1. I’m Glad My Mom Died – I am still thinking about this incredible memoir that has the most accurate title of the year.
2. Where the Crawdads Sing – My dad recommended this to me after years of resisting. One thing I have learned in the last couple of years, Reese & I share a lot of the same taste in books.
3. Sea of Tranquility – I love Emily St. John Mandel and that each story is stand alone, but the characters subtly show up throughout. If you can, read this book in one sitting.
4. When the Moon Turns to Blood – I had been following the story of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell over the past couple of years, and to have one of my favorite journalists (Leah Sottile) write this book was fantastic.
5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo– I had heard great things about Taylor Jenkins Reid and didn’t know which book to start with. This was an excellent recommendation and I will continue to catch up on her books!
6. Emily Henry– I read all three of Emily Henry’s books this year. The People You Meet on Vacation, Beach Read & Book Lovers. When I can’t get into a good reading routine, I have found that a fun and light romcom is exactly what I need. (see also, Drunk in Love and Nora Goes Off Script)
7. More Than You’ll Ever Know – Another book I can’t stop thinking about. A woman has two husbands, one in Texas and one in Mexico. And then one murders the other. It’s a great story that takes you back to the 80’s and into the present day.
8. Invisible Storm – I have followed Jason Kander for years, and this story of his struggles with PTSD and running for office was inspirational and thoughtful. I highly recommend the audiobook for this.
9. Small Things Like These– There’s a reason this book is ending up on everyone’s best of list this year, it’s a gorgeous little story about a horrible time in Ireland’s history that we don’t talk about.
10. Cover Story – I think part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much was that I had just finished watching Inventing Anna on Netflix. This was a fun read with great writing devices.

What books got you through this past year? What books are you looking forward to in 2023?

1. The After Party – I wasn’t sure how this show was going to turn out, but I knew I loved a lot of the people in the cast. This was the MOST clever show, give me a murder mystery but make every episode a different genre of movie? I loved it! If you’ve missed this, it might be a great binge with the family (or alone!) over the holidays.
2. Bel Air – Having grown up with The Fresh Prince I was curious how this dramatic interpretation would do and I was blown away by how they could take such a light and fun sitcom into a 2022 drama.
3. Minx – I almost missed this show and I am so glad that my friend pushed me to make sure and watch. A feminist in the 70’s begins an erotic magazine – sure! A fun holiday binge (but probably not with your parents or kids?)
4. Hacks – I love this show so much. I love the characters, I love the relationships, I love it all.
5. Ms Marvel – This is the best of the Marvel superhero shows since WandaVision. I loved the comic books when it first came out and the show lived up to it!
6. Loot – Maya Rudolph is ALWAYS the right answer, and I am so glad she finally has the sitcom world she deserves. This fills the Ted Lasso hole in my heart.
7. A League of Their Own – I still think about these characters and their relationships and how they survived and lived and hid in the world.
8. Julia – I have always heard snippets about Julia Childs bio but never really delved into it. This show made me want to read more and learn more about this incredible woman, her friends and family.
9. Bad Sisters – I love a murder mystery where you know who’s dead and just watch the story unfold from everyone’s POV each week. These are sisters I want to be friends with and never want to upset.
10. White Lotus – I was happy to be back in Tanya McQuiod’s world, even if it was only seven episodes (why isn’t this show longer?!). I would also follow a spinoff of Grandpa Bert farting his way through Italy.

I don’t know if I’ve ever watched as many movies in a month as I have in the past few weeks. From a girls trip to the mountains to a long holiday weekend with lots of holiday movies to enjoy, I feel like the pop culture part of me that lacks, has finally caught up! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday and that it was filled with some great pop culture moments. Here’s a few of my favorites from the past month.

Reading

I had planned to read on my girls weekend, but instead we watched a bunch of movies which was glorious. I did finally get back into audiobook mode and listened to I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I had heard about this book over the summer and was intrigued even though I didn’t know anything about the actress. There are a myriad of trigger warnings for this book, so please be warned it isn’t for everyone. If you’re fascinated by the rise of a child star (Jennette was on iCarly which I never watched) and want to read a very very personal and candid account of their upbringing by one of the top 5 worst parents I’ve ever read about, I highly recommend this book.  I listened to the latest episode of Keep It (a podcast I keep telling you to listen to) and they talked about celebrity memoirs (my favorite) and what makes a good one. If you enjoy a good celebrity memoir (and we all know I do!) this was a great podcast that discusses McCurdy’s book and talks about what makes a good celebrity memoir (which evidently Matthew Perry’s is NOT).

Thanksgiving weekend finally was the time and space I needed to pick up a book and start reading again. I’m almost finished with Drunk in Love, a contemporary romance that I’ve heard great things about. It’s a quick and fun read, just what I needed this weekend.

Listening

You know what’s a great idea when you’re running a state level campaign? Going to see Lizzo 4 days before the election! As expected, Lizzo is an AMAZING performer in person and the concert was incredible. It was exactly the night out that I needed with friends and the album continues to be on repeat over here.

I know I jumped the line on podcasts above, but last weeks Keep It introduced me to Celebrity Book Club, and of course the first episode I’m listening to is about I’m Glad My Mom Died! 

I have ONE episode left of Ultra the new Rachel Maddow podcast. It is BONKERS to learn that this wasn’t the first attempt to over throw the government in the last 100 years…

I finally listened to We Were Three from Serial. It was an interesting and sad story about a broken family that was torn apart during COVID and the rise of disinformation. Lots of trigger warnings here too and they aren’t well warned I felt (just a heads up!) I was excited for the bonus episode of Burn Wild and happy to hear the judges ruling and an update from one of the main characters.

Watching

I get that the new season of White Lotus is different than the last, but I am still really enjoying how weird and intertwined it is. For a complete 180 I am thrilled that Yellowstone is finally back! The second episode was emotionally draining but I am still excited to see where this season goes. I am also thrilled for the return of The Sex Lives of College Girls, one of the funniest shows of last year.

I watched a bunch of movies on my girls weekend, and highly recommend Fire Island, Where the Crawdads Sing (the book was better, but it was still really good!) and I think I recommend Don’t Worry, Darling. I mean, what even was that movie? Was it a good movie with bad editing or just a bad movie? If you’re at all curious about the movie, you should watch it. And then call me after and we can discuss.

I jumped into the holiday movie spirit this weekend and Bad Moms Christmas will never not be funny to me, it’s so dang great. Speaking of KBell – The People We Hate At The Wedding was a funny holiday weekend watch, although not a Christmas movie.  We watched Christmas Vacation with friends in the theater which was a super fun holiday kickoff activity that we will hopefully continue for years to come! If you missed Single All the Way on Netflix last year, there’s no time like the present!

Alright! What got you through Thanksgiving and November? What are you excited for in this final month of 2022? I can’t wait to hear…