BOOKS
I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron ****
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron ****
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami ****
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins *****
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins *****
M Train by Patti Smith ****
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins *****
Women’s Uncommon Prayers by Elizabeth Geitz ****
Middlemarch by George Eliot ****
Not on Fire, but Burning by Greg Hrbek ****
The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace ****
One by Sarah Crosson ****
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann ****
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls ****
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn ****
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han ****
The ABC’s of LGBT+ by Ash Hardell ****
Misery by Stephen King ****
All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister ****
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken ****
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han ****
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell ****
More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell ****
Franklin and Luna Go to the Moon by Jen Campbell ****
Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera ****
Girls & Boys by Dennis Kelly ****
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan ****
Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden ****
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith *****
Feeding the Dragon by Sharon Washington ***
The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman ****
Don’t Call Us Dead by Denez Smith ****
The Gunslinger by Stephen King ***
Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima ****
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han ****
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon ****
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green *****
COMEDY SPECIALS
Hannah Gadsby: Nanette : ‘ ) ( > : ‘ ( )
My sister told me to watch this. You too should watch it.
DOCUMENTARIES
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson : )
I really learned a lot about the real ousting of trans people within the LGBTQ* community! It made me really sad but also inspired me to be more conscious of the way I listen and learn about people who are different from me.
Everything is Copy : )
I want to read and watch Nora Ephron’s collected works now more than I ever have before. (A suggested watch from my roommate; see below.)
Anything and Everything Steve Irwin : )
Since I work with animals all day, sometimes I just need some inspiration. Also I’m obsessed with sharks.
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind : )
Robin Williams is very important to me, so this is very important to me. He contained multitudes. As we all do. I DO think this could have gone deeper.
Kingdom of Us : /
It’s definitely interesting to look at all the nuanced dynamics at work in this family, but it probably wasn’t smart of me to watch it. CW for suicide and mental illness.
Tower :”’
I subject myself to this all the time. Because of my extremely rational fear of mass shootings. Because I’m so obsessed with looking for the helpers. Because I am fascinated by the two opposite ways people can bend in desperation. This documentary was beautifully made and I really appreciate that it focused on the heroes rather than the perpetrator. And there were many heroes.
The Cove :”’
So obviously this film is very upsetting to a vegan. I am really inspired to be more active if I can. I think Ric O’Barry standing there, not saying anything, just showing the footage, is a really beautiful act of protest. And that you can arrested for that sort of thing is mind-boggling to me.
Three Identical Strangers : )
I must confess that I guessed a lot of the twists and turns eluded to in the trailer. Maybe that just comes from taking psychology classes, or maybe it’s just because I have a mental illness! But it was a very interesting story and my heart goes out to those boys. And it was great hanging out with my friend-o to see it, too!
Dangerous Son : /
In terms of mental health, I thought it was not quite nuanced enough. But I’ve definitely seen kids like this in my time teaching, and it’s nice to see them portrayed in a sympathetic light for once.
Boy Interrupted : /
I thought this was quite well done, but I think it definitely dates itself in terms of psychology.
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press One : /
I shouldn’t have been watching this. I ignore trigger warnings. But the people who work at the crisis center are amazing.
Patti Smith: Dream of Life : )
Much like Patti Smith’s other works, this was probably over my head, but I appreciated the aesthetic and her voice is wonderful.
EVENTS
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
A year ago I went to a very similar event at the Town Hall NYC under opposite circumstances; it was the launch of Hank Green’s book rather than John Green‘s, and I went alone and so I openly cried a lot. While I started reading the book before the show, I didn’t finish it within the next 24 hours. But I was still full of emotion.
FILMS
Set It Up : D
This was just a really good rom-com. It subverted a lot of gender normative stuff and was really good at connecting pieces of dialogue without getting too cutesy. I’m into it. I watched it four times! I admit, it slightly lost its magic each time.
Brain on Fire : /
I read the book for one of my favorite university classes. It’s an amazing story, but I don’t think the film does it justice. The dialogue was pretty awful, though the cast was star-studded. And the book felt like a recovery story to me – the movie was a mystery, and not a good one because it’s very easy to Google the answer.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom : )
I didn’t really have too much context for this film as I haven’t watched any of them outside of the parts I was obliged to watch as a science substitute, but I really enjoyed this! I thought it was surprisingly deep and quite funny.
Alex Strangelove : D
I had a good time with this. I appreciated the nuance – I wish there was even more! – and I would stop and text my best friend sometimes! That’s a good rom-com.
Coco : ‘ )
I still think that Spanish is the most beautiful language and I’m still so interested in Día de Muertos. I also think that there are lots of good references in here, and someday I need to watch this in Spanish. I do have thoughts on the matriarchal family and some logistical things, but mostly I will let it be magical, as long as the Mexican community likes it!
Eighth Grade : ‘ D
I cried and also I think that this is so true to life. I’ve never felt more connected to a character in film; it’s like Boyhood for me and better. And it deals with a lot of important middle school issues with which stories do not always deal.
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again : ‘ )
Yeah, I cried at this! I didn’t even particularly like the first movie, and this one made me an emotional wreck! This is the first time I’ve really realized how charming Lily James is. I’ve always loved Colin Firth (and several other actors, but mainly Colin Firth.) I was pleased by the queer and bodily difference representation in “Waterloo.” I don’t know. I liked it? I liked it. Perhaps I didn’t mind the lack of continuity because I didn’t know the first movie well?
Like Father : ?
I have a problematic fave in Kelsey Grammer, I will admit it. The script wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be.
The Glass Castle : )
As previously mentioned, I loved the book. I’m obsessed with Woody Harrelson in this, and Naomi Watts made me feel a lot more sympathetic towards Rose Mary.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society : ‘ )
I read the book this year, and it’s right up my street. I think because of the nature of the medium, I got more emotional at the film as they were able to dig deeper without the constraints of formality in the letters.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before : )
I’m so glad that I read the book again in tandem with this. It made me feel happy and fluffy but I don’t know if I would have liked it as much if I hadn’t just re-experienced the book. I just feel like I super relate to Lara Jean. And I watched it more than once. And was kind of obsessed with it. And we’ll leave it at that for now.
BlackkKlansman : ‘ D
So, I’m hoping that by the time this is shown in film classes, the historical context of today will be considered barbaric.
Hush : )
Sometimes I just get in these moods during which I have to read through all of the twists in horror movies that I can, and this one seemed like a good concept, and indeed it is! A worth it thriller.
Crazy Rich Asians : )
This is one of the few films I saw before reading its book!
Flower : /
I’ve definitely confused myself about this film because I think the acting is really quite good and I think I know what it’s going for and I appreciate some of the metaphors, but some things don’t sit right with me.
A Simple Favor : )
This didn’t quite live up to the hype for me, but I really had fun with it and would love to read the book.
IT’S IMPORTANT TO EXPERIENCE THINGS TWICE TO THINK ABOUT THEM CRITICALLY
IT : )
We all know the book is my baby, but I did enjoy the film! Not as much as the book. Obviously. But I can’t re-read a 1,500 page monster at this point in my life.
Legally Blonde the Musical : ‘ D
My fave. My feminist awakening part two.
A Little Princess : ‘ D
This is so important to me, although as I grow up I see little injustices that bother me. But thank goodness the outcome is different than in the book. And thank goodness this helped me get through the Ramayana in university.
You’ve Got Mail : ‘ D
I bonded with my roommate as I watched this with her from another room, and it’s still great.
Julie & Julia : )
I was inspired to rewatch this after the aforementioned Nora Ephron documentary! I can’t eat butter anymore, but as usual, this really made me want to eat Earth Balance from the container.
Princess Diaries : )
After a real s*** night, I watched this. Good times.
The Devil Wears Prada : )
And I watched this immediately after the above. Anne Hathaway used to be my favorite actress. I tend to not watch this one for long periods of time, though, because parts of it definitely make me uncomfortable.
A Beautiful Mind : ‘ D
I’m ashamed, but this is one of my favorite movies. I first watched it in a math class so I thought it was about math and IT WASN’T. It’s not historically accurate at all but it has Paul Bettany and Christopher Plummer and I’m a sucker for a mental illness storyline.
Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated : /
I was having a tough time.
Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement : ‘ )
I just have the best memories of this and I think it still holds up? I’m pro-Nicholas now, though, unlike in my childhood.
The Great British Bake Off, Season 6 : ‘ )
If you don’t cry at the end you’re a robot.
America’s Next Top Model: Cycles 6, 7 & 8 : )
Sometimes you just need to veg. And I realized that a lot of my younger memories stem from here.
The Departed : ‘ D
This is my second favorite movie. There are a million reasons why it shouldn’t be, but I can’t help it.
Lord of the Rings : ‘ D
This is my favorite, favorite movie. Appendices included.
Frasier : ‘ D
It’s my sitcom of choice and I tend to end up starting and finishing all eleven seasons when I’m sad sad.
THE MANY ADVENTURES OF MY FAVORITE ACTOR, CHRISTINE POLLNOW
The 48 Hour Film Project : )
I went with Christine to a screening of all the New York 48 Hour films that won awards. I correctly guessed that the film in which Christine acted, “My Ninja Family,” would win best choreography. (Okay, I said best fight scene, but still.) They also got a best writing nod! Although Christine had no expectations, I was a little surprise that she didn’t win best [supporting] actress! My favorite film (full disclosure: not Christine’s) just won one thing and the film that one everything and is going forward annoyed me slightly because I caught on to what the “twist” was early on because it’s the concept of a YA novel I’ve read. But anyway. Fun! Nice people! They’re speeches were all very short; it was wonderful!
Maggie and the Professor or or conflict resolution, American style – part two : )
Christine had told me the plot beforehand, but she was great! We agree that our favorite line that she speaks is, “Are you a twat?”
MUSICALS
Into the Woods at Audubon Arts
My beautiful children were in this and I love them and I loved it.
Mary Poppins at the Wallingford Community Theatre
I have to admit that I’m not a great fan of the Mary Poppins stage play, and I have ten years of memories working with the Wallingford Community Theatre, so it was a tough watch.
MY WRITING
It’s the little things.
CW: mental illness, self harm, suicide. On the difficulties of following celebrity life.
Marathon Madness.
On the HPA House Cup marathon and the Booktubeathon.
“…like that satisfying heat after a cut.”
CW: mental illness, self harm, suicide. On how self harm is portrayed in the media.
My Suicidal Ideation.
CW: mental illness, self harm, suicide. A live description of what it’s like to feel suicidal.
On Love.
My biggest fear happened! But people in my life are too good and I don’t deserve them.
Blow that piece of junk… OUT OF THE SKY!
I am finally strong enough to talk about The Last Jedi and why I hated it.
How To Read 100 Books A Year
Yes. I have read 119 as of the posting of this blog.
OFF-BROADWAY
Popcorn Falls : )
Here’s my summary to Christine, who got us free tickets: I really liked the acting, and it was something that I would probably write to seem profound. (Also we love Christian Borle, the director.)
PODCASTS
Books With Jen : )
Jen Campbell. What more can I say?
Along with perennials: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, Late to the Table, Gossip, and Bad With Money. : D
TELEVISION SHOWS
Handmaid’s Tale : )
I kept thinking that the season was over, but here we are! I don’t know that I could afford to get emotional while I watched the last two episodes, so I watched them in cafés. I had dreams about them the night before. I don’t even know what else to say about it. I really don’t know what they’re going to do next season.
Sharp Objects : )
As usual, I became obsessed with this book after I read it and was eager to see it adapted. Obviously, things were going to be triggering for me, and I had a lot of dreams about cutting, but I enjoyed it. Also, Amma is an anagram of Mama.
YOUTUBE
Ash Hardell
I have learned a lot from Ash Hardell. They just have such a positive, informative channel and I think they’re great.
The Try Guys
I am trash, but I embrace it.