#91: Consume Media
I like big books and I cannot lie.
Welcome to A Most Unreliable Narrator, the slice-of-life newsletter of GenXer around town, Lisa Rabey. I talk about anything and everything with a bit of swears. I’m glad you’re here.
Sometimes in September 2021, I came across a website where the author was tracking every piece of media they consumed from movies to tv shows to books. I thought, “Self, this is a great idea!” so I built it myself. The stats from mid-September – December 2021 are the following:
26 books read (Books I did not finish are not counted in the total.)
26 tv series finished
27 movies watched
That’s a lot of media to consume in 3.5 months!
And it feels concerning to see the numbers but here are some considerations:
TV series are short in amount, typically 6 – 10 episodes, and time, 25 – 30 minutes and the series were binged
I didn’t read a lot of heavy things during this period and what I did read were short, roughly 350 pages (I read about 50-60 pages an hour)
Over half of the movies were the Hallmark/Lifetime/UPtv/etc holiday variety that I had on the background when I was working
I’m surprised at myself that not only did I keep up the list but that I’ve also kept up on my book reviews.
Book Recommendations
Garlic and the Vampire A cute story of Garlic who learns to not be afraid
Comfort Me With Apples Cat Valente’s thrilling retelling of the creation myth
The Big Reveal Addie can teach you so much about self-love, respect, and honor
If the Fates Allow Two lonely people tired of COVID find each other
TV Recommendations
The Deutschland trilogy (83, 86, 89). Story about a reluctant cold war spy during the high stress points of the ‘80s. It’s in German with subtitles and I cannot recommend this enough. (Hulu)
Ted Lasso. Go AFC Richmond! (AppleTV+)
Only Murder in the Building. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez are dazzling in this send up of true crime podcast fans. (Hulu)
Letterkenny. If you haven’t seen this long running (10 seasons) Canadian comedy, you’re missing out on 100% meme opportunity. (Hulu)
Movie Recommendations
Pride + Prejudice (2005) This is one of my very favorite movies and I watch it at least twice a year and never get sick of it
Don’t Look Up (2021) Leo DiCaprio (who looks like my ex-Patrick) and Jennifer Lawrence in a mullet play two astrophysicists who discover a comet is heading towards Earth and it will be a devastating event. Reviews have been mixed but I really enjoyed it.
Arsenic and Old Lace (1943) Never saw it and wanted to and now it’s been rectified. Cary Grant is amazing in it and he does physical comedy so well while looking dashing.
Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001) Another spinoff of the Pride and Prejudice juggernaut, another one of my favorite movies that I watch several times a year, especially during the holidays. This movie resonates with me hard because I was near Bridget’s age when the story starts so I get the difficulty of finding love in your early 30s. (Also, the movie bookends a year starting and ending on New Years’ day which makes it such a holiday favorite of mine.)
What’s the plan for 2022? Continue with the tracking and writing of book reviews. I’m adding music into the mix and started building my, new to me in 2022, Spotify list. I subscribe to NME newsletter, The Guardian’s Music blog, and I listen to NPR All Songs Considered. I’m kinda stuck in the ‘90s/early ‘00s of indie/alternative rock and pop. It did not help that shoegaze and the “The” bands of ‘00s have had a resurgence recently and I’ve never explored other genres in-depth, which is now being helped along by my sources. Will I track music this year? Not sure how unless tracking the day I first listened to it. Music is a constant thing and never ends.
My favorite playlist is The Sound of Scottish Indie on Spotify. I’ve heard a lot of the bands on the list but not all and when I get in genre moods, I really get into genre moods. Arab Strap was a band I had heard of but never really listened to until this playlist and then I discover I have a massive crush on Aidan Moffat. My favorite song by him is The Copper Top.
I had no idea this would be a 1000 words.
With that, any recommendations for movies, books, music, or TV series would be greatly appreciated. I’m trying to broaden my horizons so hit me up in the comments if you have any suggestions of your must haves.
Things I Recently Wrote
Wonderful Thing
Fragrance oils.
I used to be a perfume person back in the day but as the formulas changed and more alcohol was introduced and I hate the smell of florals, I leaned away from perfumes and went towards more oils. The scents are wonderfully complex, you can smell from anything from a banana to woodsmoke, and the varieties are endless. One of the most famous purveyors is Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.
Interesting Things (or things to buy)
Fragrance oils!
I’ve been scouring Etsy for new scents since the shop I was buying from had closed and Bath Sabbath was one of the brands I came across. I bought a four pack with Brawlin’ Oats, Winter Madness, Cuppajoe, and a fourth one I’m too lazy to look for. I loved Brawlin’ Oats and Winter Madness so much I bought the full sizes.
Him: “Why do you smell of burnt coffee?”
Me: “Oh, thanks! It’s Cuppajoe.”
Him: …
Links to Read That Are Not (Terribly) Depressing
Birds Aren’t Real, or Are They? Inside a Gen Z Conspiracy Theory
How common is the ‘Common Era?’ How A.D. and C.E. took over counting years
Grunge—whether it’s called the Tumblr girl aesthetic or indie sleazecore—is timeless.
Get vaccinated and mask up! There is a pandemic going on.
lisa x
(Fuck fascists and Nazis!)
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