Hello, Fall
Baking+engineering=fun, the invented lives of historic figures, witchy decor, and more.
Hi there,
It’s been awhile! Summer is over, and after several months in the blazing heat, I’m very excited for fall. Where I live, fall isn’t the delicious kind in the Northeast with foliage and crisp temperatures and apple picking, but there is a merciful respite from the triple-digit temperatures, and, of course, Halloween. Meanwhile, after a very stressful summer, I’ve continued to seek out calming entertainment.
Watch
I, like many Netflix users, watched Squid Game, and so I’m not sure it’s even worth talking about, because *everyone* is talking about it. Instead, I’d like to offer some much more soothing fare.
Everyone’s favorite comfort show, The Great British Bake-Off, is back, so that’s been a delight. A new episode drops on Netflix every week, and honestly, I can’t believe it continues to be so enjoyable when it’s just the same thing over and over.
If you like GBBO, you’ll definitely like Baking Impossible, also on Netflix. In this reality competition show, bakers are paired with engineers, and they have to make elaborate structures that have to pass “stress tests,” and projects are judged based on both the baked goods and the engineering of the structures. It’s nerdily delightful and even educational, and you’ll find yourself groaning and cheering during the stress tests, and in awe of some of the creations.
Sex Education (Netflix) is back in its third season, when some shows sometimes lose their mojo. This one, however, continues to be sweet, moving, and funny. It’s about a group of teenagers in a gorgeous, rural part of the UK grappling with relationships and their sexuality, and the show takes on topics that most other shows about adolescents would shy away from. The actors are absolutely fantastic (my favorite is the effervescent Ncuti Gatwa), and the great Gillian Anderson is one of the stars. If you haven’t started this one, now’s the time to binge.
Finally, I recently started watching Acapulco (Apple TV+). It’s a cheesy show in English and Spanish starring comedian Eugenio Derbez, in which a now wealthy man recounts his youthful adventures at a popular beach resort in Acapulco in the 1980s. It’s sweet and silly, doesn’t take itself seriously, and is a nice, beachy distraction.
Read
The pandemic has made me get really into historical fiction. A few of my latest reads:
Matrix, a beautifully told tale imagining the life of Marie de France, a real medieval author about whom we know very little. I loved the story the author created of a woman who found herself in the British court and ended up running a convent.
The Moor’s Account, which is also the imagining of a real person with little written history. It tells the story of Mustafa al-Zamori, an enslaved Moroccan man who was taken on a Spanish expedition of Florida in the early 1500s. It also imagines the encounters between the Spanish and Native Americans, and the horrors that occurred. (I’m not actually done with the book, but it’s very compelling so far.)
My Name is Resolute, the life story of a woman kidnapped from Jamaica in the 1700s who started a new life outside of Boston and lived through the Revolutionary War. It’s a long read, and the historical details are really fascinating.
See the full list of recommendations here.
Follow
Witch’s Hearth is an Instagram account that just posts cool photos of autumnal designs and witchy decor. Fun to follow all year, but especially this time of year.
Do
Where I now live, there isn’t autumn foliage, so if you live somewhere where the leaves change, go enjoy them before they all fall off!
Until next time,
Rachel