The Monthly Media Catchup: Everything I Read, Watched & Listened To | August 2020
The end of August is always a bittersweet time for me because summer is my favourite time of the year and there are very few things, in practice, that I like about winter. But I also love the start of a new school year, and although this year is the first one I’ve spent out of education, I still have that ‘back-to-school’ feeling and I appreciate the order and structure that comes with it. So whilst I’m sad to be saying goodbye to what was actually one of my most social summers ever, despite coronavirus, I am looking forward to a few more nights in and longer days at my desk (give me 3 weeks - maximum - and I’ll be over it).
Usually, August is a month of relaxation for me, as I go on holiday to escape the world and relax. But this year I’ve been going on UK holidays and visiting friends, in order to re-enter the world and catch up on all the socialising I missed out on during the months we spent in lockdown. With that, I’ve consumed far less culture than normal and I actually have no TV shows or films to report on. I’ve spent barely any time sitting down in front of the TV this month and when I have, I’ve been watching, to my shame, Glee. This started as something I’d watch when I was hungover but I spent so much of my time hungover in July and August compared to normal, that I just decided to start watching it full-time. I still have a couple of seasons to go, though, so I’ll report on that next month, probably.
This month, it’s just books, podcasts, articles and music then. I’ve read less books than usual, but the ones I have read have all been phenomenal. I’ve also become kind of obsessed with Ali Smith’s seasonal quartet… despite never having read any of the books. I’ve ordered Autumn* though and it’s at the top of my to be read list for Autumn, as I’ve been fascinated by all the long reads on Smith’s seasonal quartet coming to a close. I started subscribing to Guardian Weekly this month, so the article section is a little bit Guardian heavy and there are some articles I’m recommending that are print only, but I’d really recommend subscribing as the magazine is great.
I’ve also discovered a podcast which I would easily describe as my favourite podcast ever. Much like July though, I’ve been listening to less podcasts, generally, and more music, although my playlist is a weird one this month. A strange thing happens every August where I start listening to pop music I never normally listen to and that’s been intensified this year by the release of WAP. As well as that, I’ve been loving Mahalia’s album, which is very in-character for me. Rambling introduction aside, here’s the small amount of things I read, watched and listened to this month…
books
Small island by andrea levy | ★★★★*
Small Island was this months’ book club pick (if you didn’t read last month’s MMC, my book club is collaborating with the Women’s Prize to read three past winners of the prize) and it’s one I’ve wanted to read for a while. The novel is concerned with the Windrush Generation and explores the lives of four characters: Hortense who arrives in London from Jamaica in 1948, Gilbert Joseph, a black man who fights for Britain in the war but is treated as a second-class citizen in post-WW2 Britain, Queenie, his white female landlord, and Bernard, Queenie’s husband who she assumes has died in the war.
Levy’s constructions of voice are so impressive. Polyphonic novels like this one rarely create four equally endearing characters, usually one stands out as superior. But I enjoyed every single narrative in this novel and appreciated the depth created around each of the characters. A beautiful novel that could be the definitive lesson, in my opinion, in pacing plot. 4.5 stars.
intimations by zadie smith | ★★★★★*
When I found out Zadie Smith had been writing a collection of essays during lockdown, it felt like the months I spent not being able to leave the house might have been worth it. I’m joking, obviously, but I can’t tell you how much ease Zadie Smith’s non-fiction writing brings me. It’s so comforting to know someone is thinking about the world we’re living in so intelligently and her writing style is everything I aspire to. Although if I could achieve 1/100th of what Zadie Smith achieves when she writes an email, even, I’d be happy. Here’s an excerpt from the book I loved:
But the young man in his twenties is still in peak dreaming season: a thrilling time, an insecure time, even at the best of times. It should be a season of possibility. Economic, romantic, technological, political, existential possibility. Yes, among all the various relativities to be considered, age is the one that can’t be parsed. The style of Cy - the style of all young people - now radically interrupted.
weather by jenny offill | ★★★★*
Jenny Offill is another author I admire. Literature that experiments with form isn’t something I always enjoy, but Offill strikes a balance that it is difficult to strike, that is challenging the reader, whilst also allowing the book to flow in a way that makes it easy to read. Weather, shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize for fiction, explores what it means to live through crisis, namely, an environmental crisis. Lizzie, the protagonist, is a librarian and is navigating a world which we might assume is our current world, but also could be any world in crisis, which makes it a disconcerting read. She’s also navigating her family life, looking after her alcoholic brother, her unsure marriage, her mother and her son.
Like Offill’s novel Dept. of Speculation, Weather’s prose is fragmented and it’s not always completely clear what is taking place. But I think this is an intentional stylistic choice and one that allows you to experience the world of the novel in the same way her characters do: floating through it, acknowledging that things are unsure, but inevitably continuing forwards, soaking up all it offers you. One of my favourite moments from the novel was this:
Young person worry: What if nothing I do matters?
Old person worry: What if everything I do does?
podcasts
Brown girls do it too | ★★★★★
This podcast is everything I could ever want from a podcast and more. The concept is: three brown women who have never met before meet weekly to discuss every single detail of their sex lives, from masturbation, to ‘losing their virginity’ to the appearance of their vaginas. Their aim is to break down taboos around brown women talking about sex. But Poppy, Rubina and Roya are potentially three of the funniest people I’ve ever encountered, so I spent almost the entirety of the 4 hours it took me to listen to Brown Girls Do it Too belly laughing. It’s refreshing how candid they all are in talking about sex and I think everyone could learn so much from listening to it. I would pay so much money for a second season.
individual episodes:
articles
Intimations by Zadie Smith review – a wonderful essayist on the lockdown | The Guardian
Cast Adrift | Guardian Weekly (Print only)
If you’re not terrified about Facebook, you haven’t been paying attention | The Guardian
A Very Long Year: Ali Smith’s Seasons | Guardian Weekly (Print only)
music
The Monthly Media Catchup: Everything I Read, Watched & Listened To | July 2020
Affiliate links are marked with a *
I think every year when it gets to July, half of my conversations with any given people begin with the statement something along the lines with, “I just can’t believe it’s July already! Where does the time go?” But this year, almost all of my conversations feel like they begin with that and not just because it’s an easy form of small talk but because we’ve spent most of 2020 at home, living the same day over and over again. With the opening of bars and restaurants this month, I seem to have temporarily become an extrovert, as the idea of getting out the house is more appealing than it ever has been to me. I’ve been soaking up all the social contact I can get but, with that, have been consuming less culture than usual.
The culture I have consumed, however, has been great, including some easily binge-able TV series that total less than 10 episodes each (ideal for commitment-phobes like me) and some really interesting books. As seems to be a theme since cinemas have closed, I haven’t watched many films. In fact, I haven’t watched any this month, just a documentary that I enjoyed so much I’ve been thinking ever since I need to watch documentaries more, although that’s yet to happen. I’ve been moving away from podcasts and have started to listening to music more often, so there’s a playlist this month. But I’ve largely been listening to albums that were released during my teenage years (as everything else about my life is reflecting them at the moment): Drake’s Take Care, Frank Ocean’s channel ORANGE and Beyonce’s BEYONCE, which I think I’ve decided is my favourite Beyonce album, although that’s an almost impossible decision.
Preamble over, here is everything I read, watched and listened to during the month of July this year…
BOOKS
When I lived in modern times by linda grant | ★★★*
At the beginning of lockdown, I started a book club with some friends from uni, as well as some people who I know call friends who I had connected with on social media. We met on zoom weekly to discuss what we’d been reading individually as well as a discussion topic that varied each week. As lockdown came to an end, I saw an opportunity for reading groups to get involved with the Women’s Prize initiative #ReadingWomen, a project to encourage people to read previous winners of the Women’s Prize. We were sent three books, Small Islands by Andrea Levy, The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver and this one, When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant.
The idea of this book really appealed to me, so much so that I actually bought it myself earlier in the year (it was actually on my last shopping trip before lockdown began). It follows a young Jewish woman from London who emigrates to the future Israel in 1946. I am shamefully uneducated on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and this book certainly helped to provide some more context on the issues surrounding it, as well as the extra reading I was encouraged to do as a result of reading it. The protagonist is young and self-centred and, as a result, the novel presents the conflict very much from the perspective of a Jewish person. Whilst this was valuable in some ways, as her character certainly both encouraged and discouraged empathy towards the Israeli experience in very nuanced ways, I do think I would have preferred if the novel would have offered a more balanced outlook on the conflict, as there was a noticeable lack of Palestinian voices. Perhaps this is down to my own lack of education, as if I was educated on the subject I could have considered the book and its slightly biased point of view objectively but I do also think that, with it being such a complicated and sensitive issue that so many people lack education on for whatever reason, it’s important to always depict differing experiences when writing about this conflict, fictionally or otherwise.
how do we know we’re doing it right? by pandora Sykes | ★★★★
Pandora Sykes is one of my favourite cultural critics and I read every article she writes, as well as obsessively listening to her podcast, The High Low. So, obviously, I was very excited about her book (I’ve had it on pre-order for over a year). How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right? is a book of essays that tackle subjects that are distinct to the 21st century, perhaps even exclusively the 2010s. From wellness, to fast fashion, to the epidemic of business, the book is wide in its scope but does a great job at picking up on topics that are all somewhat relevant to each other.
What I love about Pandora’s voice, especially in this book, is that she is unconcerned with offering authoritative perspectives on subjects. Whilst I write and read opinion pieces regularly, I often find myself feeling exhausted by them and their mission to offer answers on subjects in 500 words or less, even if what they are writing about requires far more exploration than that. Pandora’s ethos in this book seems to be focussing on asking questions, rather than answering them and in doing so she pokes holes in phenomenons of daily life that have become normalised for most of us, offering nuanced and unique thoughts on topics that are written about regularly. It’s research heavy, which I appreciated, but also manages to be very easy-to-read and I flew through this book in a few days.
lote by shola von reinhold | ★★★★
I think the concept of this novel will either immediately appeal to you or it won’t, but its plot is almost entirely up my street. It follows present-day narrator Mathilda’s fixation with the forgotten black Scottish modernist poet, Hermia Druitt. I wrote my dissertation on an author who was marginalised from the modernist movement and the thing that I find most interesting about the modernist movement is the marginal spaces within it. In academic spaces, I feel like there are constantly discussions about rediscovering the archive and this is largely achieved in these spaces by reading books that were otherwise forgotten. But I think LOTE offers a way to rediscover artists and writers who have otherwise been neglected in a way that feels really modern.
The form of the novel is really interesting, with excerpts from various texts including a book called Black Modernisms that details the lives of various black people who were involved with the modernist movement, which was really educational. Alongside that, it follows Mathilda, who is fixated by the historical group The Bright Young Things and is involved in archival research concerning them in a London museum, when she comes across a photo of Hermia. The rest of the novel takes place in Dun, as Mathilda applies for a residency there as a means of finding somewhere to live and also discovering more about Hermia, who spent a great deal of time in Dun. The residency she is a part of is made up of highly pretentious academic-type people, which made for some hilarious moments in their extremely niche accuracy, but her investigation of Hermia offers fascinating insights about beauty and luxury, particularly how these things can exist and can hold power when we consider them outside of their usual boundaries, that is, within a system of capitalism (this was also something my dissertation was concerned with and something I am fascinated by).
This book is so intensely literary in a way that usually annoys me (e.g. Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway or Joyce’s Portrait of an Artist) but I really enjoyed it here. I think it’s because Von Reinhold writes with so much self-awareness and they are also interested in amplifying marginalised voices rather than the voices of those who already hold power in many ways, as the Woolf and Joyce novels do, in my opinion.
I’d highly recommend this book if it sounds like something that would appeal to you. It was published this year as part of Jacaranda’s Twenty in 2020 initiative, as they become the first publisher to publish 20 titles by 20 Black British writers in one year and there are some other books on the list that I am keen to read, so I’d recommend taking a look at that!
TV
hollywood (Netflix) | ★★★★
Set in post-World War II, you guessed it, Hollywood, this series follows aspiring actors and filmmakers who are trying to make it in the world of show business. It’s a Ryan Murphy series and it received really bad reviews, but I loved every episode and I’m coming to realise that I am a big fan of Ryan Murphy’s work (see also: my next recommendation). Hollywood presents a somewhat utopian vision of the American filmmaking industry, as producers and filmmakers put themselves on the line to create diverse film. It’s not historically accurate but I found it to be very moving, to see what could have come out of self-sacrifice and to see just how powerful diverse representation is in film (I sobbed throughout the entirety of the final episode).
the politician season two (netflix) | ★★★★
This is another Ryan Murphy show with fairly bad reviews but, again, I enjoyed it. I think I might have enjoyed Season Two of The Politician more than season one which is not the general consensus. But I loved the New York setting and its satirised depiction of how American politics and, in particular, American elections work. I loved episode five, which profiled a mother and daughter; the latter was voting for Peyton, the protagonist, and the former, his opponent. This episode does what the show does best, represent current issues in a humorous but reflective way.
the morning show (apple tv) | ★★★★
I saw this show promoted so much at the start of the year but, as I often do, waited a few months to watch it. It tackles issues surrounding the #MeToo movement as the host of America’s most popular morning show is fired as a result of predatory behaviour. It stars Jennifer Anniston and Reese Witherspoon who were really convincing in their roles. I was skeptical about having two such high-profile actors playing alongside each other (especially because I see them, first and foremost when they’re together, as Rachel and her sister) but The Morning Show is really a credit to their acting ability. I thought the series did a great job at exploring the nuances around the #MeToo movement, particularly cancel culture, and how high-profile figures claim to have had everything taken away from them whilst still having, ahem, a mansion in upstate New York and a 10 bedroom apartment in Manhattan.
FILM
everything is copy (Sky) | ★★★★
Nora Ephron is a writer who I turn to when I’m looking for something easy to read, wise words and a good old belly laugh. This documentary tracks her entire life, particularly her career and I found it totally fascinating.
PODCASTS
prose before hoes | ★★★★
If you’ve read one of my Monthly Media Catchups before, you’ll know I love a book podcast. This is a new one that combines alcohol and books, as the hosts, Camilla and Elle, discuss everything they’ve been reading whilst having a drink. As someone who doesn’t necessarily enjoy the taste of alcohol, and largely drinks, like a teenager, to get drunk, I enjoy the books part of the podcast more than the alcohol part. But I have similar reading tastes to the hosts and often am reading the same books they are, which makes for great listening. Also, I love the title of this podcast.
doing it right with pandora sykes | ★★★★
Alongside her book, Pandora started this podcast to explore some of the topics her essays are interested in, interviewing experts in their fields and pop culture figures. I’d highly recommend the episode with Sinéad Burke in particular. She’s an incredible speaker and this episode was so educational on issues surrounding disability.
individual episodes:
ARTICLES
How to Report on Internet Culture and the Teens Who Rule It | NY Times
Eliza Clark: ‘I’m from Newcastle and working class. To publishers, I’m diverse.’ | The Guardian
MuSic
The Monthly Media Catchup: Everything I Read, Watched & Listened To | May 2020
May was the month that I finally completed my English Literature degree. And how did I celebrate? By reading, of course!
But, seriously, the novelty of being able to read off-syllabus whenever I want is one I’m not sure will ever wear off and it’s been made even more exciting by the UK’s unseasonably warm weather. Waking up, heading straight to the garden with my book and taking breaks inside whenever I got too warm to watch an episode of Sex and The City? Maybe I could get used to this whole lockdown thing…
Books
mr salary by Sally Rooney | ★★★★*
After watching Normal People, I needed another Sally Rooney fix. Luckily, I’d ordered this short story after finishing her first and second novels last year and hadn’t got round to reading it. Mr Salary is about Sukie, who is returning home to Dublin, and her relationship with Nathan, a family friend she moved in with when she was a teenager because of difficulties at home. In typical Rooney fashion, it’s simple but endearing and explores the dynamics of a romantic relationship that is complicated due to external factors. I really enjoyed it and have since ordered two more books from this collection of Faber Stories by other authors, as I love the idea and the beautiful covers.
exciting times by naoise dolan | ★★★★*
Naoise Dolan has been compared to Sally Rooney, largely because she is an Irish millennial writer, I think, but perhaps also because, like Rooney, she writes about romantic relationships so well. Exciting Times follows Ava, who is living as an expat in Hong Kong and teaching English as a foreign language, and her weird living arrangement/relationship with a banker, Julian, as well as her romantic relationship with Edith. It’s witty and hilarious and almost every sentence carries socio-political commentary, but it is done in a way that somehow feels cleverly subtle. The commentary is largely focussed on being Irish and how this affects her experience of being an expat, as she is expected to teach Anglo-English as opposed to Irish-English, as well as the feminist politics of accepting money/housing off a partner, which I found really interesting. I absolutely loved this book and really recommend it. 4.5 stars.
I feel bad about my neck: and other thoughts on being a woman by nora ephron | ★★★*
I picked this collection of essays up on a weekend when I was feeling a bit off and couldn’t really get into any of the books I was trying to read. This one was perfect. These essays were written late in Ephron’s life and they are mostly interested in ageing as a woman. An essay that stands out to me in retrospect was actually about Ephron’s huge, rent-controlled, bougie apartment in New York, however, which provided me with at least a day of dreaming about living there. Like Eprhon’s most well-known novel, Heartburn, this collection of essays didn’t blow me away, but I devoured them in, basically, a day, as they’re such easy reading and can be a real tonic when you’re feeling a bit crap. But I don’t necessarily subscribe to the deification of Ephron, purely because there are other writers whose craft I admire more (see the next review) and I don’t think the topics Ephron discusses are anything revolutionary, although I enjoy how she manages to discuss everything with humour and a certain light-heartedness that really translates to the reader.
changing my mind: occasional essays by zadie smith | ★★★★*
Zadie Smith is my favourite non-fiction writer that I’ve read, even though her fiction, whilst I admire the writing hugely, is not my go-to. The precision, structure and self-awareness in her non-fiction writing is something I can only aspire to and I read and re-read every word in this collection so closely to try and get my head around how she does it. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just pure, natural genius.
The essays in this collection range from cultural commentary and reviews to personal essays to literary analysis. The only reason I’ve knocked a star off is because, at times, I had no awareness of the topics she wrote about, and I think the intended reader should have had some, and it did also feel that these essays had just been thrown together, rather than carefully curated. If this was a writer who hadn’t perfected her craft, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it at all. But the reason it took me almost 2 months to read is not down to lack of enjoyment but because I just really wanted to sit with and savour every sentence. My favourite essays were ‘Dead Man Laughing’, in which she discusses an almost universal experience, the death of her father, without cliche but in a way that is meaningful and uniquely touching, as well as her essay on ‘Rereading Barthes and Nabokov’. I want to include an excerpt from the latter that I think will resonate with everyone who has studied English Literature:
‘It’s probably for the best that [Nabokov] didn’t live to see the kind of post-Barthes (and post-Foucault) campus criticism that flowered on both sides of the pond during the eighties and nineties. Wild analogy; aggressive reading against the grain and across codes and discourses; a fondness for cultural codes over textual particulars. You remember the sort of thing:
The Trans-gendered Suitor: Refractions of Darcy as Elizabeth’s True Sister in Pride and Prejudice.
Daisy, the Dollar, and Foucault’s Repressive Hypothesis: Portraits of Sexualised Capital in The Great Gatsby
Please Sir, Can I Have Some More: Bulimic Rejections of Self in Oliver Twist.
I’ve written a lot of essays like this. And found it a wonderful thing, to feel so free. The novel was mine to do with as I wished, to read upside down, back to front or in entirely anachronistic terms. That kind of freedom makes writers of readers, liberating us from the passive and authoritarian styles we are taught in school (Hard Times = British education system in Victorian England). When we read instead in an active way we get to reinscribe dusty old novels into our own interests and cocnerns. There is a joy in getting someone to hand us their butterfly so we can spend twenty pages making the case for its being our giraffe.’
Some people call this collection of essays pretentious, and one GoodReads reviewer said Smith seemed like she was ‘trying to be erudite’. But having read and listened to every interview of hers I can get my hands on, I think she really is just very clever and you can’t take that personally - just enjoy and appreciate that we are lucky enough to live during the same time as her. Ok, I’m done! Read Zadie Smith!
kartography by kamila shamsie | ★★★*
I bought this novel after seeing Kamila Shamsie in conversation with Jeanette Winterson way back in 2017, having read Shamsie’s fantastic novel, Home Fire. Kartography is one of her earlier novels, one that I’ve been recommended when I’ve mentioned to people that I love Home Fire and, although I enjoyed it, it didn’t hit quite the same as Home Fire. It’s set in Karachi, the city in Pakistan where Shamsie is from and I think part of the reason I didn’t enjoy it as much as Home Fire is because I’m not aware of the political goings on in Pakistan as much as I am of those in the UK and America, which is no fault of Shamsie’s, only my own. But I also think that this novel is very different to Home Fire, in that, whilst it’s interested in political commentary, it’s centred on a love story, between two young adults, Raheen and Karim, whose parents swapped fiancees before they were born, yet remain best friends. There is a mystery behind this fiancee swap that is eventually revealed at the end of the novel but the main storyline is that of Raheen and Karim and their relationship. It’s definitely worth a read, as Kamsie’s signature wit and humour is there, if not as much in Home Fire, and it is a beautiful portrayal of Shamsie’s home town. I also learnt a lot about Pakistan, its history and its politics, so it was definitely worthwhile, but sometimes I was a little bored with the love story narrative. 3.5 stars.
Trick Mirror by jia tolentino | ★★★★*
I feel as though I’m late to this book, although I’m sure Jia Tolentino would have much to say about the idea of being ‘late to a book’ and how this idea has been constructed by an obsession with keeping up, bred by social media and, inevitably, the capitalist society we live in. I’m sure she’d say it much better than that. This was the first book, alongside Kartography, I read after completing my degree and it has made me so excited about the reading opportunities I have now my ‘reading for fun’ books aren’t limited to those I can read just before bed. This essay collection interrogates what it means to live in the contemporary world, from using social media, to reality TV, to campus sexual assault, to big fancy weddings and so much more. Tolentino has an incredible mind and her voice, skeptical yet thoughtful about the trivial and the serious, is one that I am so glad that exists within journalism. I can’t wait to read more of her work.
TV
sex and the city (SKY) | ★★★★★
I had 3 goals for lockdown: 1. get into tea, 2. watch Sex and the City, 3. learn to do a headstand. I’ve managed the ones that don’t require me to leave my bed and/or pull out a yoga mat. Sex and the City was the PERFECT quarantine watch. It’s essentially a rom-com spread out over 6 seasons with great 90s style (my favourite era for fashion), and commentary on sex, relationships and being a woman that is partly still relevant now and I’m sure was revolutionary when it was created. There are certainly problematic elements and it is a reflection of the time it was made in every way (the good and the bad) but I think as long as we acknowledge the issues it has and educate ourselves to ensure our beliefs are not the same as some of the ones the characters adapt, then we can appreciate the show for what it is. And what it is is a celebration of friendship in the very aspirational context of four women, some of whom barely work, who have lots of money, and make the most of the New York they are living in. Fuck Big, Aidan is ok, but, as usual, Samantha was right in choosing Smith Gerrard. He’s the only man I really like in the series. My favourite moment from the entirety of the 6 seasons is pictured below (Samantha is such a gem):
little fires everywhere (AMazon prime) | ★★★
This is TV series was developed by Reese Witherspoon’s production company, based on a book of the same name. I haven’t read the book, as I prefer this kind of plot-driven narrative in TV format, rather than in a novel, but I was excited about the series anyway, as I loved Big Little Lies. I binged it in two days and I thought the first few episodes were gripping and provided a brilliant commentary on race and class in America. The last couple of episodes, particularly the last one, however, became so far-fetched and disengaged that it’s tainted my memory of the show. It’s definitely worth a watch as the first few episodes live up to my memory of Big Little Lies, the ending, however, does not.
Film
sex and the city 1 and 2 (netflix & amazon prime) | ★★★★
Obviously once I finished watching the series, I watched both of the films. I’ve watched them before but they’re much better when you know the characters and their back stories. They’re not as good as the TV show, because they’ve adopted a kind of Hollywood glamour that the TV show, rightfully, didn’t have and they are also cliched in a way that the TV show generally wasn’t. But it did make me think that every long TV show with a big fan base should follow up with two movies that aren’t quite as good as the show to provide closure for its viewers. Gossip Girl 1 and 2 anyone?
little women (2019) (Amazon Prime) | ★★★★★
I promise I’m not going to rave about Little Women again (you can read my review, which, in short, says I love it so much, here). But I’m including it on this list to provide the very important news that it’s now available to buy on Amazon Prime and I have obviously bought and watched it, and loved it just as much on a third viewing.
mystic pizza (netflix) | ★★★
This was my only Netflix party watch of the month! It’s a classic rom-com featuring Julia Roberts about three sisters who are navigating relationships with different men. It’s nothing revolutionary but definitely a cosy, easy watch. Plus, I’ll watch anything that features Julia Roberts
he’s just not that into you (Netflix) | ★★★
Another easy rom-com! I do feel as though that this film has got the formula for a rom-com down to a tee, but it’s not one that I regularly re-watch and I think it would be more interesting and relevant, like most things, with more diversity.
joan didion: the center will not hold (netflix) | ★★★★
I always knew Joan Didion lived a fascinating life but I didn’t really know what it entailed. This documentary did a great job of filling me in and it was, indeed, fascinating. I’d recommend reading this New Yorker article after watching the documentary.
Podcasts
table manners | ★★★★
This podcast has been recommended to me so much but, for some reason, I’ve resisted it up until now. Actually, I tried to listen to the episode with Haim a couple of months ago but gave up when I realised that making a podcast with 5 people does not work. I’ve finally gotten into Table Manners this month, anyhow, after listening to their recent episode with Florence Pugh. I’ve listened to a few other episodes since then and I really enjoy Jessie and Lenny’s dynamic and I think they do a great job of making their guests comfortable enough to talk openly with them. Other episodes I’ve listened to so far include those with Emilia Clarke (this one was also great), Dolly Alderton and Antoni Porowski.
individual episodes i enjoyed:
Articles
I’ve been reading lots of articles from all my usual sources this month but I’ve also really gotten into Penguin’s features section - see below for my recommendations from Penguin and some of my other favourite publications and sites.
Curtis Sittenfeld interview: what would Hillary have achieved without Bill Clinton? | Sunday Times
Don't worry, I live with all these books: the socially distant joy of reading outside | Penguin
I Don't Know How To Say This But... I Miss Feeling Hot | Man Repeller
A bow and a courtesy: how Jane Austen's age of social distancing reflects our own | Penguin
music
There’s no playlist this month as I’ve pretty much exclusively been listening to Joni Mitchell, but I would really recommend this Guardian article on where to start with Joni Mitchell, as I think she’s the perfect artist to be stuck in your house with, as well as to take along on your daily walks.
you might also like…
The Monthly Media Catchup: Everything I Read, Watched & Listened To | April 2020 (BUMPER LOCKDOWN EDITION)
My coping mechanism during lockdown has been to escape into the lives and worlds of others and it’s provided me with so much solace and much-needed escapism. To celebrate how great all forms of media can be for this purpose, I’m offering up a bumper lockdown edition of the Monthly Media Catch Up with all the usual categories as well as a General Entertainment section, with all the random things that have been keeping me entertained as well as the usuals.
This month, I think I’ve balanced uni reading and reading for pleasure pretty well and have managed to watch a fair few TV series, alongside Sex & The City - although I won’t be chatting about it this month because, somehow, I still haven’t completed it - and re-watching The Bold Type for the umpteenth time. I’ve also watched a lot of films (for me), maybe more than ever?! Netflix Parties have been something that I’ve been really enjoying and I’ve watched (mostly re-watched) some brilliant films with my friends via this medium.
Feel free to skip through categories depending on what you’re looking for, although there are some real gems in each of them so I’d, obviously, recommended reading them all, especially now the ‘I don’t have time’ excuse is a phrase of the past.
Books
Animal’s People by Indra sinha | ★★★★*
This novel, that I read for my Humans & Other Animals module at uni, follows Animal, who survived the 1984 Bhopal disaster but sustained serious spinal injuries as a result of it which means he can only walk on all fours. Because of this, he rejects his humanness and, in this novel, he tells the story of his friends who are fighting for justice after the disaster and an American doctor who claims she wants to help, particularly, how these events affect him. The novel is written in dialect that is specific to Animal and his tone is often humorous, which I really enjoyed. The story is also gripping and moving at times, and highlights lots of issues including white/western privilege and, of course, the boundaries between human and animal.
None Turn Back by storm jameson | ★★★*
The final Storm Jameson book I read for my dissertation! This one is also the final book in the Mirror in Darkness series and is set during the 1926 General Strike. I enjoyed it and I liked how the trilogy ended, but if you’re interested in reading Storm Jameson, I would start with A Day Off and if you like that, Company Parade. If you loved both of these, I would say the rest of the Mirror in Darkness trilogy, but if you only liked them, I think Company Parade is the best in the series and the next two are slightly disappointing.
my year of rest and relaxation by ottessa moshfegh | ★★★★*
This novel is about a young woman living in New York who decides to try and sleep for a year, after her both of her parents die and she inherits a great deal of money, so is able to do so. I really enjoyed this novel. It was witty and hilarious and the protagonist was horribly unlikeable which added to the humour even more. Her friendship with her closest friend Reva was fascinating and her therapist’s rants had me laughing out loud. At times, I did find it very depressing, especially as it slowed down and became repetitive in the middle. But the novel was so unique that some of the slower parts really didn’t bother me as much and I loved the ending, which was so cliched that it was somehow innovative. 4.5 stars.
We are all completely beside ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler | ★★★★*
Another book I read for the Humans & Other Animals module! I loved this one. It’s difficult to explain as something is revealed on p.77, that I would hate to spoil for you, as the tension built up before this point is really necessary and pays off completely. But it follows Rosemary who, when we meet her, is a college student, but has clearly been deeply affected by her childhood with a sister who was taken away from her at a very young age. The novel tracks Rosemary’s life as she tries to deal with this, exploring the human/non-human animal boundary and the ethics of science. Like Animal’s People, though, it managed to find the perfect boundary between a fast-paced plot and confronting important issues. Although I think I enjoyed this one even more than Animal’s People because the concept is fascinating to me.
never let me go by kazuo ishiguro | ★★★★*
Again, I read this for Humans & Other Animals, although I have read it before a few years ago. This one is a bit like We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, in that information is revealed to you throughout the novel that, if I told you what it was now, it wouldn’t have the same effect. What I will say is that it’s semi-dystopian and tracks the lives of three students, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, who are brought up at a boarding school called Hailsham, who know less about the trajectory of their lives than they think. It’s a really novel and thought-provoking idea for a book and I also really enjoy the characters, as they’re all extremely complicated and, at times, unlikeable, which I think makes the book an even more interesting read.
The Interestings by meg wolitzer | ★★★★*
I read this book after hearing Dolly and Pandora rave about it on The High Low, which is how lots of books make it on to my shelves. I’ve heard a lot of people say they loved this book, which I think gave me very high expectations. This is never a good way to come to a book, or anything, in my opinion, because it means I’m constantly looking for flaws. I don’t know if this says more about me than expectations as a concept generally. Nevertheless, although I enjoyed reading this book and was excited to get back to it once I had put it down, I didn’t love it by any means. The only character who I found really endearing was Jonah and he probably had the least time dedicated to him out of all the characters, which is a shame. I had the same problem with it that I had with the The Secret History by Donna Tartt which is that, for me, there were too many people and we saw too much of their lives, so anytime I became interested in a particular incident, we’d soon moved on from it, and the plot lines that Wolitzer did hold on to and thread throughout the novel just weren’t interesting to me (read: Goodman as a character). It’s for sure worth a read if you’re looking for an easy read and I did enjoy Wolitzer’s writing, it just wasn’t my favourite. 3.5 stars.
TV
Quiz (ITV) | ★★★★
I saw this show advertised a lot and, like the basic Fleabag-loving bitch I am, I was drawn to it mostly by Sian Clifford. It’s a drama/comedy that’s only three episodes long (which is perfect for me, as I have serious commitment issues when it comes to TV series) and is based on Charles and Diana Ingram who supposedly cheated on Who Want’s To Be a Millionaire. It was really funny and I was honestly on the edge of my seat throughout (this is the level of drama I can just about deal with on TV.)
Unorthodox (Netflix) | ★★★★
My nan recommended this show to me and I decided to watch it, despite usually avoiding “serious” TV, as she assured me that it wouldn’t be too much for my fragile self. And I loved it! It’s based on the story of a 19 year old woman who fled her home and her Orthodox Jewish family in New York to move to Berlin. Like most of the things I clearly enjoy, it was equal-parts educational and gripping and has made me desperate to visit Berlin again. Plus, all the characters were really complicated, which was interesting (apart from Moishe, what a dick.)
normal people (BBC) | ★★★★★
I am truly lost for words when it comes to this series. Having read Sally Rooney’s novel, Normal People, a couple of years ago, I was really looking forward to the BBC adaptation, but it was better than I could have ever accepted. I usually can’t sit still long enough to watch more than two episodes of anything at a time, but I was so enthralled by Normal People, that I watched the entire series in a day. One week later and I still feel so moved by it. I can’t watch a clip from the series online without bursting into tears. I can’t recommend it enough if you’re craving any kind of escapism, although, do be warned, that if you watch it in a day like I did, you may be unable to talk to anyone in the days following.
film
Mistress America | ★★★
If you’ve read my blog before, you probably know that I’m a big Greta Gerwig fan. Netflix clearly knows this too as they have been constantly recommending this film to me for the past couple of months. It’s nothing revolutionary but I really enjoyed it. It stars Gerwig, who is in her mid-late twenties and presents as the “cool girl”, and Lola Kirke, a college student who greatly admires Gerwig’s character. If you track what I’ve consumed in this (or any) blog post, you’ll notice a lot of it is in New York, as this immediately gives any piece of media an added charm for me, and it certainly did here. It was an easy watch that I enjoyed but it’s not neccesarily something I’ll remember.
Erin Brokovich | ★★★★
I’d somehow never seen this film and was really excited to watch it, having loved all of Julia Robert’s other films. This one really exceeded my expectations, with the added socio-political layer, as well as Robert’s classic charm (and great looks). Erin Brokovich is a struggling mother who gets a job doing admin at a lawyer firm, but she soon becomes invested in a case that is looking at how the water in a town has been poisoned by a gas and electric company. 4.5 stars.
you’ve got mail | ★★★
As well as Julia Robert’s films, I’m trying to make my way through the Meg Ryan classics, and this one, which also stars Tom Hanks was perfect for a relaxed Saturday night whilst I was also filling in scrapbooks. Ryan and Hanks meet anonymously in an online chat room, unaware that in the real world they are rivals, professionally, as Ryan owns an independent book store and Hanks works for the family business, a corporate book store business who are trying to shut down independents. It felt nostalgic in so many ways, obviously in that online dating is a novelty rather than the norm here, but also in that any book store is a good book store nowadays, given how few and far in between they are. The film is definitely dated which I enjoyed but I don’t think it’s one I’ll go back to again and again.
clueless | ★★★★
I re-watched this classic via Netflix Party and loved it so much. I mainly enjoyed Cher’s iconic outfits and quotes.
legally blonde | ★★★★
I’ve watched this before but I forgot how great the story actually is. It’s genuinely feminist and the script is hilarious. Also, I’ll watch Selma Blair in anything.
podcasts
sugar calling | ★★★★
In this New York Times Podcast, created specifically for lockdown, Cheryl Strayed calls up older writers, to get their words of wisdom on how to deal with these “unprecedented times.” It’s the perfect listening for your daily walk and I can highly recommend starting at the very beginning, with the episode calling up George Saunders, whose words feel like a warm hug, which, I’m sure, we’re all craving more than ever.
honourable mentions:
articles
How Does Infidelity Work During Lockdown? by Lisa Taddeo | Sunday Times Style
Drew Barrymore on the Importance of Letting Go | Sunday Times Style
David Sedaris: I sneak outside to a New York in which I am the only person | The Times
general entertainment
NY Times Daily Mini Crossword (I do this every day)
New Yorker Digital Jigsaw (perfect for when you’re bored during an online class)
PhotoBox personalised jigsaw (I had one made of my cat, which is so much fun)
The humble Nintendo Wii (switches are expensive and nothing beats playing Mario Kart on a Wii)
Barre Balance Online (such a lovely community and Natalie is the best instructor)
Healthy With Hannah Workouts (Hannah is the only person who actually motivates me to do burpees, but don’t tell her that)
The Anna Edit Cookies (the tastiest thing I’ve ever baked, I’m partial to the white chocolate ones)
Paperchase Scrapbook (scrapbooking is a lovely way to fill the time and this scrapbook is the best I’ve found)
Understanding Fashion: From Business to Culture course on FutureLearn (I’ve been doing this course on a free trial on FutureLearn and it’s really comprehensive)
music
My April playlist amassed a total of three songs because I’ve mostly been listening to album’s and other people’s playlists this month. So, here are said playlists I’ve been listening to. The first is by the wonderful Liv Playlist and the second is the best workout playlist I’ve ever come across (it’s also great for dancing around your room and pretending it’s 2015). Happy listening!
The Monthly Media Catchup: Everything I Read, Watched & Listened To | February 2020
February was a month of settling in to my final semester of university, which brought with it a bout of deadlines that arrived much earlier than usual. With all this writing came less reading, but lots of collapsing onto the couch with some feel good TV, even some films, which is so unlike me as I am, generally, someone who watches films exclusively at the cinema.
After this intense period of watching I am once again out of TV shows to watch, so please leave any recommendations in the comments (I only really like light-hearted TV because I 1. am a wimp and 2. use TV as a way to relax so don’t enjoy anything stressful.)
As always, let’s start with books, of which there was a mere three this month…
Books
Perfume by Patrick Suskind | ★★★★
This was the first book I had to read for a university module about humans, animals and their intersection (which is super interesting.) I’ve actually read this novel before, as Sam bought me it for my birthday a few years ago because we used to semi-ironically listen to Nirvana and this was Kurt Cobain’s favourite book. Following a man who has an abnormally strong sense of smell which defines his life from his birth to his death, it’s a very weird, unusual story. It’s written in a similar style to Vladimir Nabokov’s prose, which I love, so the style of writing was probably my favourite thing about it, but the hilarity of the strangeness of the story is also great.
Expectation by Anna Hope | ★★★
I was definitely influenced to read this book by its social media coverage, as lots of my favourite people to follow Instagram sung its praises. Whilst I enjoyed its plot and the issues it explored, motherhood and friendship being two of them, I found the writing style to be a little dull, which made certain moments have less impact, and limited it from surpassing a 3 star review. An easy, enjoyable read? Definitely! But it’s not one I’ll particularly remember or will go out of my way to recommend.
I’m trying to monitor whether I’m reading books because I saw them on social media and unthinkingly added them to my ‘to read list’ or if because there something I’m really interested in. Instead of relying on social media, I’m trying to discover new books more and more by wondering round bookshops and picking up books that intrigue me, reading their blurb and maybe a few pages, rather than taking so many recommendations off social media, as I think I’m beginning to lose my own taste in books.
Company Parade by Storm Jameson | ★★★★
This is the first in a series of Storm Jameson novels that I’ll be reviewing over the next couple months, as her fiction is the subject of my dissertation. Jameson is an author who sat on the margins of the modernist movement and has long been forgotten, but I became fascinated by her after studying one of her novels on a module last year and have decided to focus my dissertation on her work. If anyone’s interested, it’s about how she depicts clothing as uniquely powerful for her female characters- still working on my title.
This novel follows a young woman from Yorkshire who moved to London to pursue a career in writing in the post-WW1 years. It partly explores the trauma of war on society and individuals but what I love about Jameson’s fiction is her capacity, which is way ahead of its time, to authentically explore and depict young woman, who are often working-class, in a way that has philosophical and socio-economic importance. I like to think of her as Virginia Woolf but with more social commentary. This is a bit of a lazy comparison but I feel like it’s the best way to get people to read her work, which they should because it’s great and a shame that it’s been forgotten.
Tv
Next in Fashion | ★★★★
I was really excited about this show, mainly because it’s hosted by Tan France and Alexa Chung, a duo I didn’t know I needed, but that makes so much sense. Happily, it did not disappoint and I enjoyed every episode. The designers were all really great personalities but were, equally, incredibly talented designers (good job casting directors!) I loved watching the process behind each design and I think the themes for each week were well-chosen, plus, the guest judges were really impressive and not outdated at all, which I think they sometimes can be shows like this one.
(Mild spoiler: I really wanted the runner up to win, mainly because his looks on the sportswear week and the climate week were incredible. This is very weird for me because I’m generally uninterested in menswear, so this did ignite a minor identity crisis. But the winner’s ultra feminine final collection won me over the end which reassured me of my roots in womenswear.)
Crashing | ★★★★
Since finishing Fleabag, I’ve wanted to watch this series, also created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, but didn’t get round to it very quickly. I’m at once happy and sad that I finally did, happy because I finally watched it, sad because now it’s over. The humour is very much similar to that of Fleabag and although it isn’t quite as genius, it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable watch with weird and wonderful characters.
Love Is Blind | ★★★
This Netflix series really appealed to the part of me that is obsessed with the weirdness of American culture because, wow, is it weird. Weird in all the best ways that make great television, though.
I have to say though, as I watched the credits appear for the series finale, I felt my final brain cell slide begrudgingly down the side of my head, like a slug moving away from the grasp of a piece of kitchen roll. But we all need TV like this now again, especially when all your days are spent reading critical theory, there’s really nothing like good, sh*t TV.
Film
While we’re young | ★★★
I watched this at the beginning of the month, not solely because Adam Driver stars in it, but mostly that. It was a relaxed, funny watch and I really enjoyed it but it obviously hasn’t made that much of an impact on me because I can barely remember the plot. From what I can remember, it’s about a middle aged couple who become friends with a younger couple, sparking a mid-life crisis of sorts in which they try and re-live their youth.
parasite | ★★★★★
I’ve wanted to see Parasite for a while but, to be totally honest, I was put off a little bit because it’s a foreign language film and there’s subtitles. I thought this would make it a tiring watch requiring a lot of mental energy, especially in the cinema, but after the first 10 minutes, I didn’t even notice that I was reading subtitles rather than listening to words. The plot of this film was phenomenal, the humour mirrored my own down to a tee and the twists and turns it took consistently shocked me but made total sense. The social commentary running throughout it was also so affecting, without it being in-your-face, and completely universal, transcending language and countries. One of the best films I’ve watched in a long time.
booksmart | ★★★★
This is the perfect easy-to-watch, feel-good and hilarious film. I love that more films about female friendship are being made and I love that Beanie Feldstein is being cast in them because she is simply great.
fighting with my family | ★★★
When I suggested to Sam that we should watch a film about wrestling he was very confused. “Florence Pugh’s in it,” I explained. he was still confused. “She was in Little Wome-”, “Oh okay, I get it.”
I actually really enjoyed this film. Again, like Booksmart, it was easy to watch, funny and, at times, heartwarming. But I wasn’t always convinced by the script which was sometimes cliched and cringeworthy.
