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!