Reading, Watching, Listening (February 2026)
/Trying to make the best of my off season - so many great entertainment options . . .
READING
(1) Forbidden Notebook/ Alba de Cespedes - A few months ago I stumbled across Alba de Cespedes’ 1938 novel There’s No Turning Back, which blew me away. So now I’m trying to read more by her and this book was SO GOOD. It tells the story of a mother of 20-somethings living in postwar Rome, who starts writing a secret diary. At the beginning she thinks she’s happy with her life, but the more she records the more she realizes how unhappy she really is.
(2) The Ten Year Affair/ Somers - I finished this book in a day and I cannot even explain how much I loved it. Maybe because it was the light read I needed after finishing Sonny and Sonia (see below). Maybe because the descriptions of what life is like while raising kids are so spot on. Every sentence is a simple, quippy masterpiece. Seriously, the writing is so perfect. And the characters are all so real - flawed and lovable.
(3) The Infamous Gilberts/ Tomaski - After finishing Sonny & Sonia and Flashlight (see below), I was starting to wonder if I even really liked reading that much anymore (after all, instagram has become so addictive), but then I stumbled on this book and couldn’t put it down. It’s the story of a wealthy family’s demise, but with sadly comic characters, which makes it a light(ish) read.
(4) Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts/ Margaret Atwood - This was not the biography I was expecting from one of the best writer’s alive. It’s a little generic in many ways and the writing seems so much simpler than her novels. It almost felt like someone gave me their grandmother’s memoir to read. That being said, I enjoyed reading it. Atwood seems so relatable and “ordinary” for lack of a better word. This is not great literature, just the story of a life.
(5) Flashlight/Choi - This novel made almost every “Best of 2025” list, but it felt a bit like a slog to me. It starts off so sad (dead dad, disabled mother, daughter with severe behavioral issues) that I almost quit after the first 30 minutes, but then it became easier reading. During some sections I couldn’t put it down, whereas during other parts I had a hard time willing myself to keep reading. I think the hard part is that every character is pretty awful - reading about all of them became exhausting after awhile.
(6) The Loneliness of Sonny and Sonia/ Desai - This is another novel that appeared on all of the “Best of 2025” lists, so I couldn’t wait to read it. And I appreciated it. The writing is top notch. The characters are multifaceted (except maybe Ilan), but yet I’d find myself putting it down to play on my phone for awhile. Maybe because it is so dense (each sentence, while beautiful, is heavy, like pasta with cream in it, whereas I think I was craving something a basic tomato basil sauce). It is a great book. I can’t deny that. But it took some effort to finish.
(7) Caramelo/ Cisneros - Whenever I travel to a new place, I try to read a work of fiction by a local author, thus I stumbled onto this book while researching Mexico City, which is sort of funny as the majority of the action takes place in Chicago and I grew up in Chicago. Oh well, for the most part I enjoyed this coming of age story about an American/Mexican girl (the only daughter among seven siblings) navigating two different countries. Though I hated the grandma (she reminded me of my mom).
(8) The Correspondent/ Evans - This novel about a 70-something grandmother is told solely through her correspondence. It’s a beautiful story that makes me want to write letters again.
WATCHING
(1) The Perfect Neighbor/ Netflix - This documentary (made solely through police bodicam footage), which focuses on the tensions between an elderly, white female and her, mostly minority, neighbors is haunting and horrible. It perfectly captures (in the most horrific of ways) the growing divide in America.
(2) If I Had Legs I’d Kick You/ HBO Max - Wow. This was a tough one. I didn’t think I still had so much trauma about my kids’ younger years (Dan working all the time, birthing three kids in four years, no real support system except for a few new friends - who turned out to be lifetime friends - feeling constantly underwater and alone) but this INCREDIBLY WELL DONE MOVIE brought back all those feelings which I thought I’d buried pretty deep. So glad Rose Byrne won the Golden Globe, though I have no idea how the hell this was every classified as a comedy. Motherhood is so so hard. On a more positive note, ASAP Rocky is both beautiful to look at and a wonderful actor.
(3) Wuthering Heights/ theater - I’m a little obsessed with Emerald Ferrell. I really loved Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, so I planned a Galentine’s outing with good friends to watch WH’s on opening weekend (I also really love movie theaters). And, for the most part, I wasn’t disappointed. Ferrell reminds me of a smutty, female, bizarre version of Wes Anderson as every scene is so detailed and surreal (the mantelpiece full of hands!). Movies like this make me wish more than ever that more female directors were allowed high budgets for their creative vision. All of this being said, the end fell a little flat for me, almost (ugh, I hate to say this) boring. The problem with having the main characters actually act on their desire is that you don’t really understand why the relationship ever had to end. Nevertheless, I’ve always hated the book WH (they’re both such horrible people!) so it would have taken almost a miracle for me to love the movie. But I believe that Ferrel is capable of miracles. I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.
(4) Reality Check, Inside America’s Next Top Model/ Netflix - I had no real desire to watch this as I never cared much for the TV show, but both my daughters said it was a great binge. And they were right. Does Tyra Banks realize she’s an awful person? Truly awful. Yet, I couldn’t turn away.
(5) I Love LA/ HBO Max - At first this show seemed a little too slick for me, but then I rewatched some of the episodes with Parker and realized that I Love LA show is more clever than I first thought. I also find Rachel Sennott's character so grating that I needed the second watch to appreciate the story and dialogue more. I love that every generation has a women’s show - from Sex in the City to Girls to I Love LA.
(6) Nobody Wants This, Season 2/ Netflix - Some people found Season 2 a little boring, but I sort of loved it. Rarely do movies or tv shows capture what it is actually like to be in a relationship after the honeymoon period starts to end. And I feel like Nobody Wants This really dug in to the second half of the cheesy love story - all of the characters became more complex and less generically likable - I’m excited to see what Seaason 3 will bring.
(7) One Battle After Another/ HBO Max - I’ll admit, I didn’t love this movie as much as everyone else. I liked it. And I found it entertaining. I really have nothing bad to say about it. If it were a class, I’d give it an A. But it didn’t move me in any big way. Ugh. I feel bad saying that.
(8) Marty Supreme/ theaters - I know most people were mixed, but I loved this movie (maybe one of my favorites ever) and I can’t totally explain why. I think I’m just really sick of the average Academy Award nominee biopic where every “winner” is also portrayed as a cheesily one-dimensional great person with almost no flaws. Whereas Marty is an asshole, but somehow you still root for him. He just seemed more human to me then most characters we see in movies (despite the fact that the scenarios he finds himself in keep becoming more absurd). This seemed like such an American movie to me - a narcissist with a selfish and somewhat ridiculous dream. And I loved that about it.
LISTENING
(1) Lily Allen/ West End Girl - When I heard Lily Allen made a 14 song album about her divorce I thought, “how many good songs can one person possibly make about one event?” Turns out - the answer is A LOT. This album is genius - even though no song is that strong on its own, each one leads into the next like a play with several scenes. And somewhere along the way you end up hating David Harbour (by Pussy Palace I was filled with rage). I love how the story continues but each song has a different sound (like the additional vocals by Specialist Moss on Nonmonogamummy). I’ve read that women view this album as a rallying cry about how hard it is to “cool” in modern relationships and it definitely feels like an of-the-moment album that resonates.
(2) Audrey Hobert/ Who’s the Clown? - This album is just pure joy to listen to. I had it on the other day and it turned out my daughters are obsessed with Hobert too (which isn’t suprisingly as my Spotify “age” is 17) - she’s so relatable. No matter how old you are.
(3) Geese/ Getting Killed - I feel old, but I’d never heard of Geese until all of the “Best of 2025” lists came out and this album was at the top of almost every list. I feel like they’re sort of the 2020s Nirvana. Honestly, this album sounds somewhat uneven to me (maybe that’s the point)? But I find myself listening to it constantly and with each listen I like it more and more. Esp. Cobras and Au pays du cocaine.
(4) Charli XCX/ Wuthering Heights - I’m a little obsessed with this soundtrack. It feels like background music, but in the best of possible ways. In other words, Charli xcx understood the assignment, in that she made a beautiful album to match the movie, but not to overshadow the movie. They go so well together.
(5) Westside Cowboy/So Much Country Til’ We Get There - This 5 song EP only lasts 14 minutes, yet it seems like a work of art. So so good.
(6) ASAP Rocky/ Don’t Be Dumb - Truth be told, I’d never even heard of ASAP Rocky until he started dating Rihanna. But Parker has, apparently, been a fan for years. And then we saw him, wearing curlers and arriving on stage via a helicopter at Lollapalooza and I became a fan (he’s amazing live). And I like his new album, it is catchy and positive and, I know this sounds generic, but fun. Yes, it is fun. And we could all use some fun right now.
(7) Zach Bryan/ With Heaven on Top - Zach Bryan’s songwriting keeps getting better and better. He became famous for his country sound, but this album is so paired back it has more of a Springsteen/folksy sound. I miss some of the catchy refrains and universal stories of his old albums, as these songs seem ultra personal. But wow, Plastic Cigarette might be his best song to date. And DeAnn’s Denim makes me almost cry.
(8) Belle Burden/ Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage (audiobook) - I haven’t listened to many books lately (probably because in winter it is much easier to rot on the couch with a real book then to walk the dog with an audiobook), but wow was this divorce memoir heartbreaking, frightening, and incredibly well-written. Despite coming from a world of privilege, Burden’s memoir is oddly relatable. The dinner party recap where a man seated next to her talks of divorce like a random sporting event (who will win?) was especially chilling. I feel like every woman, regardless of her marital status, needs to read this book. Maybe every human.
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.