Hello there,
Even as it feels like we’re hopefully approaching the end of the pandemic in the US, the last year has destroyed my attention span, so it takes really, truly engrossing entertainment to pull me from my phone or distracted brain. So here are a few recent things I’ve enjoyed.
Watch
I feel like this is pretty obvious at this point given all the buzz, but you should definitely watch Mare of Easttown (HBO) if you haven’t already. Kate Winslet is glorious, the accents are wild, and the story is full of twists and turns that will fully engross you. Just be careful not to binge it all in one sitting.
Read
I tend to recommend books here because they are fun or distracting or educational, but only occasionally do I recommend books that are truly at the very top of my list.
Those kind of books qualify as such: they’re so good, so wonderfully written, and so satisfying that you feel a sense of mourning when you finish. The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna was just that good and I even wanted to go back and reread it.
It’s about a woman from an impoverished mountain region of Italy who grows up after World War I and eventually emigrates to the United States. The novel charts her life from before her birth to when she has grandchildren. It’s incredibly rich in detail: about history, local flora, food, culture, and more. I appreciated it even more after learning that the author has long worked in publishing, and this was her first novel.
See all recommendations here.
Follow
Darcy the Flying Hedgehog is an Instagram account run by a Japanese photographer who posts photos of happy-looking hedgehogs in costumes or on tiny sets. Prepare to be delighted.
Do
I recently did a late spring cleaning of clothes, shoes, and bags and donated and tossed multiple garbage bags worth of things. It felt especially good after the pandemic, for some reason.
Until next time,
Rachel