Hello there,
I don’t know about you all, but I’ve had some really low lows recently. There’s something of a distant light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, but it’s still a ways off. A lot of people I know have been vaccinated, but in spite of having a chronic health condition, I don’t qualify yet in my state, and I’ve made several failed attempts to get leftover vaccines at pharmacies in my neighborhood. (This week, I went out in a rainstorm, thinking I was clever and that people would skip their appointments; when I got to the pharmacy, there was a poorly socially distanced line for vaccines, and the pharmacist said there were people who’d been waiting for leftovers for nearly four hours.)
So I’ve had to find things that really lift my spirits and give me that boost of serotonin.
Watch
If you’ve watched the Great British Bake-off, you know that one of the best people on the show is Nadiya Hussain, who made incredible creations and is just an utterly lovely person. The good news is that Netflix has two BBC shows starring Nadiya: Nadiya’s Time to Eat and Nadiya Bakes. On the first show, she walks through recipes, shows others how to cook quickly, and travels around the UK, and in the second, she makes desserts. The shows are just absolutely delightful, and a nice, soothing treat to watch.
(Sadly, Netflix does not have another Nadiya show, The Chronicles of Nadiya, where she travels to Bangladesh, and I can’t find anywhere to watch it.)
Speaking of food, the new Netflix kids’ show Waffles and Mochi is very much for children, but is still a very sweet watch even if you’re not a kid. (Also, how can you resist a puppet with waffles for ears and a talking mochi in a helmet? And world-famous chefs earnestly talking to said puppets like they were people?)
Finally, if you’re looking for something a little more cerebral, we finished Ethos this week. I think it might be one of the best hidden gems on streaming right now. It’s a wonderful Turkish show about mental health, trauma and social class that will delight you in discovering how everyone is connected. (The title in Turkish is Bir Başkadır, which has a much more poetic translation than Ethos.) It’s intimate, has gorgeous cinematography and really makes you feel like you’re in Turkey. All of the actors are great, and the protagonist, Meryem, is just a delight, and is the kind of fictional character you want to protect at all costs.
This trailer is dubbed, but definitely watch it with subtitles.
Read
When I got The Island at the End of Everything from the library, I knew it was a YA book, but later found out it’s not just YA: it’s technically a “middle school” read, which is a little surprising given it’s about leprosy. No matter — it’s a beautiful story, wonderfully told, that will transport you to the Philippines and make you feel warm and fuzzy and teary.
See the full list of watch and read recs here.
Follow
What’s cuter than one corgi? A pair of corgis! Here are three sets of corgi siblings I follow on Instagram:
Harold and Harley (Follow for: extremely cute photos, including lots of puppy throwbacks)
Maple and Morty (Follow for: very funny videos of sassy corgis)
Sake and Rosé (Follow for: a combination of cute videos and puppy throwbacks)
Do
When I need to refocus my brain, my favorite mobile games to zone out are Toon Blast and Toy Blast. They are both pattern block busting games, and they’re very satisfying.
Until next week,
Rachel
Those corgis!!!! ❤️