Reading, Watching, Listening (May 2023)
/There are so many great entertainment options this spring - here are some of my current faves.
READING
(1) I Have Some Questions for You, Rebecca Makkai - Makkai’s novel, the Great Believers, is one of my favorite books ever, so I was pretty excited to read her newest novel and it did not disappoint. It’s both a “missing girl” book, while also criticizing America’s fascination with missing girls. And, yes, Makkai gets the irony. This book crams a lot of issues into one space - “me too”, canceling, rape, dead girls, mysteries, unfair trials for minorities, etc - with any other author it would end up a ridiculous jumble, but Makkai tackles everything with grace and anger. And there’s a mystery too - I couldn’t stop reading.
(2) Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - This was on almost every critic’s “best of” lists for 2022 and I can see why. It’s such a great “feel good” read about the complicated friendship between two video-game lovers/creators. It’s definitely one of those novels that makes you want to reach out to old friends and tell them you love them.
(3) Spare - Ugh, I’m so mixed on this one. Anyone else? At times I found Prince Harry to be ridiculously spoiled (did I need to know about his frozen penis?). And at other times I felt so bad for him - dead mother, shitty stepmom, the possibility of history repeating itself in regard to his own wife’s safety - there’s a lot of info here (maybe too much?), but all in all worth reading.
(4) Free Love, Tessa Hadley - Tessa Hadley is one of my favorite authors, but it took me awhile to get into Free Love, as the plot seemed sort of trite (pretty, middle aged 1950s housewife has an affair with a younger man). But I’m glad I stuck with it. Eventually all the characters gained more depth and nothing turned out how I thought it would - which is what I always love about Hadley’s writing - she rarely makes things simple nor does she reduce her characters to generic stereotypes (though, in this novel, she sometimes came close).
(5) Tell Me Everything - The Story of a Private Investigation, Erika Krouse - The author of this memoir has a face that, somehow, convinces people to tell her their darkest secrets. So she starts working as a private investigator for a law firm bringing a Title IX sexual assault case against the University of Colorado. I remember reading about this case in the news and Krouse’s behind-the-scenes account is both fascinating and disturbing. So many women were raped and nobody at the college seemed to care. So. Many. Women.
(6) The Epilogue of August, Jennifer Milder - My good friend just published a novel. I haven’t read it yet, but I can’t wait to dive in!
WATCHING
(1) Outlast (Netflix) - Did anyone else watch this reality show about teams of people competing to survive in Alaska’s wilderness? It got DARK. Lord of the Flies dark.
(2) We Need to Talk About Cosby (Showtime) - Cosby is a tough topic and this documentary handles its subject so well. Love the flashback to the Cosby’s shows greatest hits and how much good it did (and how much not-good Cosby himself did).
(3) Succession, Season 4 (HBO) - I’ve watched the first three seasons of Succession and, while I liked them, I didn’t quite love them (everyone is so unlikable and nothing really happens). Until season 4. Now everything is happening and I can’t wait for Sunday nights.
(4) All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Nan Goldin Documentary) (HBO) - I’ve admired Nan Goldin’s photography work for years, as well as her very public war on the Sackler Family. But this documentary was so much more.
(5) Beef - I loved this dramedy (is that the right word?) about two angry stranger’s attempts to wage war on each other’s lives. I’ve never seen anything like Beef before - each episode was so well-crafted with complex (and sometimes ridiculous) characters. You’re not sure who to root for, which, I think, is the whole point.
(6) Make or Break, Seasons 1 and 2 (Apple TV) - I learned about this reality/documentary surfing show through Kelly Slater’s interview on Armchair Expert and immediately started watching. The show does a great job balancing the personal histories and rivalries of top surfers (male and female) with amazing footage of their feats. Great binge watching.
(7) Air (theaters) - I really liked Air, although, according to my kids, “nothing really happens” (which is true). It’s just the story of a shoe, but Affleck (as director) does a great job creating tension and keeping you engrossed in the story despite the simplicity of the plot. If you liked Argo, you’ll probably like this (though, as my kids reminded me, in Argo something actually happens).
(8) The Real World, Season 3 (Hulu) - Oh nostalgia. This was one of my favorite shows in high school and it felt bizarre/surreal to watch it again 35 years later. For some reason, I found the characters more sympathetic/less annoying this time - I’m not sure if that’s because I’ve aged or because people on reality tv have gotten more annoying over time. Remember, Padro? He died right after the show aired. It’s also odd to remember a time without cellphones and almost no airport security. So many feelings.
LISTENING
(1) Sza, SOS - My teenager daughters both LOVE Sza, but I had a hard time getting into her music (her songs all seemed to blend together). And then we saw Sza live and she was AMAZING. By far one of the best concerts I’ve ever attended and now I can’t stop listening - her lyrics are so good, I can’t believe it took me this long to catch on.
(2) The National, First Two Pages of Frankenstein - I’ll probably get some hate for this, but I feel like, lyrically, this sounds like a Taylor Swift album - so many of the songs are stories. I sort of miss the randomness of the Nationals’ earlier work (why were they looking for astronauts?). But I like this as well, even though it feels extra sad.
(3) We Can Do Hard Things, Episode 205, “Why Good Photos Make Us Feel Bad” - As a documentary photographer this episode was PURE GOLD. Family photos don’t have to be painful - there is a better way!!
Quotes from the podcast - " I was like, “Oh my God. No, no, no.” That’s something else. That’s not even our life. That’s our pictures of what we think other people will like to see about what our life was. But it’s 12 step remove from what is, from what our people actually are, and from what our daily moments are. . . . Yeah. Maybe we should just start committing to… What is it called when you’re just taking a photo of what’s happening . . . . Candid. Yeah, yeah, candid."
(4) Lana Del Rey, Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd - On one hand, so many of Lana Del Rey’s songs sound similar. On the other hand, they’re still so good. The Grants is so creepy sad, but I can’t stop listening. And A&W hits hard. As it should.
(5) Boy Genius, The Record - Three of the best women in indie rock (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus) just made an album and it’s amazing, especially $20, Revolution 0, & Not Strong Enough - I can’t wait to see them live in a few months.
(6) Sinead O’Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got - Remember this album? In high school I couldn’t stop listening. Sinead O’Connor was the first role model who made me feel like girls could achieve fame on their own terms. I remember my parents constantly asking, “but why is she bald?” and being so mad that they felt they deserved an answer. And then she tore up that photo of the Pope and everyone hated her. And I hated her too, not really because of the Pope, but I felt like she abandoned all of us teenage fans for no real reason (or for reasons I didn’t really understand). In today’s world Sinead would have been able to explain herself over instagram. But everything was hazier back then. Anyways, I had forgotten all of this and then I watched the documentary, Nothing Compares, on Netflix and now the Emperor’s New Clothes is back on constant replay.
(7) My Own Taylor Swift Playlist - I know fellow Swifties may disagree, but I’m a little sad that Taylor is mostly playing her greatest hits on the Eras tour, I was hoping for more variety. So I made my own playlist, link here.
(8) Indigo De Souza, All of This Will End - There’s something so clever yet fun about this album. I find myself playing in a lot lately.
WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE? ANY GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS?
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Darcy Troutman Photography is a Northern VA/Washington DC/Maryland documentary-style family photographer, who believes in capturing real moments. Interested in learning more? Please click here to sign up for my newsletter or schedule a session.