What to Watch January 2021

Woo-freaking-hoo! Nearly time to kiss 2020 goodbye! Pop the bubbly and grab the remote, it's time to look ahead to the one thing we can count on in 2021 – new streaming stuff to watch!

As always, I've compiled a list of shows I'd like to see that come to streaming soon, and I'm sharing it here along with links to everything coming to streaming services so you can go through and pick your own must-watch shows. 

And away we go!

Snow Day by Julie Lipson

You want a short, sweet Christmas romance set in a winter wonderland? You want to listen while you fold laundry and walk the dog? What, you even want it to be fun, like a play, with different voice actors and sound effects to bring it to life? Ok, fine, you got it.

The light-hearted, hopeful Snow Day by Julie Lipson is a merry holiday tale. I'd call it more of an audio play than an audiobook. Runtime is just over an hour, so it's easy to fit in here and there.

Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley

"Young people reading Jane Austen for the first time think that the stories are about love and romance and finding a partner. But a happy home is equally as much what all of her heroines don’t have, and yet desire."

Much more has been written about Jane Austen than she had time to write herself in her brief life. But in Jane Austen at Home, historian Lucy Worsley investigates the topic from a new slant: the homes in which Austen lived, and the insecurity she likely felt about not having a secure, permanent home to call her own.

Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This superb short story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, on the surface, is about a woman giving birth to her first child. It describes the experience of that, both physical and emotional, in a beautiful way that felt very real.

But Zikora is also a story about love and relationships, both romantic relationships and especially the strained relationship between a mother and a daughter. It's about how those bonds can be complex, and how you don't always understand each other. It's about looking back and gaining new understanding of those people you love. It somehow explores these issues with impact and emotion in a short space (just 35 pages for the ebook or an hour and 15 minutes for audio).

What to Watch December 2020

Wonder Woman 1984 is coming! Hell yes, dropping on Christmas day as a special gift to us all! For those who have HBO Max, anyway, and if you don't, I suppose you could start a free trial just in time to catch it. 

As always, I've compiled a list of shows I'd like to see that come to streaming soon, and I'm sharing it here along with links to everything coming to streaming services so you can go through and pick your own must-watch shows.

And away we go!

This Telling by Cheryl Strayed

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This beautiful, moving short story by Cheryl Strayed depicts a life built around a long-hidden secret. A teenager puts her baby up for adoption in the '60s and this tale explores the lingering impact for a woman who had few options in her youth. Well-written and thought-provoking. 

Keep Moving by Maggie Smith

 My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've had breakups that brought me to my knees, endings that left me destroyed, crying, hopeless. I think I learned a little from each of them, but I never worked the inspiring magic trick poet Maggie Smith did with Keep Moving. 

Somehow, she took the crushing, world-altering blow of a wrenching divorce and transformed it into hope for herself and others, not to mention writing a bestseller in the process.

Graceful Burdens by Roxane Gay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This intriguing short story leaves you both satisfied and wanting more. It would make a killer novel, but works beautifully as is, too.

In Graceful Burdens, Roxane Gay imagines a world where only licensed people are legally allowed to have children, with the "fit" being determined by genetic profiling.

In this world, unlicensed women can check out babies from the library like a book to be loved and shared by all, but truly belonging to nobody. In a short space, Gay manages to give us a glimpse of what life would be like for women in such a world, as well as creating and answering a compelling mystery as to just how some babies end up in the library at all. 

What to Watch November 2020

If you're looking for a little audio-visual distraction in November, I've got the list that can't be missed! As always, I've compiled a list of shows I'd like to see that drop on streaming soon, and I'm sharing it here along with links to everything coming to streaming services so you can go through and pick your own must-watch shows.

And away we go!

I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-Up Comedy's Golden Era

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a must-read for the diehard comedy fan. I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-Up Comedy's Golden Era by William Knoedelseder isn't unputdownable, but it does offer fascinating details if you're obsessed with stories of comedians, comedy clubs, and the particulars of how comics get stage time and hone their craft. 

It also feels like a history of The Comedy Store in particular rather than a history of comedy in the '70s in general. But as I knew little of the history of The Comedy Store and how much it shaped comedians, comedy and even comedy clubs for years to come, I was perfectly happy learning about this iconic club and how it both nurtured comics and abused them financially. 

Shine, Pamela! Shine! by Kate Atkinson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This short story by the author of one of my favorite books, Life After Life, is part of the Out of Line collection on Amazon, which is free to read for Prime members and $1.99 for the rest of you lot who haven't caved to Jeff Bezos' domination of the world. (Full transparency: I subscribe to Prime.)

The series of shorts is described by Amazon as "an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting."

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This followup to My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante held up in book two of the four-part series, even if it felt more disturbing with the growing realization of the situation Lila was in and her continued destructive tendencies, and how Lenu's life and decisions were still as affected by her friend as the tides are by the moon.

What to Watch October 2020

You'll get an eyeful of great new series, documentaries and movies coming to streaming in October, crowned by new episodes of The Mandalorian on Disney Plus.

As always, I've made a list of shows I'd like to see that drop on streaming soon, and I'm sharing it here along with links to everything coming to streaming services so you can go through and pick your own must-watch shows.

And away we go!

Cool Stuff to Watch (and Listen to!)

I need lots of comfort viewing (or listening) lately, and can never seem to find enough good options. Luckily, I found a few things in the last week that fit the bill and thought I'd share.

Maria Bamford: Weakness is My Brand. Bamford's hilarious, offbeat style is just what I needed. I laughed a lot while watching her latest comedy special, and couldn't we all use a little more of that in our lives? If you have Amazon Prime, you can check it out for free.

Lucy Worsley Audible interview. Worsley is my favorite British academic who regularly gets TV specials with the BBC. This interview is just 12 minutes, but it's a delight, especially for fans of Jane Austen. "I don't think she was just an important writer, she was an important human being," Worsley says. Why, you may ask? For that you've got to invest 60 seconds times 12. The interview is free on Audible.

Biography: I Want My MTV. A&E's look at how MTV came to be barely scratches the surface, but it did lightly scratch an itch for this Gen Xer who loves all things '80s music and videos. For a real deep dive (and loads of stories about rock stars), pick up one of my favorite oral histories, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up My Brilliant Friend a few years ago, read a chapter or two, then dropped it again. It just didn't spark my interest.

Cut to last year when I decided to watch season one of the HBO series based on the book. It was dark, grim, hard for me to watch at times. But the friendship between the two girls was mesmerizing, and I hung in there. By the time I'd finished binging the series, I was in love.

I still didn't go back to the book, though. The memory of bored disinterest kept me away. Season two aired, and again I was enthralled. Finally, I recently decided to pick the book up again on the chance I'd merely tried it at the wrong time, when the mood wasn't right, when the muse of all printed things was pointing another direction at the moment. And this time, I loved the story, the writing. Everything.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I never knew much about Steve Jobs, other than he was the head and founding member of Apple, a company that didn't particularly interest me. When he died, it didn't affect me more than it would on hearing of anyone's untimely passing, but I watched in amazement as masses of people the world over mourned. What was I missing? By the end of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, I understood. When Jobs' death was described, after I'd invested hundreds of pages getting to know him, I was sobbing for what was lost – both for him on a personal level, and all the things lost to the world that he might have created had he lived.

This well-written, intensely researched book depicts Jobs' life, warts and all, celebrating grand achievements and exposing crashing failures. It depicts him as a difficult personality that I wouldn't have cared to know or work with, but whose passion and dedication to his ideals created products that really did change the world, and did it with an eye for beauty and simplicity.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams

"The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is one of the most extraordinary ventures in the entire history of catering. It is ... enclosed in a vast time bubble and projected forward in time to the precise moment of the End of the Universe."

I'm so down for this joint! Sneak me on your spaceship, snag me in a time warp, whatever it takes – I want to visit this restaurant and watch the universe implode from a safe vantage. I want to dine with "a fascinating cross-section of the entire population of space and time."

Just imagine the peace of watching all the madness of creation go boom-boom, bye-bye. The wonder of seeing it happen. And knowing you can return to your life, or come back for another viewing, or zip over to a different restaurant to watch the Big Bang.

What to Watch September 2020

This has been one sucky summer, y'all. At least I can look forward to new seasons of The Boys, Fargo and Pen15, as well as new series like Away and The Duchess, all coming in September.

As always, I've made a list of shows I'd like to see that drop on streaming soon, and I'm sharing it here along with links to everything coming to streaming services so you can go through and pick your own must-watch shows.

And away we go!

The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"There is the story you think you are living in, and then there is the invisible, secret, unguessed-at core of that story, around which everything else revolves."

The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung was refreshingly different and utterly engaging.

It entwines a mathematical mystery with a mystery about the main character's own past and family. Woven into it all is the struggle of a female mathematician to have her work and talent seen, rather than disregarded or disbelieved by the men around her. A ride worth taking.

If you love talking about books, please follow or friend me on Goodreads. Let's be book buddies!

What to Watch August 2020

July was a rough month for me personally, and a lot of people in the world collectively. June wasn't great either, tbh. But one thing I can still enjoy is compiling my list of shows I'd like to see that are coming to streaming soon (even if for now I mostly settle into comfort viewing of the two Housewives shows I watch and reruns of The Big Bang Theory).

As always, I've made a list of shows I'd like to see that drop in August, and I'm sharing it here along with links to everything coming to streaming services so you can go through and pick your own must-watch shows.

And away we go!

Milkman by Anna Burns

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a knockout. We don't know the city where it takes place or the characters' names, but it appears to be set in Northern Ireland in the '70s during the Troubles.

Milkman by Anna Burns won the 2018 Man Booker Prize for fiction, and you can easily see why. Burns employs an original, striking writing style in her tale of one invisible girl in a world of invisible women, and what happens when that girl becomes visible to a dangerous man whose unwanted attentions nearly unravel her life.

It's also a tale of rumor, hearsay, inaction and powerlessness, and the destruction those things can cause.

What to Watch July 2020

Hamilton airing on Disney Plus is the most exciting thing coming to streaming in July, if not the entire year! I've seen a documentary about the making of this blockbuster musical, read the book Hamilton: The Revolution (just $3.99 on kindle as of this writing), and own the soundtrack – but I've yet to see the stage show. That changes this July, and I can't wait for it! (Get it, wait for it? No? Watch the show and you will!)

As always, I've made a list of shows we'll be checking out in my house, and I'm sharing it here along with links to everything coming to streaming services in July so you can go through and pick your own must-watch shows.

And away we go!

Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted by Jennnifer Keishin Armstrong

The cover design is a cute callback to
the show's opening credits, but that is
one forgettable title!

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(2.5 stars, actually, but Goodreads hates fractions)

This book was mildly interesting, the title utterly forgettable. It offers a fluffy take on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the sitcom's place in TV history and the show's stars, but doesn't scratch beneath the surface on people in its pages (especially Mary Tyler Moore herself).

The author glosses over a lot of topics; for instance, when mentioning Moore checked into the Betty Ford Center, she hesitates to straight up say Moore had a drinking problem; the word "alcoholic" isn't used, instead she quotes someone who called it a "social drinking habit."

Near the end of the book the Armstrong finally, and briefly, admits Moore "struggled[d] with alcoholism," but I have no idea why she tiptoed around it so carefully when the actor herself talked about it in her memoir.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautifully-crafted book with characters that feel alive and real. In Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, we follow the lives of two half-sisters in Ghana who never meet – one who is sold into slavery, the other who is married off to a British slave trader.

The author beautifully weaves a link from generation to generation, depicting the horror and trauma visited on their lives and on Ghana by slavery. It's deeply tragic and depicts injustice and evil affecting an unfathomable number of lives for generations.

Themes and Variations by David Sedaris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"If women come home from work and take their bras off, their husbands return and look for things they can force up their asses."

There you have a sample of tales David Sedaris heard from fans during his book tours in this short, funny essay from the master of the form.

Looking back at his broke-ass days, Sedaris recalls getting short-shrift in the way of interaction from an author for whom he plunked down hard-earned cash for a book to be signed. He's told this story before, but he returns to it here to explain why he always takes time to engage fans, and is often rewarded with interesting (and bizarre) revelations.

What to Watch June 2020

We're sliding into summer, so I'll ignore the heat and focus on new shows and movies coming to streaming! As always, I've made a list of shows we'll be checking out in my house, and I'm sharing it here along with links to everything coming to streaming services in June.

And away we go!

Life with Picasso by Françoise Gilot

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pablo Picasso was a gifted artist, one of the lucky ones who was successful during his lifetime, allowing him to reap the rewards of fame and fortune while still alive and kicking. He was also a dick.

In Life with Picasso, Françoise Gilot, his former lover and mother to two of his children, employs a sharp intelligence and memory to recount experiences from her decade with the artist. She describes in detail his work habits and techniques for those who love particulars of the creative process. You'll also get a glimpse of many other artists and writers in post-World War II France whose lives intersected with Picasso and Gilot.

However, the most fascinating and disturbing parts of the book focus on Picasso's actions and feelings towards the women, children and friends in his life. He didn't give a damn about anyone, though some people served his purposes or amused him for a time.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the kind of book that if you just go with it and ignore anything that seems to not quite make sense, you'll have a good ride. Not that there was a lot here that felt unexplained by the end, but as with most mystery/thrillers, you have to let a few things slide.

The make or break moment for a lot of books comes as they head into the home stretch. Some novels that were great for the first half turn into a disappointing mess by the ending. With Then She Was Gone, I felt satisfied with the story and how the threads wrapped up as the tale wound down.

That's not to say there weren't a few plot flaws or that the actions of some characters didn't ring false here and there. But this tale grew on me and I just went with it.

Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran by Andy Taylor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I saw my first Duran Duran video in the early '80s, and that was it, I was hooked. I was a superfan and a failed recruiter for my new-found obsession, but one getting no respect, no pay, and no takers. I would not shut up about them. It's low-key embarrassing now the way I went on, but I thought they were the best thing in the world, ever. It started when I was 12 or so; I didn't have a lot to compare it to.

They were the first band I found on my own (rather than one I caught wind of from older siblings), and an excitement and adoration blazed into my brain like lightning. I can't remember exactly when I first heard about them, which is shocking given how major they were to me for a few years, but it was sometime between 1982 and 1984. It was a newfangled music video that grabbed me, and I was captivated instantly. I never tired of watching those five young, gorgeous guys in beautiful locations, dressed to kill and belting out cool songs. I was entranced, enthralled, in love.

What to Watch May 2020

Quarantine continues in many areas, and so does the list of new shows dropping each month. With several productions shut down due to the pandemic, I suspect we'll see a little less in the way of new offerings about six months to a year from now – at which point we'll all catch up on some shows we couldn't get to before!

As always, I've made a list of shows we'll be checking out in my house, and I'm sharing it here along with links to everything coming to streaming services in May.

And away we go!

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

In A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway captures a fascinating picture of a long-gone moment in time, a place that still exists but will never exist in this exact way again, and a talented group of writers honing their craft and breathing in the creative life in Paris of the 1920s.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The audiobook of Ready Player One wowed me. The story beautifully wove together a tale of friendship, courage, love, and yes, '80s trivia. It added in evil corporations and the many ills facing society and the planet, ramped up a good bit.

It was heavy on '80s video game references, which isn't something I'm normally all that interested in, but the way it played out in the book worked for me. I was alive and well in the '80s, but was never that interested in games, and we were way too poor to have a home system. I did hit the arcade a few times, though, and was all about the Pac-Man and Galaga. That's about as deep as I go into '80s video games. And yet this story, based largely around games, worked for me.

The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I couldn't help thinking as I read that this book is like Little House on the Prairie for grownups. In some ways. Ok, yes, that sounds nuts, but let me explain. The Little House books focused on Laura's wonder at the world and in little things around her, but you could also see the hardships of her life – told gently. They depicted tough times, certainly, but never got too nitty-gritty. They softened the edges of that life to make the story suitable for children.

The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride tells it like it was. It's a fascinating history lesson about life in the 1840s in general, and in specific about life for families journeying a long distance across North America to settle elsewhere. It helps you understand what that trek would be like day in and out, and the dangers wrought by passing through vast areas where there was no possibility of buying supplies or obtaining medical help.

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

From Goodreads:

At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan. 

Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

The book Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid blew me away, so of course I wanted to pick up more of her work. The current global turmoil decided me in favor of reading something that sounded light and sweet, so I wound up with one of her earlier novels, Maybe in Another Life, in my hands.

What to Watch April 2020

Why balloons? My birthday is in April! And we
could all use something cheerful right now, too.

What a difference a few weeks bring. A lot of us are staying home, social distancing, and trying not to catch or spread COVID-19. My monthly list of shows to watch may be small comfort at this time, but losing yourself in a good show can offer a brief respite from worry. I hope it helps someone out there find a way to think about something besides the pandemic and all that entails for a brief interlude here and there.

As always, I've made a list of shows we'll be looking for in the Choco household, and I'm sharing it with you, dear readers, along with links to everything coming to the ever-expanding universe of streaming services.

And away we go!

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reading How to Stop Time by Matt Haig feels like moving through a poem or song, wrapping yourself up in it, living inside it.

It's a melancholy tune that nonetheless shimmers with hope. It's an ode to love, and life, and learning to live in the present. It's about turning your back on worry and fear; it's about embracing love and truth.

Technically, it's about a man who ages at a dramatically slower rate than the rest of us. The condition is more of curse than a blessing. But his is a fascinating journey, and a beautifully written one.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Goodreads:

Set in the days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

For many, this is not the moment to pick up a book about the devastation left after a flu pandemic. But I've noticed some actually enjoy reading these types of tales amid our current COVID-19 pandemic. Is it soothing somehow? Or do they enjoy it like a horror story (one that seems more realistic by the day)? I don't know, but this a great novel. If you'll find comfort in reading a worst-case scenario, this delivers. But those overwhelmed by the current crisis should definitely wait awhile to give it a read.

The One with the Review of Generation Friends

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As a Gen Xer, I was the prime audience for Friends when the show was spanking new. I loved the cozy, cool lifestyle of hanging around joking with friends day in, day out. I loved the style, from the clothes to the couch at Central Perk. And man oh man did I love Monica's purple apartment with the huge, multi-paneled window and balcony.

Cool Stuff to Watch

I've found lots of great things to watch in the past few months. If you're looking for something new to stream, or want an entertainment game plan in case you need to avoid crowds and stay home in the coming weeks and months, check this out!

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Someone recommended Things Fall Apart several years ago, adding that they often assigned it to lit students. This seemed like a good enough reason to add it to my own Goodreads list, as it struck a chord with reading habits of my younger days.

In my late teens and 20s, I based many personal reading choices on titles considered classics that were often studied in classrooms. My high school, for whatever reason, never assigned novels. Once in a while they'd pass out mimeographed sheets, and we'd read Romeo and Juliet (probably just a portion of it?) or some other piece short enough to copy for the whole class, but they never handed out a pile of books for us to read and discuss. Maybe they couldn't afford 20 or 30 copies of each book they might've assigned, I just don't know.

What to Watch March 2020

Spring is nigh, and this TV lover's thoughts turn to new shows on the horizon. As always, I've made my list of shows we'll be looking for in the Choco household, and I'm sharing it with you, dear readers, along with links to everything coming to the ever-expanding universe of streaming services.

And away we go!

My Favorite Books Read in the 2010s

The 2010s passed by in the blink of an eye. The most satisfying way I can measure all that time slipping through my fingers is through books: What did I read that I loved each year?

So I've looked back at my Goodreads account, and even pried open my old Library Thing account, to check out what I read each year for the last decade. I've compiled the books and audiobooks I liked the most – not the ones I rated most highly, but what I look back on fondly or that left a lingering impression.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

I loved this book and its main character so much! Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a tale of loneliness and trying to overcome childhood trauma, a story of not fitting in and not understanding why. I don't want to give anything away by detailing her struggles and their outcome, but the story grabbed me immediately and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen.

I sympathized with Eleanor even though I could see why other characters often found her odd or difficult. As author Gail Honeyman said in an interview with The Bookseller: "I thought it was important that Eleanor was never self-pitying, because I think as a reader that is when you lose sympathy for a character. Even if [a character] has been through horrendous experiences, if they are seen as self-pitying, it’s a very distancing thing. She’s broken but she’s not destroyed. She’s a survivor of it all."

Me by Elton John

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Of all the music I've loved in my life, I come back most often to Elton John's songs, the tracks least likely to prompt me to change the dial or tell Alexa to skip. I'll listen to it the rest of my life, and I'm sure people will still be listening to it many lifetimes after I'm gone.

Maybe I enjoyed every page of his autobiography, Me, so completely because I'm a fan, but I don't think it's only that. The writing is simple, engaging and honest, with a thread of humor and self-awareness running through it like a clear, sparkling stream. It swept me along.

Fun with The Oscars

I never cared to watch award shows when I was single, and I still don't – with one exception: The Oscars. Since my husband and I like watching movies together, seeing which ones scoop up awards is a fun game for me. My husband may grumble that he doesn't care about the Oscars, but we always have a good time watching and comparing notes.

With the help of printable ballots offered by various websites, we make it into a no-stakes sporting event. If you want to play at home, grab a ballot and mark your votes in advance. PureWow offers a great printable ballot. You can also peruse the Oscar Nominees laid out with nice thumbnails to jog your memory of a given movie or role. That site also offers a printable ballot. (Several sites have ballots; I like to look over a few and find one without a lot of unnecessary extra graphics and a layout I like for printing.)

I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These essays had a comfortable sense of familiarity to me. They made me laugh, nod my head in recognition, or mull over the truth that even when your world sounds pretty great in many respects (as the author's certainly does), you can still get sucker-punched by life and your own issues. Hell, even when you have some pretty significant problems, you can usually count the ways millions of people in the world have it worse – yet knowing that doesn't make your troubles melt away like a snowman in the sun.

Many passages reminded me of myself ... in small ways. The messed up ways rather than the "You're winning at life, pal!" ways. Her dire sense of direction, the need to plan things out, get things right, check off boxes, be responsible and reliable and expect others to behave similarly. Sometimes annoying the shit out of others with all of that. Taking up the slack at work or anywhere really; if others don't do what needs to be done, stepping up. And end up taking on too much. Swimming in anxiety at times. Yep, sounds familiar.

What to Watch February 2020

So many shows, so little time. As my husband points out, it's a good problem to have. My personal list of shows and movies we want to get to at some point is LONG. Every month it gets an overhaul as I add the list of new shows I'd like to watch and cut what we've already seen.

I'm sharing my new monthly additions here for anyone else keeping an eye out for new and returning shows. I'll include links to all the new content for a given service for you to browse as well.

And away we go!

The Sisters by Dervla McTiernan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The narrator, Aiofe McMahon, delivers an outstanding performance of a somewhat flawed short story. I can't determine how much of the momentum that kept me hooked was the story itself, and how much the dynamite voice work.

I don't want to give spoilers, so I won't go into detail on the weak areas. I will say the author has a great way of weaving a story, it's just that some of the threads were a bit thin. But at the same time, there were many parts of the narrative that resonated for me, particularly the relationship between the sisters and the challenges and obstacles they faced as young woman early in their careers.

Reflections on Chihuly Glass

When I first encountered the bright, blown-glass sculptures, alive with light and color and flowing lines that suggest movement and life, I'd never heard of artist Dale Chihuly. I thought the glass displays were whimsical and interesting, but didn't give them a second thought.

Missouri Botanical Garden Blue Chandelier, 2006
(That's the title of the piece, not the photo's date! Located in the visitor center.)

I can't even say for sure the first time I encountered Chihuly's work, as I may have seen it with no idea it was his or even who he was. But the first time I remember seeing it was at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, which has a few of his pieces on permanent display. Unfortunately I didn't get many good photos of them. It was only after I visited the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and saw its large collection of Chihuly's glass sculptures that I realized what I'd seen in Missouri, and later was captured by the chandelier sculpture in the visitor center of the Missouri Botanical Gardens on a return visit. A few other pieces adorn various spots of the garden like pockets of hidden treasure for visitors to find.

Best Books I Read in 2019

Looking back at the 45 books I read in 2019, I loved quite a few of them. A lot ended up being in the friendzone (I liked 'em, but didn't love 'em), and a few were so rotten they filled me with rage. But who cares about them? Let's focus on the best of the bunch.