This past month has been interesting in the reading/watching/listening realm. I didn’t read near as much as I have in the past months but I added some extra watching to the list.
READ
Women Talking-Miriam Toews
This is the only book I’ve read since my last R/W/L post. I read this book for one of my book clubs. It is a fictional account but based on a true story-a very tragic story. A group of over 100 Mennonite women and their children discover that they are being drugged and raped by male members of their sect. They live in a patriarchal society where women have no power. Initially, they are told that demons were responsible for the attacks until the women discovered the truth and the leader of the sect was forced to act.
Once the truth comes out, the men are arrested and the women have to decide if they will stay in their community or leave before the men come back.
The book takes place over a 48 hour period where the women are debating what to do. Do they stay in a community where they have been brutalized or do they leave and go out into a world they have no knowledge of. It was fascinating to be a fly on the wall of this conversation. The book is very conversational. I felt as if I was taken on a journey and felt many of the highs, lows and humor of the members. Their sheltered world is all that they know and to even think about leaving takes a tremendous act of courage. I highly recommend this book.
WATCH
Manifest-this is one of my favorite shows and it has returned to the airwaves. It is a story about a family, half of whom were on a flight that disappeared for 5 years. They return and of course, all sorts of weird stuff starts to happen.
I will watch anything in the Law & Order family and it’s doubly exciting (if you’re a fan) because Stabler’s back!!
I read (listened) to this trilogy by Deborah Harkness a long while back and loved it. I don’t typically like fantasy type stuff but I do like witches and vampires! It’s got everything-family fights, scandal, intrigue, and time travel! This tv series is currently 2 seasons long with season 3 coming in 2022. It is on the paid channel AMC+ but I didn’t pay for it. I got a free week from my cable company and watched the first two seasons. It was really good escapism and I am excited for the next season.
Baseball season has started and you’ll find the Giants games on in the background. Right now, we are in 1st place in the West!!
Well, I didn’t get to have to my annual Oscar Party but I did watch the ceremony. It was definitely a pared down affair with no red carpet, no host, no movie clips and no best song performances. I thought it was a bit too pared down. I would have loved to see some movie clips and hear the songs. I didn’t miss the mindless sketches and chatter but it needed more. I’m anticipating hosting my soiree in 2022 as well as being able to see the films. I didn’t see any of the nominated films this year.
LISTEN
Andra Day was nominated for her role in this film (which I haven’t yet watched) but I have listened to the music and it is fantastic. I had some familiarity with her music before this acting turn and I love it. She is a phenomenal talent! The film can be found on Hulu.
This is one of my favorite podcasts. It is an NPR show about economics but made very accessible by the various hosts. They talk about how economic theories and decisions impact our lives. Each show is pretty short-about 20-25 minutes each. Really fun and an easy listen and you get to learn, too!
This is a podcast for women on all things money. They talk about everything you’d expect and use personal stories to bring concepts to life. They discuss challenges like COVID, job loss, reduced income, lack of investing knowledge and a wide range of the usual financial topics. They make a sometimes difficult and tricky topic easy to listen to and to learn.
I definitely hope that next time I have more good reads to share with you. I miss reading when I don’t keep up with it!
What’s good in your world? Share in the comments!
