#005 A list of things to listen to, watch & read
Whether you're looking for background noise while you cook and garden, want a guaranteed good read, or have just run out of Netflix shows to binge, I've got some great reccs...
We’re baaaaaack with a bumper edition! Mostly owing to the fact I’ve done nothing but CONSUME content for the last few months what with all the illnesses known to man and the festive period, also because you, my dear dedicated readers, deserve it. Enjoy!
Listen
The Witch Trials of JK Rowling
In this documentary-style podcast, Megan Phelps-Roper, a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church interviews JK Rowling about what it’s like to become a controversial figure and if/how you can change your own deep-held beliefs. They discuss those tweets, banned books, legacy (I particularly enjoyed this theme!), women’s rights and gender. We also hear from trans rights activists, die-hard and ex-Potter fans, booksellers, religious leaders and a young trans person who grew up reading and feeling a sense of belonging because of Harry Potter. This was one of the best listens of last year for me - candid, well-researched, balanced and with plenty of historical and modern context.
If you’re a keen reader or someone who dreams of their name on the front of a novel one day, this podcast run by two down-to-earth authors interviewing other eager-to-impart-wisdom writers about their process is exactly what you need in your ears. Gillian McAllister and Holly Seddon are on a mission to lift the lid on the often gate-kept world of publishing and share their own experiences and worries as bestsellers themselves, and I think anyone who loves books or is interested in the mechanics of writing and marketing words will enjoy listening. Cherry-pickers might like to start with the eps featuring Lisa Jewel, Will Dean and Jill Mansel.
Last year a man was found guilty of murdering his seven-year-old neighbour, Nikki Allan in 1992. The police had all but given up on what was essentially sloppy investigating from the start, and it weren’t for Nikki’s mother, Sharon, never giving up and essentially handing them the perpetrator, it might have been another 30 years before justice was served. This podcast shines a light on the prejudices police hold about working-class people, especially women, and how dangerous the press can be in furthering or completely distracting an investigation. It’s only five episodes, which are all pretty short and features Assistant Chief Constable Lisa Theaker who you might recognise from Hunted.
As you know, I’m no tastemaker when it comes to music, I mostly still listen to the stuff I listened to aged 17. And whatever’s in the country music charts. So, if you too are a musically stuck nana into a bit of indie folk, give Noah Kahan a listen. Maybe you’ve already heard of him, he’s not a nobody - he’s done songs with Post Malone and Hozier, he’s probably on the radio, I have very much not discovered an unknown artist. The title song is STUCK in my head though and I think you might like it rolling around yours too.
The Science Behind Interior & Exterior Design on The Ins & Outs
I’ve recommended The Ins & Outs before. It’s a podcast from an interior designer and garden designer who chat about trends, provide useful tips and answer really good listener questions that are very often things I’ve been wondering about too. In this particular episode, they interview Dr Tara Swart, a leading Neuroscientist who specialises in Neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to change, grow and rewire!) and it was so so interesting. They talk about the effect our environment (like our homes and outdoor spaces, obv) has on our mental health as well as manifestation and imposter syndrome more broadly.
Reinvent Yourself With Dr Tara
The above then sent me down a rabbit hole/binge of everything Dr Tara Swart has ever done, which landed me on her podcast, which I’m now working my way through. ‘Good Weird’ with writer and comedian Mark Steele (who also works on the podcast) focuses on being different as a child, how impactful adults can be in an autistic (or any!) child’s creative pursuit and the constant cycle of retraining and reinventing one’s self to be able to do what you love. And my mind has been BLOWN by the episode with Dr Bruce Greyson about near-death experiences. Please listen to it so we can talk about it!! Ben Lippet’s episode about how we can impact our health and reprogram debilitating beliefs and behaviours is also fascinating (and maybe a little controversial?).
My pal Steve recommended this one, thanks hon! Hosted by Richard Osmon and Marina Hyde, TRIE ‘pulls back the curtain on television, movies, journalism and more’. It actually, genuinely does. I’m surprised by how much detail Richard and Marina dig into and reveal, they’re not afraid to share stats, costs, first-hand celeb gossip and strong opinions. Each episode centres around something in the zeitgeist that week, like Taylor Swift being Person of the Year, the re-make of Gladiators and whatever Marvel is doing but expect so much more, such as what really happened in the phone hacking scandal, TV, film & book recs, how much money game shows are allowed to give away and how they control that, how much adverts cost…
Watch
I think Big Boys might be a perfect TV show. I have no notes. It’s written and narrated by Jack Rooke and follows the story of his university years, where he forms an unlikely friendship with confident, charismatic Danny. Seemingly very different characters, the boys share similar struggles and the two-season show strikes a balance between serious and silly so well. You will cry happy and sad tears from start to finish.
Season 2 of Julian Fellowes’ Downton Abbey but make it American has recently started and I think you should watch it. It’s set in the 1940s so the sets and costumes are fabulous and has that upstairs-downstairs thing we loved so much with Downton plus a whole old money v new money tussel going on. Christine Brisinski and Miranda from SATC are in it and brilliant.
Also of Julian Fellowes fame, I re-watched Gosford Park the other day and ooh it’s a goodie! A classic murder mystery, set in the 1930s. A group of rich and well-to-do people along with their staff - most played by very famous faces, think Maggie Smith, Clive Owen, Kristin Scott Thomas, Dumbledore Take 2, Tom Hollander, Stephen Fry, Ryan Phillipe… - gather for a hunting holiday. Someone is murdered and everyone has a motive!
I haven’t seen much fuss about this, in fact, the reviews I have, read aren’t exactly glowing, nonetheless I quite enjoyed this film and think you might too. It’s a dark comedy with a touch of thriller based on the true bromance and break-up of John DeLorean (you know, the car guy) and Jim Hoffman, a con man turned FBI informant, and set against a cool 1980s California backdrop. A good one for Saturday night takeaway viewing.
You’ve probably seen the adverts for this show about an ex-con who returns to the town he left (for good reason!) as part of a prisoner firefighter program… and it does exactly what it says on the tin. If you’re looking for a Grey’s Anatomy-esque workplace-based drama where the storylines are very rarely about work but almost always play out while something is burning or someone is dying, you’ll love it. It’s an easy, cheesy, heartstring-tugging watch.
When I hurt my back the first time and was staring down the barrel of several weeks in bed I knew I needed a new series to distract me and no genre absorbs me more than whatever Wheel of Time is. Medieval fantasy? That makes it sound crap, but it’s really good if you like a bit of made-up worlds, sword fights and sorcerers. Rosamund Pike is fab in it.
Brennan Reece’s Comedy Special ‘Crowded’
I don’t want to give too much away about this but trust me, you need to watch it. It’s very funny and very human and sad in places but ultimately a hoot.
Read
Into The Water - Paula Hawkins
This book got me out of my reading slump! Paula Hawkins is a pacy author who writes believable characters and storylines, both with plenty of twists. She’s reliable is what I’m saying. You know you’ve got a book you can get lost in. Into The Water is about the townspeople who live around a body of water where multiple women have died, dating back to the witch trials. When a mother who’s obsessed with the water’s history and its victims drowns in it, everyone including her daughter believes it was intentional. Or was it? Had she learned a little too much about the deep water and the women it claimed...
Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
Life After Life is inspired by the question: what if you had the chance to live your life over and over again until you got it right? We follow Ursula Todd as she is born in England in 1910 and dies, only to be born again, experiencing more and more of the turbulent events of the time. It has a Groundhog Day style that’s familiar without feeling tired and the characters are so well written.
Lost Connections: Uncovering The Real Causes of Depression - Johann Hari
A great mix of relatable, anecdotal evidence - the author has been on anti-depressants for most of his life, with the dose having to be continually increased - and surprising scientific findings. The crux of the book is: there are nine causes of depression and most of them are to do with how we live our modern lives - are drugs the answer to that? Is there more individuals and society at large could/should be doing?
Why The Pursuit of Perfectionism is Ruining Your Home - Mad About The House by Kate Watson-Smyth
Fellow renovators and perfectionists, listen up! This article from the Insta-famous interior designer and author really speaks to my fear of getting it wrong as well as my decision fatigue, which leads to making no decisions at all. Kate is so knowledgeable and creates incredible spaces - if that’s what her imperfect looks like, I’ll take all the notes I can get. At the end there’s a really handy list for designing well without overthinking.
On Pretend Cooking - Write What by Stephanie Danler
I come back to this essay often. I think it’s perfectly written and I love the way Stephanie uses food as a vehicle to talk about her relationship with her mother, and the fact food is a vehicle for her to talk to her mother.
The Truth About The ‘Marriageability Gap’ - Men Yell At Me by LYZ
A really interesting piece that covers so much, including how single, successful women are often perceived by the men they’re dating, the imbalances in relationships whether that’s because of money or typical gender roles and why marriage rates are declining.
Gather The Daughters - Jennie Melamed
It’s giving The Handmaid’s Tale. Gather The Daughters is a dystopian story about a community that lives on an isolated island. The boys grow up knowing they’ll be in charge and have choice, and girls grow up barely able to enjoy the days of relative freedom before they hit publity. The old are forced to take poison, women who can’t get pregnant disappear, and a select few men have seen and closely guard the secret of what exists beyond the island. This isn’t super plotty, so if you like your novels with a beginning, middle and end, all tied up with a bow, avoid. But if you appreciate evocative imagery and big ideas and social commentary made more impactful through innocent and flawed characters, you’ll love it.
Everything Is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer
My lovely MIL sent us all the stuff she’d been kindly storing at her house for us, which for me mainly entailed lots of uni books and this was one of them. It’s one of my favourites, and I actually wrote my dissertation about it + Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (also by JSF). The overall theme was trauma literature… yes, I was a hoot then also. Anyway, EII is a semi-biographical satire which follows Jonathan on a journey to discover the woman who saved his grandfather during the Nazi liquidation of Trachimbrod. He meets and befriends a host of eccentric characters along the way, who help him. Alongside this quest runs the fictional, fantastical history of Trachimbrod and Jonathan’s ancestors, and the chopping and changing and relationship between the two is so well done.
Desperate to read Life after Life! Also yes thanks to Steve am also loving TRIE… the ep on channel 4!is really interesting