What a wild month November has been! From winning my election (hooray!) to escaping to the coast to celebrate (and sleep!) It’s been a busy month! Before we all head off and unplug for Thanksgiving, I have a great podcast series for the road trip, a great TV series to watch with your parents, and an audiobook suggestion to help you unplug and dream about food.
Reading
I mentioned last month that I didn’t read or listen to a single book in October. It was the first time in forever that I can remember not reading a book. I’m a little slow on the uptick again but I’m getting back into my groove. I started after the election with Stanley Tucci’s new memoir – What I Ate in One Year. It was DELICIOUS. Tucci’s voice is EXACTLY what I wanted to hear after the election as I re-entered reality. The book was a diary of what he ate (and where and with whom) for 2023. If you miss Searching for Italy this will help fill the void.
I was able to unplug and read while we were at the coast for a few days (and sleep, I slept so much it was glorious…) I enjoyed How to End a Love Story which is written by Yulin Kuang who is writing the screenplay for two upcoming Emily Henry books. I think we’re in good hands with her!
Listening
I was born and raised in Oregon and one of the greatest (I thought) stories that happened when I was a kid was bringing the orca from Free Willy to the Oregon Coast Aquarium to “save him” just like the movie. I had no idea what happened to Keiko, but luckily the folks at Serial (always a good podcast series!) were interested enough to create The Good Whale. The story is devastating. I had no idea how sad it would be, but also that so many people cared for this animal and truly wanted what was best for him. The series is perfect for your holiday road trip, older kids would like it too I think. And do NOT skip episode five, it is possibly the best podcast episode I have ever heard.
Watching
I will watch anything that Mike Schur does because he’s a genius. When I saw that Man on the Inside was his show I binged it in a weekend (honestly, if I’d planned better I could have done it in an evening!) Ted Danson is a national treasure and he is perfect as a widower who goes undercover at a retirement home to help figure out who stole something. The characters are wonderful, the story is lovely, and as always you’ll laugh a lot and also think about life more than you’d expect.
I loved the first season of The Diplomat and the second season did not disappoint! Make sure you watch the recap from season one, there’s a lot of names and places and actions that occurred in the first season you’ll be expected to remember. I’m not sure why we only got six episodes this season instead of eight but I’ll take what I can get from Keri Russell and her team!
A few more shows to recommend you catch up on this holiday season…Secret Lives of College Girls is back for a new season and it’s still great! This season of Shrinking is also wonderful, and I totally agree with this review of the show’s MVP of the season. You know I love the Real Housewives, and I am currently in the midst of New York, Salt Lake City and the new season of Beverly Hills just started. Somebody, Somewhere is so wonderful and I’ve talked about it before, this could be a perfect holiday binge watch show… My binge list this week includes Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, My Old Ass, Babes and catching up on the new season of Bad Sisters.
What pop culture are you excited for this holiday season?
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