September 2024 Recommendations

Recommendations

Sep 11

TV & Movies

📺 The Perfect Couple: based on Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling book of the same name, this limited murder mystery series checks several of my favorite boxes: it’s set during a glamorous wedding at a stunning house in a gorgeous location (Nantucket) and features a dysfunctional wealthy family. Plus, there are big-name stars sporting preppy/quiet luxury fashions: Liev Schrieber, Nicole Kidman, Eve Hewson, Dakota Fanning, and Meghann Fahy. While it’s not the best TV show you’ll ever see, it’s an easily digestible brain candy treat at the end of long back-to-school/back-to-work days.

📺 Bad Monkey: Vince Vaughn stars in this adaptation of a bestselling Carl Hiaasen comedic mystery/detective novel about a down-on-his-luck police officer, a severed arm that washes up at sea, and a real estate development in the Bahamas. Full disclosure: I’ve only watched one episode, but given the current lack of quality TV options, I’m committed to enjoying this caper featuring Vaughn’s signature fast-talking humor, the cast of wacky characters played by an excellent supporting cast, and the laid-back Florida vibes. Bonus: this show is definitely fun to watch as a couple!

Books

📖 The God of the Woods: this beautifully written, immersive mystery about a wealthy family is set at an Adirondacks summer camp in the 1970s and is the perfect late-summer read. The story follows the Van Laar family, and the bizarrely coincidental disappearances of their two children, a decade apart. Told through the eyes of several characters—notably, Alice Van Laar, the mother of the missing children, Louise Donnadieu, a bright camp counselor from a poor and broken home, and Judy Luptak, an ambitious young police officer—this book explores their inner worlds and motivations while keeping the reader in suspense as to what happened to the missing children and which adults were involved.

📖 The Wedding People: at the outset of this wise and funny novel, our heroine, Phoebe, is at the lowest point in her life, having lost her husband, her cat, and her will to live. She’s decided to treat herself to one last decadent splurge at a grand Newport beachfront hotel but finds her plans upended when she’s the only hotel guest not part of an enormous, costly wedding. Phoebe improbably befriends the bride-to-be, groom, and other members of the wedding party, and, as at many weddings, drama ensues. The fascinating and memorable parts of this book are the insightful, unfiltered conversations Phoebe, as a complete stranger with no agenda, engages in with the “wedding people” - leading to life-changing revelations and a satisfying ending.

📖 What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: I love a book that solves a problem and in this case, Caroline Chambers has turned her wildly popular newsletter into a cookbook by the same name. The book takes its mission seriously: it’s organized by how much time you have to cook, from 15’ish minutes to over an hour, and includes helpful (and realistic) advice and hacks for getting a healthy, delicious dinner on the table, even when you really don’t feel like it.

Newsletters

📨 Things that Make me Happy! is a free newsletter, by Sara, who’s “all about the cozy life,” and is a wonderfully thoughtful digest of reading and entertainment recommendations, plus the most fascinating, amusing, and delightful rabbit holes of links from around the web!

Podcasts & Playlists

🎧 What Is the Future of College — and Does It Have Room for Men? Freakonomics Radio: an illuminating listen for parents of aspiring college students, and anyone interested in the state of higher education in America. Economists, university administrators, and others explain why men are enrolling in US colleges in fewer numbers, and offer ideas for addressing this issue.

🎧 WorkLife with Adam Grant: Beyond breaking the glass ceiling with Julia Gillard, Australia’s first female prime minister: Organizational Psychologist, Adam Grant, conducts an illuminating conversation with Julia Gillard, Australia’s first and only female prime minister (2010-2013), about sexism, gender equality, and how feminism benefits men. These topics feel particularly timely, and I found Gillard’s insights into what it takes to be a great leader, and the obstacles women seeking power encounter, fascinating.