Tag Archives: book-review

Bye Bye 2025

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Here is a look back on the entertainment I consumed last year:

Books (if I recommend it, it will have an *, my 5-stars have **)

*Fourth Wing (re-read) – Rebecca Yarros
*The Frozen River – Ariel Lawhon
*Rental House – Weike Wang
Same As It Ever Was – Claire Lombardo
*James – Percival Everett
*Eddie Winston is Looking for Love – Marianne Cronin
Ordinary Grace – William Kent Krueger
In the Unlikely Event – L.J. Shen
*Back After This – Linda Holmes
*We All Live Here – Jojo Moyes
Binding 13 – Chloe Walsh
*Deep End – Ali Hazelwood
Great Big Beautiful Life – Emily Henry
Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed – Maureen Callahan
*Every Summer After – Carley Fortune
All We Lost Was Everything – Sloan Harlow
*Problematic Summer Romance – Ali Hazelwood
The Tell – Amy Griffin
*This Summer Will Be Different – Carley Fortune
*It’s a Love Story – Annabel Monaghan
*Atmosphere – Taylor Jenkins Reid
*Say You’ll Remember Me – Abby Jimenez
*Silver Elite – Dani Francis
Sounds Like Love – Ashley Poston
*The Satisfaction Café – Kathy Wang
*Rose in Chains – Julie Soto
*All the Colors of the Dark – Chris Whitaker
The Art of Vanishing – Morgan Pager
**Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir
*These Summer Storms – Sarah MacLean
*One Golden Summer – Carley Fortune
**Heart the Lover – Lily King
**Theo of Golden – Allen Levi
*The Correspondent – Virginia Evans
*The Compound – Aisling Rawle

Of those, here are my faves:

Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir The movie comes out in March – read it now!!!
Theo of Golden – Allen Levi If you live in the south, you’ve probably already read this because everyone is talking about it. If not, go get it. Levi self-published this novel about kindness. Read with tissues nearby, I teared up throughout the whole thing. Two of the sweetest/kindest people I know both gave it to me which about says it all.
Heart the Lover – Lily King I absolutely loved her Writers and Lovers. If you did not, you probably won’t like this either. I read half on a flight to Boston and finished it on the flight back.
Atmosphere – Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Correspondent – Virginia Evans A beautifully written story told through letters which I’ve been told is also a wonderful audiobook.
Frozen River – Ariel Lawhon
Rental House – Weike Wang I adored her previous book Chemistry so maybe start there. If it’s not your thing, this won’t be either as the writing is quite deadpan. A tiny book that covers a lot of ground; complexities of marriage, the immigrant experience, and parental expectations, just to name a few of the themes addressed.
James – Percival Everett

And to round the list out – these are my 4-star romances:

Deep End – Ali Hazelwood
One Golden Summer – Carley Fortune
Problematic Summer Romance – Ali Hazelwood
Back After This – Linda Holmes
Say You’ll Remember Me – Abby Jimenez

Movies/Documentaries

I had a tough year with movies this past year. The only one I gave even an A- to was Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and it was ridiculously far-fetched but I don’t care because I love those movies so much. I did like a bunch of docs (Charles Grodin, Yacht Rock, Billy Joel, Eddie Murphy) but the best, hands down, was Taylor Swift: The End of an Era. This 6-episode docuseries is on Disney+ and is fantastic. If you didn’t see the The Era’s tour or just don’t think you are a fan, give this doc a go. I teared up in EVERY episode. As someone in her crew says, the “tour cultivates good energy.” How she learned the kindness, empathy, work ethic, to really see people, etc., I don’t know, but she is a gift to us all.

I think I’ve covered everything I’ve loved in my past posts, so I’ll just list them one more time:

The Pitt
Severence
The Diplomat
High Potential
Ghosts
Nobody Wants This
Will Trent
Matlock
Hacks
CBS Sunday Morning – weird to put it here probably but it really is so so good.

I’m eagerly awaiting Shrinking, currently near the end of Pluribus (so I’ll talk about it next time), and hoping to watch a few on my list this weekend, so more to come!

Instagram

I was watching a post from a Dr. who specializes in dementia prevention (no idea how legit he is but I watched anyway) and he recommended a couple things. I do my word games/puzzles and try to eat berries and salmon because all of that supposedly helps my brain, and these seemed kinda harmless so I’ve added them to my nighttime routine. While brushing my teeth, I use my left (non-dominant) hand (encourages new neural pathways) while standing on one foot – I do one foot for my top row and the other for the bottom (balance is very important for everything apparently). I don’t know if any of that helps with anything, but it can’t hurt so I thought I’d pass it along.

We are empty nesters now. If I’m being honest, I don’t love it. Parenting them has been my full-time job and I’ve been working really hard at it (very steep learning curve!) for the past 24 years. As they needed me less at home, I got more active at the kids’ school and went to their many activities, etc., so I’m feeling a bit like I got laid off. My days are still busy(ish) but I do miss them, a lot. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine, and I will figure out my next chapter (maybe a job that pays?). I’m more telling you because if you’re in the same boat, I just wanted you to know you aren’t alone.

Happy new year!

Spaced Out

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I finally have some entertainment to talk about, so let’s go…

Books

I wait to post until I have at least two books that I’ve loved because I know that is what most of you come here for. I don’t want to recommend things that are “fine,” because who has time for fine? Well, I finally LOVED something.

Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir

If you read and loved The Martian by Weir, you will also love this. If you only saw the movie and loved it (a rare example of the movie being ((almost)) as good as the book), you will love this. The movie version of this book is coming out in March, starring Ryan Gosling; perfect casting, btw. Basically, a man wakes up in space and has no idea who he is or why he is there. He slowly remembers; the sun is dimming and he, a junior high school science teacher, is on a mission to save Earth. Just a heads up, this is a thick book. I often have an issue with long books; they need editing. (All The Colors of the Dark – good book, way too long.) Not a problem for me here, I did not want it to end.

Atmosphere – Taylor Jenkins Reid

While we are in space, let’s hang out a bit. I really enjoyed this one, too. Joan is a college physics professor who becomes one of the first women to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program in the 80s. I tend to mostly like Reid’s books, but this is one of my favorites. It explores relationships, identity, a little discrimination thrown in and it’s got humor.

On the lighter side, I really liked Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez and It’s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan. Both entertaining and well-written.

I’m having a little problem with TV lately. Most of the new shows coming out are dark; in tone, in color, all the definitions. I don’t really want that right now. Another issue I’m having was addressed in a NY Times article in April 2024, titled “The Comfortable Problem of Mid TV.” The shows aren’t bad per se; they have great casts, they are made by people who know what they are doing so they look great, but they’re just kinda meh. Often, they are both dark and meh – I don’t have time for that. If I’m watching eight episodes or more of something, I want to really enjoy it or have been really moved.

Here are some that I have loved:

The Pitt – HBO Max

15 episodes; each one is an hour in a day of the longest shift ever at a Pittsburgh ER, beginning at 7 am. I’m not gonna lie, we almost didn’t make it past episode one. It’s a lot. Persevere – you can do it! So worth it. The Pitt deserved every Emmy it got this year. Season Two is slated for January so you have time to prepare.

The Diplomat – Netflix

Season Three was a rollercoaster! The acting/cast is great, the plot is bananas but fun and the writing is smart, though you definitely need to suspend some disbelief. That’s ok, it’s worth it!

Also worthy to continue watching; Hacks, Severence (see previous post), The Bear, and Nobody Wants This.

Documentaries

If you’ve flown Delta and checked out their entertainment options, you may have seen Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary. I’m not sure what streaming service it’s on, but it’s likely somewhere. It was fun and you learn what qualifies as Yacht Rock and what doesn’t, plus you get to hear a lot of great music with backstories, which is always fun.

Billy Joel: And So It Goes is on HBO Max. It’s a two-part, six-hour doc but it doesn’t feel that long. I was not aware of how brilliant a songwriter/musician he is/was. The doc covers his childhood, alcohol struggles, multiple marriages and band/label issues. Even if you think you only like him a little, by the end, you’ll like him more and you will definitely be entertained. You’ll certainly appreciate him.

Movies

My cousin wrote, directed, produced and starred in a movie called Re-Election. It’s primarily about a guy who never got over losing his high school senior class presidential election, but it covers the polarization of politics, father-son relationships, measuring oneself to others, and gender-neutral bathrooms among other current issues/topics. It is rated PG and would be good family viewing if you are looking to watch a movie together over the holidays. Click here to read more. It should be available for streaming in December.

Touring

We just saw Nate Bargatze on his Big Dumb Eyes comedy tour. It was a great show, but he’s never been funnier than in this skit from SNL a couple years ago where he plays George Washington. The second one was funny too, as was the birth of TV version from his hosting stint at the Emmy’s, but the original, here, is the best.

Wishing you all a happy, safe and yummy Thanksgiving!!

My 2024 Highlights

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Happy 2025!!

Below are the books I read in 2024, in the order I read them. If they have an *, I recommend them:

* Maybe Next Time – Cesca Major
If You Would Have Told Me – John Stamos
Normal Women – Ainslie Hogarth
*You, With a View – Jessica Joyce
*Iron Flame – Rebecca Yarros
Love, Me – Jessica Saunders
A Court of Thorn and Roses – Sarah J. Maas
*The Exception to the Rule (novella) – Christina Lauren
*Mercury – Amy Jo Burns
*Bride – Ali Hazelwood
*Simply the Best – Susan Elizabeth Phillips
*The Backup Plan – Jill Shalvis
Worst Wingman Ever (novella) – Abby Jimenez
*How to End a Love Story – Yulin Kuang
*Chain-Gang All-Stars – Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Good Material – Dolly Alderton
*Just for the Summer – Abby Jimenez
Tangled Up in You – Christina Lauren
*Check & Mate – Ali Hazelwood
**Tom Lake – Ann Patchett
The Husbands – Holly Gramazio
*Funny Story – Emily Henry
*The Guncle Abroad – Steven Rowley
Eruption – Michael Chrichton & James Patterson
*Summer Romance – Annabel Monaghan
*Slow Dance – Rainbow Rowell
Welcome Home, Caroline Kline – Courtney Preiss
*A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J. Maas
*The Paradise Problem – Christina Lauren
A Novel Love Story – Ashley Poston
*Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew – Emmanuel Acho & Noa Tishby
Always Remember – Mary Balogh
*Not in Love – Ali Hazelwood
**Sandwich – Catherine Newman
*The Rom-Commers – Katherine Center
*The Women – Kristen Hannah
*Sylvia’s Second Act – Hillary Yablon
*The Wedding People – Alison Espach
*Here One Moment – Liane Moriarty
Variation – Rebecca Yarros
*The Life Impossible – Matt Haig

My faves from this list (if there’s no explanation, see past posts):

Tom Lake – Audiobook – Meryl!!
Sandwich
How to End a Love Story
Chain-Gang All-Stars
The Women – I listened to this one and thought the narrator did a wonderful job. I have not previously read a book about Vietnam, I don’t think. This is my favorite Kristen Hannah book so far.
The Wedding People – I also listened to this one and further realize how important the audiobook narrator is, as I’m listening to different book now and am not enjoying it as much because I don’t like the narrator. Anyway, I was hesitant about the plot in the beginning, but it won me over. Some good lessons learned here.
Here One Moment – A woman on an Australian flight goes row by row informing passengers (whether they want to know or not) at what age and how they each will die. Chapters alternate between specific passengers, post-flight, and the woman. It’s an interesting question, one I’ve posed here before (with regard to The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin), if you could find out how and when you will die, would you want to know?
The Life Impossible – This book is not going to be for everyone, and it may not be for you at this moment. I do think it has something to offer people who need to hear some of the messaging. Grief and guilt and hard beasts to tame, and life is not always easy. The sad/bad, however, allow us to appreciate the happy/beautiful.

Movies I saw in 2024 that I gave an A or A-:

Irena’s Vow – A-
Remembering Gene Wilder (documentary) – A-
The Holdovers – A-
The Fall Guy – A-
Inside Out 2 – A-
Twisters – A-
Thelma – A
Will & Harper (documentary) – A
Wicked – A

Will & Harper is a wonderful documentary (available on Netflix) following Will Ferrell and his close friend, former head writer at SNL – who has come out as a trans woman – Harper, as they road trip across the country. Heartfelt and educational for those who are afraid of what they don’t understand, it’s a must watch. Plus, you will come away thinking the world of Will Ferrell.

TV I loved:

“Shrinking” – my fave!

“Nobody Wants This” – adorable

“The Diplomat” – that last episode!

“High Potential” – smart and sassy

“Hacks” – season 3 was its best yet

“Matlock” – clever and yay for Kathy Bates!

That’s it for now – may 2025 bring good health and happiness to you all!

Summer Suggestions

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Happy almost summer! Need something to read, watch and/or listen to? I’ve got you!

Books

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Warning, this is not easy reading. (Shout out to Chris W for keeping on me about it.) Like a Hunger Games for prisoners, Chain-Gang All-Stars is set in a mildly dystopian, current day setting in which convicts (disproportionately black) can “escape” their prison sentences by competing in live-broadcast, to the death, battles against other convicts. Fighters are divided into teams, Chains – in which they can help each other or kill each other, with the hope of winning enough matches to earn eventual freedom. As repulsive as this sounds, you can see how this “sport” would be alluring and “good tv” to people, almost like a live video game. This fictional world is anchored to our reality via the footnotes at the bottom of many pages noting actual facts, laws, real-life victims, etc. It’s a sobering read, not without humor or emotion, and with a lot to say about our current penal system, among other things.

How to End a Love Story – Yulin Kuang

On a much less-violent note, I really enjoyed How to End a Love Story. Kuang is the adapting writer/director of Emily Henry’s Beach Read and the adapting screenwriter of Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation which is a good enough pedigree for me! Her debut novel follows Helen and Grant, who are linked by a tragic accident from the past and must figure out how to work together despite it and move on. Theirs is a love story that can never be…?

Movies

I really enjoyed The Fall Guy! Funny, entertaining, action-packed and well-acted (Ryan Gosling! Emily Blunt!) – exactly what you want out of a summer movie at the theater.

Meryl Streep appreciation corner

I try not to write about books/tv shows before I finish them because I take pride in offering up options to you that I have fully endorsed, but I’m about to do it. Let me also remind you that I prefer reading/holding an actual book to listening to it or using a Kindle. Every now and then I make an exception. When I heard that Meryl Streep was the narrator for Ann Patchett’s latest book, Tom Lake, obviously I was going to choose listening. (Shout out to Shari for making that possible!) (Side bar, friends and I went to go hear Ann Patchett on her book tour for Tom Lake and she is delightful! I could listen to her talk all day. If you feel the same way, or, if you have no idea because you haven’t heard her speak before, you should follow her on Instagram via the account of the bookstore she owns in Nashville, @parnassusbooks.) I’m only halfway through the book and am in no rush to finish it because I cannot get over how delightful Meryl is to listen to. (I know I used “delightful” twice. I mean the adjective wholeheartedly in both instances.) I listen while I go on walks and I catch myself smiling and laughing as I walk alone, surely looking like an idiot. I don’t care. So far, the book is perfectly diverting, although it almost doesn’t even matter to me at this point. I am thoroughly enjoying Meryl describing Lara’s tenure acting in a production of Our Town in Michigan, and then recounting that time, much later, to her daughters.

While we’re here, let me also plug the third season of “Only Murders in the Building” because, again, Meryl is awesome. All the other actors are great, too, (Paul Rudd!) and the plot gets better every season, but Meryl steals the show for me. Bonus, she will also be in season 4, premiering August 27th!

Father’s Day suggestion

My 17-year-old son wanted to watch the South Park special roasting Ozempic, titled “South Park: The End of Obesity” (it’s a little long but it is funny), so we got a trial for Paramount +. If you subscribe to this streaming service, or go the route we did, let me add to the many people who told us to watch and recommend “The Offer.” Not to be too stereotypical but, assuming your husband’s/father’s favorite movie is The Godfather, he will love this. Albert S. Ruddy was the producer of the film and this limited series (10 episodes) follows his experience in getting the movie made. Some stories I knew, most I did not. More importantly, my husband loved it and yours probably will too.

Hamas

The hostages need to be freed/released. Hamas does not care about a ceasefire. They want the bloodshed. People do not understand that there is no negotiating with Hamas because it is not a rational thinking organization. Please listen to this podcast: The Bright Line Between Good and Evil with Sam Harris (linked).

Thanks for reading and use SPF!