Worth It #13
the very best of what I'm reading + watching + listening to
It’s been too long! I have so much to tell you! I read soooo many books!
A savvy observer will notice two distinct categories of books here: books about psychology and then regular novels. We’ll get back to the psychology books in another post… let’s talk about stories!
Here are my three faves:
Good Material, Dolly Alderton
Take this on your spring break trip! Or buy it for the summer. It’s that kind of book: funny, wise, easy-to-read. I finished it in Costa Rica in one day. It’s a break-up story from the guy’s point of view, and Alderton manages to make both people in the relationship sympathetic. You will like it if you liked Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, which I very much did.
Ordinary People, Judith Guest
I found my way to this 1979 novel by way of another book that quoted it. It’s short and powerful and will bring up alllllll the feels. The author’s understanding of the grief process is astonishing. As soon as I finished it, I watched the film, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1980. The film is an airtight adaptation of the book, almost word-for-word. I loved it, but I will be candid and tell you that my husband fell asleep. (It’s remarkable how far filmmaking has come in 40 years… it’s a little hard to go back unless you’re really just in a nostalgic mood. Like, Mary Tyler Moore is the mom character! And the girlfriend character grows up to be Cora Crawley in Downtown Abbey!)
Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros
No matter how many times I saw this at the bookstore, I wasn’t going to read it. No matter how tall the stacks of shimmering golden tomes grew, I wasn’t going to read it. No matter how many times Amazon recommended it, I wasn’t going to read it.
BUT THEN I listened to the
podcast episode about ACOTAR and it rekindled my fire for “romantasy” aka fairy smut. There are no fairies in Fourth Wing, though—just dragons! Dragons with feelings. Is the storyline predictable? Yeah. Is the book every bit as fun as The Hunger Games? Yes. Did I read 500 pages of it when I had multiple other deadlines? Yes. Did I buy the even-longer sequel? Absolutely yes.
If I’m the first person to tell you this, you are officially out of step with pop culture.1 Mr. and Mrs. Smith (on Amazon Prime) was recommended to me a hundred times before I watched it, and wow, all the people were correct.
Everyone loves Donald Glover. I ADORE Maya Erskine from pen15, which is extremely inappropriate and extremely hilarious and also mandatory viewing for all parents of middle schoolers. (Or people who used to be middle schoolers.)
But Donald Glover and Maya Erskine TOGETHER? Fire.
I’ve really been enjoying Creative Fuel, the Substack of
. She’s got inspo and prompts for all kinds of creative people (who, according to Anna, is everyone).
Airplane mode is not a thing. Funny!
I consider myself not at all gullible. But once, I came very close to giving a stranger on the phone $5,000. It is a very long story and the experience rewired my brain a bit. Here is another very long, bizarre story about a woman who was scammed. It makes no sense to read, but in the moment it feels so different.
This guy in Texas had a pet Pumbaa. It did not end well.
The kids and I started hundreds of flower seeds inside this year. I have no idea if they will actually turn into flowers, but the process was really fun. At first my big girls were resistant, but once they saw the twins at work, they wanted in. My impulse to make and grow things is insatiable, especially in the spring.
If you want to try, you need heat mats, seed trays, soil, vermiculite, grow lights, and good quality seeds. I got my seeds here. You also need a spot to put the trays, but don’t worry if they are out in your kitchen—it’s only for a few weeks. (And if you can put your trays on top of your fridge, you can probably skip buying a heat mat!)
Okay I’m out of room! More soon. In the meantime, please share this email with anyone you think would enjoy the recommendations.
Which is, obviously, fine.