What I'm Into | January 2017
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Linking up with Hopeful Leigh to share what I was into in January!
Reading
I read Matilda, a children's book by Roald Dahl. All of our kids read this book at various points, and they all recommended that we read it.
So, we did! I read it out loud to Mr. FG and we both loved it. Matilda is so hilarious and genuine, and parts of it were making me laugh so hard, I had a hard time reading. Also, Quentin Blake's illustrations are just on point. Simple, but brilliant.
I don't know if there's a version out there with other illustrations, but if you read this, you really must make sure the illustrations are by Blake. Nothing else could compare. 😉
I bought the Kindle version, which, luckily, has Quentin Blake's drawings included. Phew.
What else?
I'm in the middle of Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman (sister of The Nester). I actually bought this book, which is a rarity for me. Generally I see if something is available at the library and if it's not, I just skip reading it. But this sounded SO much like something aimed at me, I bought a used copy on half.com.
I read Still Alice (a library book this time!). I think I heard this recommended on Anne Bogel's What Should I Read Next podcast. It tells the story of a woman with early onset Alzheimer's, and what makes it extra interesting is that the story is told from her perspective. The writing is great, and the book manages to be moving without being sappy or forced.
And then after that I read another book by the same author, Love Anthony. (from the library too)
The author has a PhD in neuroscience, and all of her novels deal with some aspect of the brain. This time it's autism. I didn't like this one quite as well as Still Alice, but I still thought the writing was strong, and it held my interest the whole way through. It just was maybe not as believable a plot line as Still Alice.
Watching
I watched Shadows in the Sun, a movie that was in our Netflix DVD queue. The Amazon reviews are largely positive, but I thought it was kind of terrible.
I mean, it wasn't offensive, but it felt cheesy and predictable to me, which made it boring. Plus, even though a lot of the actors are fairly well-known, I didn't think any of them turned in an amazing performance. I couldn't get emotionally invested in any of them.
So, yeah...just not my kind of movie, I guess.
On a better note, I watched the movie version of Matilda with Mr. FG, Sonia, and Zoe. As book adaptations go, I thought this one was fairly good. But I was bummed it wasn't set in England and I thought some of the casting was too far a departure from the book (most notably Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood).
Miss Honey and Miss Trunchbull were spot on, though, and Matilda was adorable.
I am just really, really difficult to please when it comes to books made into movies.
Listening
I usually keep up with some podcasts, but I don't think I've listened to any in January at all! My podcast queue is probably all jammed up.
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What did you watch, listen to, or read in January? I'd love to hear!
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I forgot about the Nester. I need to check in and read her blog again. Which blogs are you following now.
Let's see...I still read Kelle Hampton, Laura Vanderkam, and The NonConsumer Advocate regularly. I actually haven't checked in with the Nester for a while. I should go resubscribe.
You have to start watching When Calls The Heart on Netflix. Currently seasons 1 and 2 are there and season 3 begins on 2/19. Awesome family friendly show. Think of Little House and Dr Quinn. One of the producers is Michael Landon Jr. I think your girls would like it too.
And if you do have a live TV streaming service, S4 starts on the Hallmark Channel also on 2/19.
BTW, the series is based on books that are written by Janette Oks who wrote a whole Canadian West series. Lisey might be interested in them.
I just got the movie "Still Alice" from the library! I hope it's as good as the book!
I can't remember if you have Netflix, but if you do, you should watch "The Crown". I am also enjoying "Victoria"on Masterpiece. It's soooo good!
Oddly, though I loved Matilda myself as a kid, I had to stop reading it to my kids. I think they're still too young maybe (7 and 4), because the father was so mean my older son was getting a little upset, and I didn't even get to horrible Miss Trunchbull.
I just read "The Summer Before the War," (the war in this case being WW1) by Helen Simonson, who also wrote "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand," and I heartily recommend both, though I slightly preferred the "The Summer Before the War.". In my opinion, writing good novels about ordinary people is one of the hardest things for an author to do well, and she does it very, very well.
I just re-read Major's Pettigrew's last stand and loved it as much as the first time.
I read Pettigrew's Last Stand a few months ago. It's such a lovely book!
shout-out for Major Pettigrew!
Have you read Inside the O'Brien's by Lisa Genova? It's more like Still Alice than Love Anthony.
No! I'll have to go look for it at my library.
First time commenter: I also really liked "Left Neglected" by the same author.
Ooh, perfect! I think I do have that one on hold from the library.
I've read all of these (Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, and Inside the O'Briens) -- what can I say, I'm a sucker for neuroscience. Of them all, I thought Love Anthony was (by far) the weakest. There are two versions of Still Alice, with different endings, which kind of threw me off. I think brain science is fascinating.
Wait, what? There are two endings?? Where do you find the other one?
I finally started Outlander (book), but it's starting to read like a smutty novella, so I may not continue with it for much longer...I need to find some really good books so I can read in our slow times at work instead of gossiping! (:
Loved both the movie and book Matilda. I agree about the casting of the Wormwoods, and also, the fact that Danny Devito was the narrator and also played her father, made it somewhat confusing, as the narrator was sympathetic to Matilda, and her father was decidedly not.
Yes, I agree about that. It was weird to have him be the good guy and the bad guy.
After reading Metaxas' "Bonhoeffer", I am reading "The Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which by coincidence, my church just started a class on, so naturally, I signed up for the class, too.
I will start "Earth's Green Carpet" as soon as I finish the Bonhoeffer book; it's an old book by Louise Howard and one of our local organic farmers really recommends it. He's so thrilled that I actually read Sir Howard's "Soil and Health" at his recommendation, that I can't let him down now! I had to buy these used; I couldn't get them through my library.
For Lent, I will read "Numbering My Days" by Chene Heady.
And finally, because variety is the spice of life, I am also reading "Make Mead Like a Viking" by Jereme Zimmerman, a gift from a friend when he found out I am learning to make mead.
Movies -- none planned so far, but I hope to draw up a list soon.
I complained last year that I never took time to read -- I think I am getting over that.
I didn't know Matilda was a book! I absolutely adore the movie; I'll have to check it out. I just rented a fresh stack of books from the library yesterday.
What I'm reading: A book on homemade truffles, a few cookbooks, Smart Cookies' guide to saving and making money, and 10,001 ways to live large on a small budget (written by the folks over at Wise Bread).
Watching: Not much! We just canceled Sling TV and switched to Netflix again to save money, so I'll have to see what's on Netflix after a 3-month hiatus.
I am watching The Blacklist (because it's so good, except - unfortunately - the female lead) and Blindspot (because it's so bad). Neither is remotely child-friendly.
I wanted to watch Sherlock season 4 but for some reason, the DVR didn't record eps 2-3. They were on the "to record" queue, too. Nor was it a space problem because other shows recorded afterward. >:-<<
Watched some of PBS's adaptions of the Shakespeare's War of the Roses plays, which were surprisingly non child-friendly. Very well acted and dammit, why didn't the DVR record all those episodes either? (I'm noticing a trend.)
Finished audiobook (Clancey's Rainbox 6) just because it's what I had in the car. I didn't like it very much but it wasn't quite bad enough to stop listening to.
Not much book reading, as I'm trying to stay on top of The Economist. Now that I have to drive to work I've lost 90 min of reading time per day, which had a dramatic effect on my Economist reading.
I read several dog adoption and training books, but still getting much better info from the trainer I hired. Books give you general info, a person can see the actual dog and the actual human-dog interaction and give feedback.
Thinking about finishing the YA book "Swarm," book 2 of a 3 book series. Unfortunately I the bad guys so repugnant[1] that I'm reluctant to pick it up again. This was not a problem I had with the first book,
[1] They're doomed and therefore careless of other's lives, health, circumstances; than when one of them dies as the result of their carelessness (and remember, they're doomed anyway), complain vociferously that the protagonists didn't save them.
Love love Matilda and the other Dahl books! My daughter read them all as a grade schooler and I bought the set for my grandsons. I just read a great book too- One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood. I read a lot- last year I think I read 112 novels. Now I'm going through my over 50 cookbooks and going to find some new recipes. I'm in a rut!
What I'm reading AND watching! If you haven't gotten into the Poldark series by Winston Graham, it's a must! There are a ton of books in the story line (Ross, Demelza, Jeremy, etc - there are 12, I think) and I just finished The Four Swans (book 6?). Then the Masterpiece series (on Amazon Prime and the PBS app) is a very good re-telling of the books. Very satisfying to get to see the book come to life. They take their time setting up the characters and it is very well acted. The only inaccuracy is the color of hair on the two main women which bothers me when I'm picturing the movie actress as the character and reading the opposite. Good series for both TV and good books!
I am so intrigued by this television series. I have not begun to read the books yet, but plan on it...probably this summer. Once I start, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop ;)!
Are the majority of the books you read "Christian?" I was trying to stick to faith-based novels, but have found that it's usually the same thing over and over. I'm on the hunt for books that are a little more substantial but still fairly clean. Regardless of which genres they fall into, I appreciate the recommendations in the post and the comment sections!
Actually, not a lot of what I read is Christian, except for non-fiction stuff. I generally find Christian novels to be a bit on the cheesy side, as harsh as that sounds. I wish it wasn't true, but it is.
Still Alice was quite clean; Love Anthony not quite so much (although it wasn't anything approaching a bodice-ripper type of thing!).
Have you tried any books by Lynn Austin? They are clean, but perhaps a little more substantial (more realistic characters) than some Christian novels. Also, the Yada Yada Prayer club series and its spin-offs by Neta Jackson are really good.
Ohmygosh, Lynn Austin is my newest favorite author for the Biblical fiction. I seriously feel like I know my OT better after reading her NOVELS. She brings the books of the Bible together in such a fascinating manner. Gripping fiction with a whole lotta truth!
I recently read 'The Red Tent' by Anita Diamant - I am a priest so I have a good grasp of the OT but this jist brought it to life in a way I have never experienced before. I have never comment before but this is important! 🙂
I loved The Red Tent. Great book.
So far, I've read and/or listened to Small Admissions, Hey Harry Hey Matilda, The Chemist, The Girl Before, and The Hanged Man. If you like steampunk/alternate history, The Hanged Man by P.N. Elrod was absolutely brilliant! Small Admissions was LOL funny. The Chemist, by Stephenie Meyer, was ok, not great, not terrible. The Girl on the Train by Hawkins was one of my favorite books in 2015, and while The Girl Before is supposed to the next greatest similar read, I was not impressed at all. I just downloaded The Fifth Petal and Perfect Little World from the library in both ebook and eaudio format, so I'm currently listening in the car and reading at home.
Watching Victoria - I'm hooked! Checked out the series The Thick of It from the library - darkly funny & British, starring Peter Capaldi.
Wow, you read a lot in January!
Hi Kristen and all,
I LOVE to read, too! This month, I finished up Henry V with my 12 year old and we're starting The Fellowship of the Ring read by Rob Inglis. Super recording!! For just me :)--I'm finishing up The Book of Joy by Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. I've truly enjoyed reading about their friendship and views on finding joy amidst difficult times. And, I'm reading Jayber Crow, a novel set in the early-to-mid 1900s by Wendell Berry. It's all about relationships (our relationships with the important people in our lives, ourselves and our connection to the earth, and seasons of life and love). I read Matilda with my girls, but I don't think my youngest has read it yet. Time to dust it off and add it to the read pile :)!!
Grace for the Good Girl is an amazing book - Highly recommend!
I was fortunate to find "Still Alice" in my nearby thrift store for .35. Clean copy too. Great book.
I have a kindle e reader & subscibe to BookBub along with a couple other ebook posts for free & low cost ebooks. BookBub is my favorite. It allows you to choose the types of books you like the best & will show you those types of books in its email each day.
I like everything from the occasional really good Christian novel to mysteries & thrillers. I don't read the many, many Amish Christian novels, there are soooo many of them.
This is a good post, thanks Kristin!
I started listening to the Dear Sugar podcast (http://www.wbur.org/dearsugar) this month, and I love it! I'm a huge Cheryl Strayed fan, so I'm happy to find a source of more of her wisdom and insight.
I recently read The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester. It's a true story of two men that lead to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. There were several contributors to the dictionary. It was eventually discovered by Dr. Murray and the committee that the man who had made the largest contribution of words (about 10,000) to the work, a doctor and Civil War Veteran, was in an asylum for the criminally insane. Dr. Minor was an absolutely brilliant man with very serious mental health issues that led to his downfall. It is a fascinating read about the beginnings of the OED.
Thanks for the suggestion! I just added it to my list of to be read.
You're welcome, I hope you enjoy it!
One of the best books I have read for 12 to 14 year olds is The War That Saved My Life. It is a lovely story of a handicapped child badly abused by her mother and never allowed out of her room whose life is changed when she leaves London for the country during the bombing evacuations. It is a lesson in history and kindness and the ability to let yourself find happiness when you area afraid of being loved in new ways. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The author is a Brit named Kate Saunders.
If you liked Grace for the Good Girl, you have try A Million Little Ways, also by Emily! So, so good!
I too, am hard to please when books I've read, and loved, have been made into movies. My preference is to do the following: If I hear of a good book-turned-movie that I haven't read/watched, I always watch the movie first, then read the book. That way, if I like the movie, odds are I'll like the book even more because it gives far more character/story "depth" than what a movie can Typically I end up liking them both as opposed to being deeply disappointed by the movie because it left so much out of the book!
That's probably a good way to go...from the not-so-great to the great!
I do the opposite. Isn't it funny how we choose to do things. I prefer the book because I don't hear well. I rarely go to the cinema and wait and buy a dvd so I can read the subtitles while I watch.
I am currently reading Twain's Feast: Searching for America's Lost Foods in the Footsteps of Samuel Clemens. This is nonfiction about some of the regional American foods Twain wrote about missing when he was traveling in Europe. A lot of them have disappeared, or almost disappeared, due to changing environmental factors, cooking and eating trends, etc. etc. It's part history, part food writing, part Twain biography. I am sure it is not everyone's cup of tea but I am enjoying it a lot.
I am also reading A Tale of Two Cities. I am embarrassed to say how long I have been working on that one. Ha.
Not much on TV - I have been streaming a lot of youtube of all things. I like to watch the book channels where folks are discussing what they are reading and the budgeting channels. (For motivation!)
I read a lot. My main reading device is my kindle and I down load many books. If they are trashy, poorly written. or just do not appeal I dump them. I don't keep count of those most of the time. In January I was travelling so I read mainly from that device. I went back to the start of the Bible, Six Elmo Jenkins books, guides about places we visited and whatever I read on my kindle. February will see me reading three print books. The first is a book about the concept of Hygge and the next two are old books that I have ordered reprints. They are the Mrs Harris series. One is Mrs Harris goes to Paris. I read it when I was young. It is about a London charlady who falls in love with French fashion. She pinches and saves to buy herself a couture gown from a Paris fashion house.
I'd love to hear the podcasts you listen to regularly (or not so regularly as the seasons of life come and go) or return to.
My favorite podcasts:
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me
Car Talk
Marketplace
Pantsuit Politics
Dave Ramsey
Happier
The Mom Hour
Revisionist History
I get worked up about book recommendations (both giving them and getting them), so I have to add a few more: "Longbourne" by Jo Baker seemed like it would be just a gimmick because it's supposed to be the story of "Pride and Prejudice" from the household servants' point of view, but it was really well done. "Britt-Marie Was Here" by Fredrik Backman is a very hard to describe novel, but very good. It reminded me a little of "The Rosie Project," which is also very good. And finally, non-fiction and possibly not for everyone but still a great read is "Meat Eater," by Steven Rinella. It's sort of his defense of hunting (he's more or less a professional hunter and writer), but very well-written and definitely meant for the mass market, not just for outdoorsmen and women.
Quentin Blake's illustrations are amazing! He did a lot of Roald Dahl's books, I think. He also, if I'm not mistaking, drew some covers for an Edward Eager boxed set that I enjoyed as a child. Definitely iconic. Are you familiar with Matilda The Musical at all? It's a departure from the book in a few ways, I think, but a lot of fun, with really catchy songs.
Bit of Matilda trivia...the reason the Wormwoods were played by Danny Devito and his wife Rhea Perlman was because he took up the production when the film was put on the shelf. Poor little Matilda's mother died of breast cancer while filming, too...rather sad.
Would love if you shared a blog post with some of your favorite podcasts!
The Television series, "This Is Us" in its second season now is absolutely amazing, and cleverly done. Won't be a dry eye in the house. Can't say enough about it. Just outstanding!
Hello. A day late to the party but here's some recommendations anyway. Is a long post!
I second the Poldark book series by Winston Graham. I own nearly a complete set & I loved reading them. Also really enjoy the current BBC series. I'm not bothered by the different hair colors of the female leads but what does really irk me is a plot line liberty that was taken this year. Won't give it away, and I understand why it was done, but grrrr..
Agree too about the smuttiness of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. She is not a good writer in my opinion. I couldn't get thru the first novel. Know that there are a bazillion people who would disagree with me. The series however, while not for children, is gorgeously filmed & well acted. I enjoy watching it despite its sadness due to real life Scottish history.
Love the BBC series, Victoria, with Jenna Coleman in the title role.
The 1990's Jeeves & Wooster series, with Hugh Laurie & Stephen Fry, is terrific. My daughters really like the books by P.G. Wodehouse.
We watch a lot of BBC programming!
I'm fascinated by the time period of WWII. Here's a few novels, of what I currently can remember, that I recommend:
*All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (LOVED)
*The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Barrows & Shaffer
*Blackout & its sequel All Clear by Connie Willis
After WWI:
*The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (OH MY GOODNESS)-Loved book & movie
I LOVED Guernsey! Such a great read.If you also like non-fiction, Fashion on the Ration: Style in the Second World War by Julie Summers is excellent. I happened to read it at the same time I read Guernsey and it provided some interesting context to the time. Though not your favorite time period, The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson is a wonderful book relating to WWI.
We LOVE Roald Dahl around here. Danny, the Champion of the World is also a favorite. And yes, we have a VHS version of that Matilda movie. So cute!
I read the much heralded The Underground Railroad - it was good but I found some of the main characters underdeveloped. Also read What was Mine (a page turner) The Most Dangerous Place on Earth (riveting and especially relevant for parents of teens) and Ladybird and Lyndon (so-so; it is nonfiction but written with a bias - about President Lyndon B Johnson and his wife "Ladybird.")
I continue to love This is Us on television and also Chicago Med (unlike most medical shows, one of the key players is a psychiatrist and there are many interesting psychological issues; another main character is a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon on the autism spectrum.))
Watched "Seymour: An Introduction" on Netflix. Great documentary about a concert level pianist who decides to teach instead of performing. I love that he is a kind and gentle artist and teacher. Finally read all of the All-of-a-Kind Family books. I loved the first two when I read them as a kid, and meant to read the last three for years. Read "The Curated Closet" by Anuschka Rees. I have been trying to pare down my wardrobe and develop my own style, and this book helped me do that. My wardrobe is much smaller, but now I wear each piece more often and getting dressed takes much less time than before. I extended the same techniques to my makeup and accessories.
I'm pretty intrigued by Grace for the Good Girl. I may need to put that on my short list. Definitely sounds like it was written for me. Especially the part about how "the Christian life means hard work and a sweet disposition." I was raised by a mom who basically communicated to me that as long as I was "sweet" on the outside, not much else mattered. So I grew up thinking it was always wrong/unloving to speak my mind or disagree. It has been hard to unlearn that.
I'm still working my way through the Harry Potter books, which I have never read before. I was about 19 or 20 when the first one was published, but I've never read them or seen the movies. I'm in the middle of book 5 currently. I am vigilant about avoiding anything that might give any of it away. I like not knowing what's coming! And I can't WAIT to watch the movies when I finish the book series.
Next on my list is The Five Love Languages of Children.
Last year my husband, who had never read the Harry Potter series before, read the books aloud to our older daughter, and he got really into them! My older son and I were forbidden from revealing any spoilers to either of them, and it was really hard, because they kept wanting to talk about the books, and it's hard to talk about books you've already finished without giving away spoilers!
I took my niece to see "hidden figures" about African-American women working at NASA in the 1960s. It was an amazing film, and so refreshing to see both strong female and strong male characters in the same story.
Right now I'm reading "the residence" about the staff that works at the White House. It's rather a fluffy read – more like a long feature magazine article. It's interesting, though, and with this being my busy season at work it's nice to have something easy and lightweight.
I haven't read Love Anthony, but I really enjoyed both Still Alice and Inside the O'Briens. I think I liked Inside the O'Briens better than Still Alice, actually, and I'd recommend it if you like the author's books. My only caveat is that I would not recommend them to hypochondriacs. 😉 I had myself convinced I had early-onset Alzheimer's for a few weeks after I read Still Alice (I was obsessively tracking my times finishing the NY Times crossword, to make sure I wasn't experiencing cognitive decline). Thankfully I have zero genetic chance of having Huntington's, so I was able to read Inside the O'Briens with minimal stress.
At the very start of January I finished Dexter Palmer's Version Control, which was the best novel I've read in quite a while. If you like more literary sci-fi (and this is definitely more literary than sci-fi!), I'd highly recommend it. I also really, really enjoyed Welcome to Braggsville, which I read right after, but since then, everything I've read has been just okay.
I don't think I've seen anything very good all month! We watched Denial last weekend, which is definitely about an interesting subject (about the trial of an author who is sued for libel by a Holocaust denial) but just not that well-executed. The kids have been really into Annedroids on Amazon, which is a cute show about a homeschooled girl, who makes all of these awesome robots, and her friends, but IMO it doesn't have a ton of crossover appeal to adults!
My goodness yes...reading Still Alice will have you getting all, "OH NO! I'M LOSING MY MIND." when you can't remember a word, or you forget why you walked into a room.
I feel you.
Have you watched Still Alice yet?!?!? My Mom read the book on vacation a few springs ago and we watched the movie this last fall. It is soooo good! I think you'll like it since you liked the book so much.
Do you read Emily's blog?!?!? I thoroughly enjoyed that book too!
Dahl is such a fantastic author! It's no wonder we're still passing his books around all these years later. I've been wanting to re-read Matilda!
Sorry the movie was less than enjoyable! I don't mind a super cheesy film, but there are some that take things TOO far.
What are some of your favorite podcasts? I'm off to poke around here and see if you've mentioned them before!