for the ultimate delight.

Chamber of Secrets
Plot-wise, it’s a bit of a re-hash of the first book, but so well done.

Prisoner of Azkaban
I forgot how much I actually like this one. The plot starts to thicken just enough to set it off from the first two. I think I’d conflated it with the third movie in my head (my least favorite of the films), but this book holds up.

Goblet of Fire
My absolute favorite. All the stars. I think it really bridges the youthful, fantasy vibe of the first few books as well as the darker tones of the last three.

Order of the Phoenix
Least favorite for me, but we’re grading on a Harry Potter curve here so of course it’s still wonderful. Harry going around pissed off and yelling at everyone gets old but honestly, what else do you expect him to do as a 15-year-old full of hormones in a world where almost no one believes him? And the whole ministry scene is epic.

Half-Blood Prince
Also excellent. Dumbledore is everything in this one.

Deathly Hallows
A close second place for me. The last 250-300 pages are actually impossible to put down. It really is a perfect end to the series and closing this book after reading through them all again has ruined me for all other books for the rest of time. The very last line, “All was well”, sets me off every time. Well done, J.K. Rowling.

WATCHED

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
It should be obvious that this was a re-watch for me, but it was a first with the kids. Peak parenting.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts I and II
I re-watched these after finishing book 7. I think part I is excellent but part II is…not great. There were a lot of liberties with the filmmaking that I take major issues with, particularly the entirety of the Battle of Hogwarts which is, y’know, basically THE BULK OF THE FILM. I also CANNOT STAND the ending (i.e. the trio tossing the broken halves of the Elder Wand away). There are bits and pieces of it I enjoy (hello, Gringotts), and it’s the very last film so of course it tugs at the heartstrings, but overall I think the book was cheated. (Gee Shannon, tell us how you really feel.)

Succession
We’re obsessed. Like we literally subscribed to HBO just to watch this. It’s so good. (And then found out that HBO carries all the HP movies, so obviously this was an amazing life move.)

Downton Abbey
People, re-watching this series is so much fun. It’s nothing more than a very fluffy soap opera but, dammit, it wants to be the MOST GORGEOUS fluffy soap opera you’ve ever seen. And it is.

When Harry Met Sally
One of my favorite fall movies. An absolute classic. Meg Ryan + Billy Crystal together is magic.

All Too Well: The Short Film
We love to see it.

LISTENED
Maintenance Phase
I’ve been binging this podcast after hearing Beth on Pantsuit Politics mention in passing that she was listening to the Rachel Hollis episodes. Those episodes are EXCELLENT, seriously SO GOOD, and so are the rest of their episodes. They make all things diet-industry related funny and interesting, despite their takedown of all things related to today’s version of “wellness.”

MuggleCast
OBVIOUSLY. Maybe I should just call this “Read, Watched, Listened: Harry Potter Edition.” I wish I would have listened to this years ago. As it is, I’ve just been diving into the archives to find episodes I’m interested in. And since they started back in 2005 (!), I’ll be scrolling back through the archives for…a very long time.

Every Single Album
This one has its own dedicated feed now which makes me so happy! I couldn’t wait to get to their deep-dive into Red (Taylor’s Version) (That album: another major one for this “listening” list.), and now they’re going to tackle all of Adele’s albums. Can I turn off Taylor long enough to listen to Adele’s back catalog? Stay tuned!

Read, Watched, Listened

I love reading just about everything (okay, you won't see any horror or sci-fi picks on here), watching things that make me think and especially if they make me laugh, and wholeheartedly embrace the podcast. Here's my two cents worth.

READ
(Follow the links below or click through to bookshop.org to find all books referenced in this post and past Read, Watched, Listened posts. And here’s your friendly reminder that these are affiliate links!)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
This book got so much hype and I agree with most of the hubbub: I found it inherently unique and readable. My beef is with the ending. *******SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! ******* Did we have to fall into the trope of the guy (aka death) wanting to sleep with Addie?? LIke, seriously? Can we just not? Can he be interested in Addy for another reason instead? Gah. I thought it was such a cop-out of a trope.

God Spare the Girls
Meh. Skip. I loved the idea of this book (pastor’s daughters in evangelical culture deal with a scandal involving their father) but thought it fell entirely flat. Go ahead and predict the entire book right now and I guarantee you’d be correct. Also: the ending was disappointing.

The Anthropocene Reviewed
Love this book so much. John Greene reviewing random things in our world is just funny enough, just interesting enough, just curious enough, that this book falls in my top 5 of the year, easy.

Girls With Bright Futures
This felt like a combo of Where’d You Go Bernadette and the college admissions scandal with a dash of Big Little Lies. I’m not sure I agree with it being called a thriller (seriously, why?) but it was incredibly plausible and riveting—though I could have done with a bit more satire, to make it just that much more over-the-top.

Malibu Rising
One of my top 3 books of the year. Maybe THE top? I was here for all of frothy Malibu society. Listen, Taylor Jenkins Reed’s other books haven’t quite lived up to the hype for me—they’ve been good, just not great—but THIS one was everything. I read it in less than 24 hours; literally could not put it down.

Red at the Bone
This was a miss for me. I wanted to like it more than I did. The writing was confusing to me and I was often unsure where we were in time. Lots of the writing was beautiful but I got lost in the storytelling, and not in a good way.

After Evangelicalism: The Path to a New Christianity
WHOOSH. This is a BOOK. David P. Gushee details the history of Evangelicalism just as much as describing what comes “after” it. I loved his interweaving of storytelling, history, and other faith traditions. I learned so much about evangelicalism reading this book and will definitely be returning to it.

Low Country: A Southern Memoir
I just have to say as a life-long midwesterner: I don’t get the South. (Insert laugh-cry emoji here) It was a lovely memoir, if a little wordy at times, I just think I would have enjoyed it more if I had any experience at all living in the South. I felt like I wasn’t quite able to appreciate it fully.

The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth
This completed the trifecta of books for the year relating to faith, politics, and gender roles (the other two being the aforementioned After Evangelicalism and Jesus and John Wayne, of course). This book didn’t read to me quite as smoothly as the other two, yet I was fascinated in Beth Allison Barr’s particular take on these issues as a medieval historian. Basically, it left me wanting to have Barr and Kristen Kobe Du Mez over for drinks and we would start talking and never stop and it would be amazing.

Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power
Susan Page can write a biography. I had no idea Nancy Pelosi’s life and family were so fascinating. Major points to this one for detailing the life of this badass woman.

The Season: A Social History of the Debutante
Anne Helen Peterson told me to read this one, so I did, because it’s usually a good idea to do what AHP tells me to do. I have exactly zero connection or life experiences to relate me to the world of debutantes and this deep-dive into that world—both on this side of the pond and the other—kept me hooked through all the pages. I was equal parts fascinated and horrified.

RE-READS: Searching for Sunday, Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, Rich People Problems

WATCHED

The Chair
Sandra Oh is my season pass and this miniseries did not disappoint. This quick, few-night binge about the first woman chair of an English department at a major university also scratched my fall itch what with all the tweed and sweaters and New England-y vibes.

Apple TV: Come for Ted Lasso, stay for Schmigadoon! Ted Lasso is exactly the delight everyone says it is (Roy Kent forever, please), and as soon as this season ends I am going to immediately go back and re-watch every single episode. Schmigadoon! is hilarious and the production is AMAZING.

This is Pop
This series was interesting, some episodes more than others. If you choose just a couple, make it the first two; Auto-Tune is particularly interesting.

LuLaRich
The good: it’s fascinating. We binged it. So many (real-life!) characters. Please bring me all the deep-dives on MLMs. The owners of the company actually agreed to be interviewed (!!!). The bad: Company grows too big too fast and is mismanaged by people who have no idea what they’re doing isn’t exactly a new story. I needed at least four more episodes. How were the clothes being made? What was the supply chain? Where did all the unsold merchandise go? I’m left with more questions than answers. Verdict: do not miss this. It’s a good start even if it doesn’t answer everything and we certainly haven’t heard the last about MLMs. Bring on all the documentaries, podcasts, and long reads.

LISTENED
Blind Landing
I didn’t even know about the drama at the 2000 Olympic games gymnastics vault until Tyson mentioned this podcast. The podcast was good, but honestly, you can get everything you need out of this amazing article.

9/12
We all know what happened on 9/11/2001, but what about the next day? The days after? Each episode dives into a different topic surrounding 9/11 and how it shifted our focus in everything from comedy to conspiracy theories.

Read, Watched, Listened

I love reading just about everything (okay, you won't see any horror or sci-fi picks on here), watching things that make me think and especially if they make me laugh, and wholeheartedly embrace the podcast. Here's my two cents worth.

READ
(Follow the links below or click through to bookshop.org to find all books referenced in this post and past Read, Watched, Listened posts. And here’s your friendly reminder that these are affiliate links!)

The Girl With the Louding Voice
Abi Dare gives Adunni, this book’s young protagonist, a compelling voice. I cheered Adunni on in her own fight against the Nigerian patriarchy she continually finds herself in. In the end, it’s more plot-based than character-based, and I personally need more character to draw me completely into a book.

The Four Winds
Set during the upheaval of the dustbowl, I couldn’t help but compare this to The Grapes of Wrath—especially because I only read that particular American classic for the first time late last summer. The drive/struggle in California is basically Grapes of Wrath revisited; there were so many parallels. I loved the protagonist, Elsa—my only complaint is that I wanted more of Elsa in her pre-dustbowl life. Though my low-key MVP is Elsa’s daughter Loreda. Loreda for president, please.

The Liturgy of Politics
Honestly, I wanted to love this more than I did. I thought the intersection of faith + politics would make this perfect for me but it felt like it was drawn out too long in book-form. Like maybe this would have been better served as a series of essays? I still want to hear more from Kaitlyn Schiess, but I don’t think a book was the best format for what this was.

The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories
Am I a short story reader now? Because apparently, I’m a short story reader now. This collection of stories was on fire. I didn’t think I liked short stories—maybe because I want a good short story to last so much longer than it does—which is exactly how I felt with each and every one of these.

What We Were Promised
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: give me a detailed family drama any day. Set in China, this was a beautifully written novel about family, wealth, class, and society.

Rules of Civility
This was a delight—good for summer. I couldn’t help but think of Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls while reading it. It’s not quite as frothy but is set in the same era and a similar setting. Single girl in NYC in the 1930s is almost always going to be a good time.

The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage
This book was a journey (hello, almost 500 pages) but it was worth it. It follows the lives of Dorothy Day, Walker Percy, Flannery O’Connor, and Thomas Merton as they wrestle with their Catholicism, society, their writing, and sometimes each other. I can’t even fathom how much research went into a book like this: studying their lives, reading their works and correspondence, visiting the places they lived, and then compiling and interweaving it all together. Sometimes it was admittedly a slog, but at other times it read a bit like a novel.

One Two Three
I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and still don’t know how I feel about it. On one hand, I couldn’t put it down; I wanted to know what happened next. on the other hand, it took a little bit for me to get used to the three different voices and I wanted more…something? More backstory? More depth? I’m not even sure. It’s no This is How it Always Is, but since that’s one of my favorite books of all time it feels pretty unfair to compare Laurie Frankel’s work from here on out to that one. Tell me you read this and then tell me your thoughts because mine are muddled.

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
I thought this book was lovely. I might need to re-read it in the actual winter. It’s s-l-o-w. I would probably have found it boring at another point in time but it felt like exactly what I needed to read right now. For anyone going through a life change or new season in life.

Crying in H-Mart: A Memoir
This book is as good as everyone says it is. Also, it made me hungry, even though I didn’t know what most of the Korean foods were and lots of them included various types of seafood, and I’m allergic to shellfish.

RE-READS: Pride and Prejudice, Here for It, This Is How it Always Is

WATCHED

The Last Blockbuster
How fun was this documentary? Did they tap into every last bit of millennial nostalgia I possess? Yes, yes they did, and I’m not even mad about it.

Last Chance U
Oof. A docu-series exploring a community college basketball team in East LA as they try to get out of the community college world and break into top-level colleges. I felt like the series was a few episodes too long but the last one was worth all of it.

Bo Burnham: Inside
Bo Burnham wins quarantine. Full stop. Also, he deserves both a Grammy and a top-level comedy award (Do those exist?) for this piece.

Top Chef Portland
We are Top Chef junkies and this may have been the best season yet.

High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America
The worst part of this series is that I can’t reach through the screen to eat all the deliciousness depicted. It should be clear by now that I will read/watch anything to do with food so I couldn’t hit “play” fast enough for this.

In the Heights
How fun is this movie? All the fun. (Also: Tyson and I went back to a movie theater what is this life??) I could watch the pool scene on repeat for infinity.

LISTENED
Sour
Obviously.

No One Is Coming to Save Us
If you’re a parenting America, there’s probably not much that’s going to be groundbreaking here. Yet I still binged this podcast because yes, I am your choir, and yes, you are preaching to me, and yes , I am here for it.

Dirty Rotten Church Kids
If you identify as any sort of exvangelical or were impacted by early 2000s Evangelical church culture at all, this is the podcast for you. The episodes are LONG (it takes me several days to get through one) but they’re always thought-provoking, funny, and I end up saying “YES” out loud to no one and nodding my head vigorously at least once an episode. Also, I can’t recommend their Instagram enough.

The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill
Speaking of Evangelical culture: I am EATING this one up. It’s amazing how Mark Driscoll’s influence leeched out into so much of Christian culture and I’m not even a little sad about dancing on the grave of Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll in a very un-Christian-like way.

Read, Watched, Listened

I love reading just about everything (okay, you won't see any horror or sci-fi picks on here), watching things that make me think and especially if they make me laugh, and wholeheartedly embrace the podcast. Here's my two cents worth.

READ
(Follow the links below or click through to bookshop.org to find all books referenced in this post and past Read, Watched, Listened posts. And here’s your friendly reminder that these are affiliate links!)

A Promised Land
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Barack Obama is a writer’s writer. While this memoir sometimes got lost in the weeds of policy, that’s also The Point of a presidential memoir. You have to defend every single decision of our presidency. And while that could be interesting, my favorite parts were when he talked about the more personal, behind-the-scenes moments of his presidency. I can’t believe there’s a whole second volume still to come!

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch
I think it’s hard to get what I want from a biography of the queen. I want the details, the nitty-gritty, the exploration of personal relationships. That’s just not available from someone who guards their privacy and image as much as she has. This biography was well-researched, if tedious at times. Also long, but please explain to me how else you write about a monarch who’s been on the throne for 60+ years?

A Good Neighborhood
Meh. I didn’t love this one. The racial and religious themes felt trite. I feel like it could have been an interesting exploration of those things but it wasn’t. The ending was disappointing and didn’t make sense to me. Gah, I’m such a downer on this one.

My Life on the Road
LOVED this one. I checked the library for some Gloria Steinem books after watching Mrs. America (see below!) and this was perfect. The book’s premise of being about travel wasn’t all that interesting to me, so I was hesitant. I’m glad I went for it because this was lovely and a fascinating peek into history.

Amari and the Night Brothers
I wanted to love this one more. Also, please note this is a middle-grade book so I am decidedly not the target audience. I almost set it aside at one point. I couldn’t help but make comparisons to Harry Potter which also feels like The Most Unhelpful Thing of All Time—as if no one else can write a magical/fantasy book ever again? Still, I can’t help but admit that I wished I were reading Harry Potter the whole time. But don’t trust me. Please give it to the middle school kid in your life and see what they say.

The Fourth Child: A Novel
This novel was…intense. It’s a multi-generational novel about a mother and her daughters, one who was adopted after intense trauma from Romania, and touches on everything from religion to motherhood to pro-life groups to attachment disorder. The novel really focuses on the mother, Jane, and her oldest daughter, Lauren, as it tracks their coming of age. It’s by turns fascinating, disruptive, and challenging—I considered putting it down a couple of times. I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about it.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
I don’t know what to say about this book that hasn’t already been said. All of America needs to have a come-to-Jesus meeting with this book.

Pachinko
As a self-professed lover of long, slow, family sagas, I adore this book. That’s exactly what this book is, set in Korea and Japan over most of the last century. Min Jin Lee is a master at creating characters.

The Joy Luck Club
This is a re-re-re-read for me, though I don’t think I’ve read it since high school. Amy Tan’s novel about Chinese mothers and daughters is a modern classic. The storytelling is beautiful, even when the subject matter isn’t.

RE-READS: Anxious People, Kitchens of the Great Midwest

WATCHED

Framing Britney Spears
Obviously, as a millennial of a certain age, I was so excited to watch this. I wanted so much MORE from it, though. Could we turn this into a mini-series? I want an episode to deep-dive the sexy-virgin culture of the late 90’s/early 00’s. I want another episode to deep-dive the child stars (particularly female child stars) of that era. I want an episode on the boy bands of that time and their experiences and how they all intersected the female pop stars in the culture. I want it all. There’s so much to unpack here that an hour-ish documentary can’t do it justice.

Schitt’s Creek
I’m pretty sure I’ve listed this here before but now we’ve finished the entire series and I don’t know what to do with my life now. Start it over again, maybe?

The Trial of the Chicago 7
This movie was SO GOOD. We’d put off watching it for a while, A. because of the 2+ hour length, and B. because I thought it would be kind of depressing. I was wrong. I mean, parts of it were a little depressing. I said, “Same story, different day” approximately a half-dozen times while we were watching. But it was also insightful and bitingly funny, which I didn’t expect at all. We will be watching this again.

Mrs. America
This. Series. I know I’m kind of behind the times but…wow. I could not get enough of it, even while it was totally infuriating to watch. Phyllis Schlafly is the actual worst.

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admission Scandal
I questioned the sort of pseudo-movie style of this documentary, as actors played roles to re-enact certain parts of this story. It kind of worked, though, even while I don’t think there was anything particularly insightful in this documentary. Then again that might be my own fault for reading All the Things about the college admissions scandal when the news broke.

LISTENED
I could not get enough of Under the Influence with Jo Piazza. Give me alllllll the deep-dives into the mom/influencer internet, please.

Have I begun The Ringer’s deep-dive into every Taylor Swift album? Yes, yes I have. So far I’ve listened to the Folklore and Evermore episodes and they are * chef’s kiss *.