Hello hello! Happy New Year! I am not a resolutions person but I do find it fun to watch my Goodreads goal tracker return to zero and be on track for a couple weeks before I inevitably fall behind for the rest of the year. Here’s a recap of the last two weeks:
Things I Read
Books
If you’re looking for a book to read, try this list of contemporary romance recs, this list of other fiction recs, or this list of non-fiction recs.
The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman: Every December I read a holiday book and this was the one I picked this year. Becca Freeman is the host of a podcast I love called Bad on Paper, so I’ve heard her talk about the process of writing and then publishing this book for two years and it was really satisfying to finally read it. This is about two best friends, Hannah and Finn, who have spent Christmas together for the past 10 years because neither of them had anywhere to go. Over the years they added Priya and Theo to the group, and now they are planning what might be their last Christmas together because Finn is moving from New York to LA. This was very festive and very fun, Christmas books can get extremely cheesy but this one is not. So many fun New York references too. I had a good time!
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam:I…don’t think I understand the hype here. I’ve been meaning to read this for a while and I finally picked it up because the movie came out. This is about a rich, white family who book a nice house for a family vacation, and then are surprised when the owners show up and ask to stay. Then things start to get super weird. I really liked the writing in this and I read it super quickly, but it felt like half a book? It’s like the first 30 minutes of an apocalyptic thriller and it never goes anywhere at all satisfying. I was just kind of left thinking…..what was the point? I don’t get it!
Articles
Kelly Siegler Is a True-Crime Celebrity. Did She Frame an Innocent Man for Murder?: I read this three part series on my flight to Denver and it was riveting and also rage inducing. A perfect example of how true crime culture can be super damaging. This is about a prosecutor who is famous for being able to get juries to convict people of really serious crimes when all she has is circumstantial evidence at best, a group of jail house snitches, and how the criminal legal system is full of power hungry people who do not actually care about the people whose lives are in their hands. Infuriating.
Things I Watched
TV
If you’re looking for a show to watch, try this list.
Dr. Death (Peacock): The second season of this show came out a few weeks ago and I watched it really quickly this week. This is an anthology series, so this season is a completely new cast and story from the first one. This one is based on this story, about an internationally renowned doctor whose practice turned out to be based on lies. I can’t tell if this show is good but it is very compelling with both seasons I found myself very invested in getting to the end. There’s lots of gross medical stuff that’s pretty graphic, so be warned. I think this is entertaining enough, and the story is nuts! You can just jump in at season 2, but I had similar thoughts about season one so if you like one you’ll probably like both. Important: you want the dramatization, not the documentary series.
Movies
Anatomy of a Fall (rented): Checking another Oscar buzzy movie off the list with this one. This is a French courtroom drama about an author (Sandra Huller) who becomes the main suspect when her husband falls from the third floor of their house and dies. This is half French/half English and I thought it was a little dense but very good. I think it has some pacing issues, there were parts where I was riveted but others where I was bored. The acting is incredible, Sandra Huller is amazing and so is the kid who plays her son (also her defense attorney is HOT). This left me with SO many questions about the French court system. Literally WHAT are the rules there?? This is definitely in awards contention, if you’re up for it I think it is quite good.
Leave the World Behind (Netflix): I mostly read the book so I could watch this. It has so many heavy hitters in it— Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali! Incredible cast. The main premise is the same as the book, but the details are quite different in the movie. I actually think the movie is better than the book…it’s more clear whats going on and there is more of an ending. Still extremely ambiguous, but the book really gives you *nothing* so I will take what little I got from the film. I just don’t get the hype for this story! I think this is effective as an apocalyptic horror film, but I didn’t love it and I will very rarely think of this again.
Phantom Thread (Netflix): I loved this when it came out years ago but I hadn’t seen it since, so when I realized it’s on Netflix I had to watch it. It stars Daniel Day Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock, a dressmaker at the center of the fashion scene in 1950s London when he meets Alma (Vicky Kreips), who quickly disrupts his perfectly curated life. This is the most gorgeous movie. The way it’s shot, on film and purposefully hazy, is so beautiful to look at. When Harry Styles said “the movie feels like A Movie” this is what he meant!! The SCORE, the most incredible score, one of my all time favorites. I listen to movie scores while I work and while I read and this one has been in my rotation since 2017, but watching the movie again was just another reminder of how perfect it is. The acting in this is also incredible. This is Daniel Day Lewis’ final role, he announced his retirement from acting right before this film got released, and it’s a wild way to go out. He is so good in this movie and Vicky Kreips absolutely holds her own. I’m obsessed with these two sickos!! Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, whose movies have been hit or miss for me in the past (his next movie after this was Licorice Pizza, a movie I hated), but this is so aggressively a hit. A five stars HIT. This movie is so meticulous and precise and then you start to see these tiny cracks form, and it just builds to the most powerhouse ending, the kind that makes you rethink everything that lead up to it. Beautiful gowns, too. What a film.
Things I Bought
You can read about my full skincare routine and favorite products here. If you need a sunscreen recommendation, try this list.
We’re back, and I’m gonna tell you about some of the things I got for Christmas!
Everlane Sweater: Once again I am talking about how much I love this store. I love this sweater, I wore it to Christmas dinner and to my first day back at work. Extremely soft, the perfect cropped length, it’s now on sale and I might buy another color. I love so many things from here. I also have the Boxy Oxford in two colors, and this shirt, and these pants.
Rothy’s clogs: Love these. I really struggled to pick which clog/slipper situation I wanted but I’m very happy with this choice. They are so comfy but also have a lot of support. I listened to the reviews and sized down a full size (usually I’m a 9 and I got an 8) and they fit well. A win!!
Eagle Creek packing cubes: I am late to the packing cube party, I’ve wanted to buy them forever but for some reason never did, so I finally put them on my Christmas list. I got three of them and then I packed an entire week’s worth of clothes in them on my way home. Amazing. If you’re like me and you’ve never tried these, you can add me to the list of people telling you that you must!!
One Last Thing…
I wrote about my favorite books, tv, and movies from 2023 and you can read that here.
The Best of 2023.
·
December 31, 2023
That’s it for me! This week I am going to see at least two movies in the theater because I am behind and Oscar noms are announced in two weeks. Gotta catch up!
TTYL,
Emily
ncG1vNJzZmidnZ65urPIpZmeqqRjwLau0q2YnKNemLyue89oo56Zppp6tbTEZq6oqpRir6a0yKebZpmelsGwudhmpp8%3D