Books & Screens

 

There has been a lot of watching, listening AND reading here lately.

My last one of these was in January. I try to do them every other month. I’m talking about things you may not have seen. There’s bound to be something in here for you - my tastes span lots of genres.

And I’m sharing a favorite podcast and some of my Spotify playlists too.

Click on Images for links…

Reading…

 
 

This is an older book, but I am going back and reading ones that I never read. I had a 5 or 6 year dry spell for obvious reasons. Making up for lost time…. 😬

This was really good. Hard to read but very good. If you’ve never read it, check it out. I’ve heard that people think it was overrated. I disagree. It’s a memoir recounting a young girl’s survivalist Mormon family living in the mountains of Idaho, and her overcoming the situation to get an education.

 
 

This was very long and very heavy. But really very good. It was definitely a slow read. Demon Copperhead is the nickname for the narrator, Damon. It borrows from David Copperfield, and tells the story of a young boy growing up in poverty, at the mercy of the foster care system. It is set in the mountains of Southwestern Virginia, in Appalachia and starts in the 90’s when the opioid crisis was taking hold of poor, rural areas. The author does SUCH a good job with her first person narrative, you can hear him talking. So funny and clever. I’ve heard that it’s great to listen to it as an audiobook - that narrator is wonderful.

 
 

Okay - this one is an old book, written by the author of The Goldfinch. It had one of the highest ratings of any book in my Goodreads list. It was VERY intriguing. But strange. Maybe one of the strangest books I’ve ever read. It is a cerebral novel, and is an inverted detective story about a murder, told by one of the perpetrators.

Heavy books, ladies.Very good, but heavy. You can bet my next list will be lighter with lots of quick reads!

Watching…

Click on the images for links…

 
 

This is the story of a family run flower farm in the Skagit River Valley in Washington. It is now one of the most renowned flower farms in the world. There is a Season Two now. It was relaxing to watch and beautiful too. If you are a gardener or love to work with flowers, you will love it. I watched it on HBO Max, but it’s also on Magnolia Network.

 
 

This was the last season for this Apple show by M. Knight Shyamalan. If you like his stuff, you will like this. I did. There are always supernatural forces at work and even though at times, it gets a little crazy, it’s good. A young couple suffers an unspeakable tragedy and a mysterious force enters their home. On Apple TV.

The latest adaptation of the classic novel. I thought it was very well done. I always love a period piece and this one was good. Verrrry Steamy! The unhappy wife of an aristocrat falls in love with her husband’s gamekeeper, on their country estate. On Netflix.

This one was interesting. Since Edgar Allen Poe is a hometown boy, I had to check it out. A veteran detective investigates the murder of a cadet at West Point, and enlists the help of cadet Edgar Allen Poe. It stars Christian Bale, Gillian Anderson and Robert Duvall. On Netflix.

 
 

The scenery is superb, the acting is excellent and the story is compelling. And I’m a huge Colin Farrell fan. But it’s just so damn sad?! It takes place on an island off the coast of Ireland in 1923, and is the story of two lifelong friends. One day, one of them decides that he no longer wants to be friends with the other, causing a sad cascade of events. I mean how much can one man take? I look back on it with more fondness than I felt while watching it. On HBO Max or Amazon Prime.

 
 

This was very good with lots of twists and turns. I highly recommend. A con artist takes on Manhattan billionaires, and suddenly motivations are suspect and things are turned upside down! On Apple TV

 
 

This is so good. I watch it and drool. They make over kitchens in historic and everyday properties in England. The cabinetry, the colors, the faucets and light fixtures. Obsessed. On HBO Max and Magnolia Network.

 
 

Chip and I watched this one and we thought it was good. A thriller that keeps you watching till the end. A woman moves to Bucharest with her husband, knowing no one. A serial killer is stalking the streets and suddenly she notices someone watching her. Oooooh….. On Hulu and Amazon Prime.

Is it just me? I did not get it. I had to force myself to watch the last half. Sorry, I don’t recommend this, even after all it’s awards. I love Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee, but still….. When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, an unlikely hero must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre dangers, as the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Whatever. On Paramount +, Hulu and Amazon Prime.

 
 

This is a cute show and you might like it, especially if you are a Eugene Levy fan. The scenery is beautiful and he’s so funny. He visits some of the world’s most interesting places and meets the people that live there. I’ve only seen two episodes but it hasn’t really captured me yet. On Apple TV.

 
 

This is another one that I watched with hubby. His pick. It was good, and since it’s been a while since I saw a movie about the serial killer, I was engrossed. It’s the true account of reporter Loretta McLaughlin’s connecting the women’s deaths and breaking the story of the Boston Strangler in the 1960’s. On Hulu.

 
 

This new show was cute but ridiculously predictable, and a bit tedious. It started out great but I liked it less as it went on. It has all the characters that today’s shows must have, and just seemed too clever for itself. And the hookups seem really unbelievable. But that’s just me… It’s about a grieving therapist who starts telling his patients exactly what he thinks. And includes the goings on of his neighbors, his family and coworkers. On Apple TV.

 
 

You know I had to watch this - she’s my girl! Celeste Barber is hilarious on Instagram and I was interested in seeing how she translates to the bigger screen. Not bad! She’s still hilarious but the show goes off into all her costars’ plot lines - it would’ve been a lot funnier if it had stayed mainly on hers. She plays a successful food writer who is offered a new opportunity, to start up upon her return to the states. But a health crisis in her childhood home of Australia makes her question her hard partying ways and launch a get well journey to get back home. Even if it kills her. Very watchable and fun. On Netflix.

 
 

I’m four episodes in and still not sure about this one. It seems to tell the story of a scam, doused in the bright and sunny style of 1950’s futurism. A sales team is selling timeshares on the moon and I’m still not sure if they exist and where the show will end up. Intriguing. Stars Billy Crudup and Hank Azaria. I’ll just have to stay tuned. On Apple TV.

 
 

Marie Antoinette - one of my favorite subjects. The 15 year old Austrian princess is married off to the King of France’s grandson - next in line to the throne. And we all know how the story goes. This version is compelling and I am enjoying it greatly. It is very different than Sofia Coppola’s version from 2006 with Kirsten Dunst - but I love that one too. On PBS and on Amazon.

 
 

This series is great - this is the last season. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, even though season two got really dark. The characters are really well done, some of them really funny - like Cousin Greg, and BIL Tom. The family head, Logan Roy, owns a huge entertainment conglomerate, Waystar Royco, and has no plans to step aside and let his kids run it. His kids try to wrest it from him, to no avail. Company control and family loyalties collide over and over. On HBO Max and prior seasons on Hulu and Amazon Prime.

Another cute one that has all the requisite characters in place and is just too clever for itself. There’s a lot of overacting, and sometimes it’s just silly. I stopped about halfway through. Rob Lowe plays a grieving biotech genius, and his son comes on board to help him salvage his company. On Netflix.

This was very good. It reminds me of my favorite, The French Village. I would’ve rather had it subtitled than the dubbing, but that’s my only complaint. The voice actors don’t seem to fit. It takes place in France during WWI and the German troops are advancing. It’s the story of four women grappling with the devastating consequences of war at home after the men have all left. On Netflix.

On My Radar…Transatlantic, The Night Agent, The Consultant, The Chaperone, Mrs. Maisel (last season), Great Expectations, Ted Lasso (I can’t get excited about it?!) and Stonehouse….

listening…

Here’s my current favorite fun podcast…

 

If you were a fan of SNL in the 80’s, you will probably enjoy this. They interview all the old cast members and guest hosts. They have a ball and break into character and tell hilarious stories. If you like Dana Carvey - bonus points. He does his old characters and new ones. Listen to it wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

 

Lastly here are a few of my Spotify playlists that you might like for the warm season ahead. Enjoy!

That’s it for today - thanks for tuning in. Next week we’re taking a trip to the beautiful Montage at Palmetto Bluff - one of the top 25 hotels in the country, and I got to tag along - we’ll also be talking all things travel! After that we’ll be talking about your Zone of Genius and What’s Your Why?

 
Books and ScreenGray MaherSeries22 Comments