Reading Watching Listening
-
Reading Watching Listening
Reading… Keats. Because his poems are beautiful. And in a week of terrifying, angering, saddening news, in a week of deadlines and stress and no sleep, I needed a moment or two of beauty. Watching… The Hour. British dramas rarely disappoint me, and given that this one stars both Dominic West and Ben Wishaw, revolves around a 1950s news program and has a healthy dose of political intrigue, it is actually surprising it has taken me this long to get around to watching it. But get around to it I did. Now I’m just upset that it was cancelled after two series. Listening… “Kool Thing” by Sonic Youth.…
-
Reading Watching Listening
Reading… And I Alone Survived to Tell You by Sylvia Hamilton. I picked up Hamilton’s latest poetry collection in the fall when I was in Nova Scotia (it was published by Gaspereau Press in Kentville, NS and I picked up a copy in Wolfville). I went to a poetry event that she was at on Tuesday, so in preparation I finally sat down and read it. It is astonishing and powerful poetry. Watching… Ballet 422. I finally got around to watching this documentary about Justin Peck choreographing a new work for the New York City Ballet. It’s wonderful. Of course, as someone who is a major fan of ballet,…
-
Reading Watching Listening
Reading… The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels. Technically this is work. I’m presenting a conference paper on Saturday about this novel, so I’ve been frantically throwing some thoughts together about it this week. Fortunately, any time I do work on Michaels’s writing, I get to spend some time reading it. So beautiful. Every time I read this novel, I love it even more. Watching… Gilmore Girls. I needed some comfort TV to counteract the conference-related stress. Plus, all of the casting announcements about the revival made me really want to watch the series again. Not that it takes much for me to want to watch this show. I’ve seen…
-
Reading Watching Listening
Reading… Still nothing of note right now, so instead I am going to reach back to the fall and recommend Spinster by Kate Bolick to y’all. It is so incredibly good. I loved every page of it. It’s one of those rare books that lived up to all of the hype I had heard and then surpassed that bar. Watching… Chicago Fire and Chicago PD. It is a damn good thing that I have little interest in medical shows, otherwise I would need to add Chicago Med to the list as well. These shows are phenomenal. I started PD because of the lovely Sophia Bush, and quickly realized I needed to watch Chicago…
-
Reading Watching Listening
Reading… Nothing worth mentioning. I’m in one of those dry spells in enjoyable reading that happen with alarming regularity in grad school. Watching… Mozart in the Jungle. Joy the Baker did an awesome post about shows to binge watch. Seriously, read it here. I’m pretty sure Joy and I would be fabulous friends. Her comments on the sacredness of comfy-clothes-binge-watching-cat-snuggling nights, her cheering this aspect of adulthood, and her comments on the perfection of Olivia Pope’s outerwear all resonate SO STRONGLY with me. Not only was the post a delight but so were the comments. One show that routinely popped up in the comments was Mozart in the Jungle. It…
-
Reading Watching Listening
Reading… Al Purdy. I’ve been frantically trying to track down one. specific. poem. In the process, though, I took some time to finally read through the selected poems my parents bought me. It’s been a nice reminder of why I number him among my favourite Canadian poets. Watching… Bunheads. Guyyyyyyyyyyyyyys, how had I not watched this show before now!? Kelly Bishop is a goddess. And Sutton Foster is so fantastic in this show. And Amy Sherman-Palladino writes such fabulously smart and hilarious dialogue and creates quirky, delightful worlds. Plus, any Gilmore Girls devotee is going to love the number of actors who appear on both shows. Listening… “God Bless…
-
Reading Watching Listening
Reading… Almost Famous Women by Megan Mayhew Bergman. I actually started this book of short stories, the second from Mayhew Bergman, in the summer. I loved it so much that I bought it for one of my best friends this Christmas. Then the other day I was moving books on my nightstand and realized I HADN’T ACTUALLY FINISHED IT. So I’m making my way through the last couple stories now and still totally loving it. Mayhew Bergman creates truly fascinating characters in her writing, and her chosen subjects in this collection captivate me. Watching… Seinfeld. This show has been on my “to watch” list for quite some time now…
-
Reading Watching Listening
Reading… Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Yes, this is a children’s book. No, I don’t have a child. I do, however, have a deep love for Winnie the Pooh, so as soon as I saw this book I snapped it up. The story is both true and sweet, and the illustrations are beyond adorable. Watching… The Office. Canadian Netflix finally added this show, and I can’t get enough of it. Jim and Pam are pretty much all of my relationship goals. John Krasinski is adorable. BJ Novak is adorable. And Mindy Kaling is my spirit animal.…
-
Reading Watching Listening
Like the weekly reading series I introduced on Wednesday, this is another returning personal favourite series. Part recommendation, part record for myself. Reading... I’ve started some reading for a contract research position at a museum, so just yesterday I re-read Margaret Atwood’s “The Age of Lead” from Wilderness Tips. It’s a surprisingly touching story from a collection that I would argue is some of Atwood’s best writing. Watching… I started re-watching One Tree Hill over the Christmas break. Sometimes a girl just needs a good dose of teen-oriented soap opera-esque drama supported by a kick ass soundtrack and the prodigious use of “meaningful” quotations. I’ve also been actively trying to convince myself…