Tag Archives: books

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.

TV

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!!

TV Time

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I’ve been in a bit of a reading rut. I only like to post when I have books I highly recommend, so that’s why it’s been a minute since my last entry. Luckily, TV is picking up the slack!

TV

“Severence” – Apple TV – A little reminiscent of “Lost” in that you have no idea what is happening but everything must mean something, you just don’t know what it could be. “Severance” is two seasons and has just been renewed for a third.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2024 – I challenge you to not get up while Kool & the Gang performs; I was dancing by myself. Cher is sassy, Foreigner will remind you why their music is so good, plus Dionne Warwick and Dave Matthews – it’s always a great show and watching the star-studded crowd enjoy this one-of-a-kind concert is fun, too.

Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music – while we’re into the tunes, this is a wonderful time capsule of music from the last 50 years with really interesting stories of who performed on the show and the legacies that followed those performances.

If you didn’t watch “Shrinking” or “The Diplomat,” why not? Fantastic both. “Will Trent” is also great again this season (especially because my girl, Gina Rodriguez, from “Jane the Virgin” joined the cast!).

“Black Doves “– Netflix – more diverting than fantastic, still entertaining and every man seems to love Keira Knightly so you can watch with your husband if you are looking for a show to watch together.

“American Idol “– my annual plug because it’s SOOOO good but this year we know someone competing!! Watch here for Slater’s audition.

Books

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon follows Mrs. Martha Ballard, a midwife and healer during the post-revolutionary war. She is smart, no-nonsense, and a person of high morals; very likeable and admirable. Life is (so) hard but her marriage is solid and enviable which is refreshing to read in a novel these days. Based on a real person of the same name, this book is well-written, vividly recalling a time I didn’t know much about but was captivated by.

Back After This by Linda Holmes is for when you need a break after reading a book like The Frozen River. Holmes also wrote Evvie Drake Starts Over which I looooooved. This one follows Cecily, a podcast producer, who becomes the reluctant host of her own show in which a relationship expert is going to find her a match. Smarter than it sounds, it’s funny and cute – a great vacation read.

Movies

I’ve seen a lot of movies lately, including those nominated for Oscars, but I haven’t loved any. My husband and I did just watch the documentary Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause and learned that there was much more to Grodin than we knew. It was a reminder of how many spectacular films he made and how easy he made playing those characters look. Just as interesting is the impact he made outside of film advocating for justice; I had no idea. Keep an eye out for it if you’re interested. In the meantime, watch Midnight Run again.

Sleeping Aid

Having trouble falling asleep? Does your mind race at night? Mine sometimes does. I do some games on my iPad in bed to quiet my brain, but it doesn’t always work. I saw someone on Instagram with a suggestion, I tried it, and it worked! Recently, the NY Times wrote about a similar exercise, so I decided to share them with you. 

The Instagram version is to come up with a short name, like Amy or Tony. Take each letter, one at a time, and think of three adjectives/adverbs that begin with that letter, then move on to the next. So, for Amy – A; adorable, adventurous, acrimonious. M; macho, menial, malevolent, etc. If you aren’t asleep by the last letter, do it again with another name.

The NY Times version was to think of any word – build, smack, etc. Similarly, think of words that begin with each letter but think of as many as you can. When you are done with a letter, move on to the next. Good luck and sleep well!

Happy spring and good luck to all of the high school seniors (and their parents) out there!

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:

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

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

  1. Tom Lake – Audiobook – Meryl!!
  2. Sandwich
  3. How to End a Love Story
  4. Chain-Gang All-Stars
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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?
  8. 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-:

  1. Irena’s Vow – A-
  2. Remembering Gene Wilder (documentary) – A-
  3. The Holdovers – A-
  4. The Fall Guy – A-
  5. Inside Out 2 – A-
  6. Twisters – A-
  7. Thelma – A
  8. Will & Harper (documentary) – A
  9. 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!

Timing

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I tend to wait to write a blog post until I have at least one book I love that I can rave about since that’s what most people ask me for. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of rom coms because that’s what I’ve been in the mood for as opposed to, what I call, the “book club book.” There are a ton of great books out there, I just haven’t been in the mood to read them. Maybe once the onslaught of election commercials ceases, I’ll feel differently. On that note, since I’ve already voted (and I’m betting most of you have as well), I figured reading this would provide you a decent distraction.

Books

Sandwich by Catherine Newman    One of my biggest complaints about books is that they are too long. A book isn’t made better with more words. I often ask, out loud, “Where was the editor?!?” This book is small and mighty at 236 pages, a two-day read that you will wish was longer – THAT’S the sign of a great book! At this time in my life, I absolutely relate to Rocky who is with her family on their annual week-long summer vacation to Cape Cod. I don’t think you have to be a 50-something wife/mother/daughter/empty-nester going through menopause to fully appreciate this gem, but it doesn’t hurt if you are, or if you have one in your life. All I know is, I teared up, I laughed out loud, and I loved it.

A bunch of my go-to’s wrote another book! 

Funny Story – Emily Henry

Summer Romance – Annabel Monaghan

Slow Dance – Rainbow Rowell

Just for the Summer – Abby Jimenez

Not in Love –  Ali Hazelwood

All are enjoyable reads; if you like these authors, you will like these books. I would like to put a spotlight on Rainbow Rowell for a sec since it’s been a while since I’ve talked about her. If you haven’t read her books, please do. Eleanor & Park is one of my all-time faves. I also loved Attatchments, Landline and Fangirl. Give her a try!

On a more serious note, if you would like to better understand the conflict in Gaza and how we got there, listen to the audiobook of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew by Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby. I heard Acho speak recently and he also recommends you listen because it is Acho and Tishby doing the reading, with additional material recorded after October 7th that is not in the printed book. Questions are asked that you may have also, and are answered with history and with candor.

Movies

In the theater, I really enjoyed Inside Out 2 and Twisters. The former took all the good stuff from the first film and moved forward expertly (puberty!!). The latter took all the good stuff from the first and basically did it again (see Top Gun: Maverick and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) but the effects are better, as is the tension.

On a different note, I highly recommend Thelma. I recently watched it on a plane and laughed out loud, a lot. My friend Kim was sitting by me and when I was finished, I told her that I thought it was really funny. She said, “We ALL know!” Thelma is an elderly grandmother who gets duped by a phone scammer and then sets out to take back what is hers. This film touches on a lot, primarily aging and how it affects us at every stage. This movie will hit you differently depending on what phase of your life you are in.

TV

If you haven’t already, you should watch “Nobody Wants This” on Netflix. Created by Erin Foster (daughter of music producer David Foster) and based a bit on her real life, it follows Joanne (Kristen Bell), a shiksa (non-Jewish) podcaster, as she meets and falls for an adorable Rabbi (Adam Brody). Hilarity and real life ensue. Season Two is happening so get on it.

I know I’m one of the few people who watch (and still have!) network TV, but I am really enjoying “High Potential” on ABC/Hulu. Kaitlin Olson plays a single mom with exceptional abilities who helps cops solve crimes. It’s fun and clever.

“Shrinking” and “The Diplomat “are each back for season 2!!!

Podcast

“Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus” got me through the summer. Enjoy three seasons of her conversations with iconic older women who have a lot to tell us but are often never asked. I especially enjoyed Jane Fonda, Ruth Reichel, Carol Burnett and Bonnie Raitt (the intro on this one made me tear up). Life lessons are shared and some golden nuggets of advice are given.

Be sure to vote, and have a happy November!

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!