TV & Movies

📺 Carry-On: A thriller set in an airport on Christmas Eve and starring Jason Bateman as an evil terrorist? As a fan of Die Hard, the original Christmas thriller (which this movie is definitely paying homage to), I had to watch it. And while Carry-On is not the best movie, it is quick, absorbing, and entertaining, which is sometimes exactly what you need at the end of a cold winter’s day…

📺 Black Doves: This year, Netflix has doubled down on the Christmas-themed thriller, and this one is a very bingeable series about a London-based spy played by Keira Knightly. Not only is our heroine a spy who is very handy with knives and guns, she’s married to the British Defense Minister, the mother of young twins, an accomplished hostess, and of course, gorgeous. The plot is convoluted, but there’s plenty of action, and if you can manage the confusing feelings that may arise because you’re watching Keira Knightley play a character in London during the lead-up to Christmas who isn’t the young newlywed in Love Actually, you will enjoy this fast-paced caper.

📺 Say Nothing: I was gripped by this excellent series about The Troubles in Northern Ireland based on Patrick Radden Keefe’s bestselling 2018 book. The show is a fascinating look at the inner workings of the IRA, told mostly from the perspective of the Price sisters, two engaging young women who become loyal soldiers. Their storyline is interwoven with the mystery and heartbreak surrounding the abduction and disappearance of a widowed mother of 10 children and and the taped confessions of IRA members given to a Boston College oral history project in the 2000s.

📺 The Agency: This is a British spy series set at the London office of the CIA with an all-star cast: Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Gere, and Michael Fassbender. Fassbender plays a spy who’s recently returned to London after a long stint on assignment in Africa, where he has fallen into an intense affair with a married professor. The first two episodes are slow but tense—and I’m watching to find out whether Fassbender’s character—or his lover—are double agents; and if not, what they’re both hiding…

Books

📖 I Feel Bad About My Neck: and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman: Chatting with Lindsey Stanberry inspired me to revisit Nora Ephron’s hilarious book of essays about womanhood, beauty, and aging. It’s always lovely to be in Nora’s company, and I was reminded of how witty, wise, and original she was (and still is). There are essays about cooking, parenting, and New York, but my all-time favorite is the one about Ephron’s long-running love affair with an apartment at the Apthorp.

Newsletters

📨 Alex Steele’s series of meaningful gift guides are beautifully and thoughtfully curated for anyone who needs help buying gifts this month: here are the guides for men; for kids; and for women.