Winter Reading & Watching

image via wherethereadergrows.com

The groundhog ("warthog," according to Liv) saw his shadow. Six more weeks of winter and six more weeks of no plans. So: may I present, What to Read and Watch These Days, below:

Watch:

I still haven't started Bridgerton. But I did watch and I recommend:

In & Of Itself
Don't read about it. Just watch!

Tiger
The documentary about Tiger Woods. I learned so much. It's fascinating and juicy in super depressing ways. But watch!

Read:

The last four books I read make up an eclectic mix...

Cobble Hill
A light read by the author of Gossip Girl. Did you know GG was originally a book? (I didn't.) The author weaves a fun, quirky tale among a few Brooklyn neighbors. The novel made me homesick for Brooklyn, even though I never lived there.

Diana: Her True Story - In Her Own Words
After watching the latest season of The Crown relatively recently, I needed an additional Royals fix. I was particularly interested in Diana, as is everyone, because her story is so fairytale-like and tragic. I happened to be in Paris when she died, and I'll never forget being a little kid in a hotel room, watching the shocking news on TV while eating my room service breakfast. (I was in Paris with my grandparents who were spoiling me, and living out my own little fairytale at the Hôtel de Crillon.) The book was written by Andrew Morton who secretly interviewed Diana in the years before she passed, and it's sorrowful and insightful.

Memorial
A novel told in parts by the two main characters, who make up a gay couple. The storyline covers their relationship with each other and their relationships with their (dysfunctional) families of origin. Well-written and original. But a little too depressing for me right now. I wanted to finish it ASAP so I could start something lighter in contrast to... the world in current times.

White Ivy
WOAH. This novel is intense. And expertly written. The author Susie Yang is a suburb storyteller. It's one of those novels that makes you think, "How is this not true?" - at least in the beginning. The book has some shocking parts. It's a bit dark for me in certain sections, but worth it. It centers on Ivy Lin, a Chinese immigrant, and her upbringing on the East Coast. The book's blurb says it's "a page-turner that will appeal to fans of The Talented Mr. Ripley." I wholeheartedly agree and I highly recommend it.

Happy feuling,
AES