The Monthly Media Catchup: Everything I Read, Watched & Listened To | May & June 2019
Oh hi there, and welcome back! Here we are with another bumper edition of the Monthly Media Catch Up due to another very busy period. Starting a new job during my busiest university exam period ever was perhaps not one of my best decisions because it certainly made May and most of June nonstop months, ending with a trip to New York City.
Just as my lack of frequent posting on the blog is not going to become a habit, neither are these bumper editions of the MMC, but, for now, here’s everything I read, watched and listened to during these very busy months…
Books
Most of the words I consumed during May were for revision purposes but I have squeezed a couple of books for fun in during the month of June.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton | ★★★★
I needed a comfort read to get me through the last couple of weeks of exams and the exhaustion that came after them and I knew that this was exactly the book to turn to. I listened to Everything I Know About Love on Audible last year because I love Dolly’s podcasts and knew I would love the audio version of her memoir, which I did. I loved it so much that I wanted to read it for real, especially because the paperback version has an extra chapter that wasn’t available in the audio edition. Dolly’s words in her memoir are endlessly funny, reassuring, heartbreaking and honest and this is a book that I know I could read over and over again and take something new from it depending on where I am at in my life and the emotions I am feeling, laughing at the same jokes over no matter how many times I read them.
Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig | ★★★★
Another comfort-read for the post-exam trauma. Matt Haig’s first book Reasons To Stay Alive provided me with so much solace during a period of my life when I was really struggling with my mental health, so I was eager to read his second book, Notes On A Nervous Planet, as soon as I finished the first. I found this book to be really helpful as someone who primarily suffers with anxiety more than anything else, as it really made me think about the modern world and how the ways in which it is changing are at the centre of the mental health crisis. However it managed to do so in a way that, thankfully, didn’t make me panic but helped me to think about how I can combat the feelings of anxiousness caused by a world of uncertainty.
What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons | ★★★★
A moving novel about losing someone close to you and the grief that comes with that. The style of the book felt reminiscent of Claudia Rankine’s Citizen and I am very interested in this fragmented style of writing. I’d definitely like to read more by Zinzi Clemmons.
TV
The Bold Type | ★★★★★
This was one of those TV shows in which I absolutely could not wait to watch the next episode, but I always forced myself to wait because I didn’t want the series to be over. The trailer does this Amazon Prime series no justice and neither will any of my descriptions but, in short, it’s The Devil Wears Prada meets woke millennial and it’s so watchable without being trashy, in fact, it’s genuinely educational. Please give it a go and see what you think and if anyone who produces The Bold Type happens to be reading this (highly unlikely), please hurry up with Season 4!
Killing Eve | ★★★★★
I was late to the party with this, as I am with most TV and film, and I’ve still only watched Season 1 but I loved Killing Eve. It’s so different to anything I’ve ever watched, namely because both of the principal characters are female and are neither outright likeable or unlikeable. It would pass the Bechdel Test with flying colours and it’s absolutely hilarious. It follows the life of an M15 officer who becomes obsessed with catching a female assassin who is acting all around Europe and has an impeccable wardrobe, need I say more?
Doctor Foster |★★★★
Another BBC drama I was late to but binge-watched just as quickly. I had multiple nightmares about this show and if that doesn’t show just how enthralling it was I don’t know what does. It’s about a woman, Doctor Foster, who finds out her husband has been cheating on her and drives herself insane by not telling him about it. It’s very intense but that’s what makes it such a gripping watch.
Love Island | ★★★★★
I don’t know if you will have heard of this one, I mean… it’s pretty niche. Love Island provides me with all the escapism I could ever need and there’s nothing more de-stressing for me than sitting on my couch at 9pm every night and focussing on the lives of others for an hour, forgetting my own. I wrote a blog post in defence of Love Island last year, if you’re still a sceptic.
Films
Late Night | ★★★
Sam and I watched this film in NYC and this is where it is aptly set. Emma Thompson is a late night talkshow host who is out of touch with the world around her and who is about to have her talk show cancelled, that’s until her new ‘diversity hire’, Molly, comes in and, when she is finally allowed to talk by the all white male staff, revitalises the show. I found this film to be laugh out loud funny but I also kind of forgot about it the day after- worth watching if you fancy a trip to the cinema, but not life-changing.
