What to read & watch right now
If you're staying cosy indoors or travelling to warmer locales, this guide is packed with book/tv/film goodness
It’s a funny time of year. Some of us are hibernating at home and others are jet-setting around the world. Both of these moments call for a great book in tow.
I’ve found myself staying indoors way more this winter. I love it. Sitting in front of our fire with a cup of hot tea in one hand and a book I’m tearing through in the other just feels so good. Same goes for leisurely reading under an umbrella on a beach somewhere in Europe or flicking through pages in a sunny park under a tree in New York.
Sometimes you need a show or some movies to carry you through a quiet weekend or 24 hour travel day.
That’s what this Substack aims to deliver - un-put-downable books to get you through cold weeks/weekends in winter, TV shows to binge to get you through a 15 hr flight - the perfect options for whatever your July/August is serving up.
Note: This substack is a little long - if you’re reading this via your email, it’ll say ‘View Entire Message’ at the bottom - click on that to keep reading, or view the entire newsletter in the Substack app (my preferred way of consuming these).
BOOKS
Here are 14 books that cover a variety of genres - with one common thread, they come highly recommended either from me or my followers on instagram. Only the best of the best because we don’t have time for non-bangers. No spoilers below:
My top 5 books
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Tom Lake follows the story of three daughters who are desperate to learn about more details of their mother's relationship with a famous actor - which happened when she was in her early 20s.
My thoughts: I read this during summer and it was such a peaceful read. It was slow but powerful, poignant and reflective. It’s a really beautiful and precious book.
It’s full of quiet reflection on the decisions we make, sliding doors moments, the beauty of family life and how love and relationships (and our perspective on it) develop different meanings as we grow/get older.
Rytual by Chloe Elisabeth Wilson
Marnie is lost and aimlessly floating through life, doing her best to bury the last few traumatic years in her life when she’s presented an offer to work at popular but mysterious beauty company Rytual Cosmetica. Marnie accepts the role and is thrust into Rytual’s cult-like world where all is not what it seems.
My thoughts: It’s an eery, creepy thriller - without being too scary - that I absolutely inhaled from the second I picked it up. I also loved that this book is set in Melbourne!
You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry
Poppy and Alex have been best friends since college. They’ve been going on summer vacations every year for the past 10 summers. Throughout their friendship they’ve both moved cities, been in and out of relationships, navigated their careers, been through family ups and downs but their yearly trip remains a constant. But something happened two summers ago that they haven’t dealt with. After two years apart they have one last summer trip to see if they can heal the damage and see if they’re bold enough to explore something deeper than friendship.
My thoughts: A perfect summer holiday read - although I read this in winter and it brought me so much joy. It’s my favourite Emily Henry book I’ve read so far and it’s currently being adapted into a movie - it’ll be under the title People We Meet on Vacation.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Violet Sorrengail has just started at Basgiath War College - after her mother, General Sorrengail, forced to become a dragon rider in the kingdom of Navarre. Even though she has been trained her entire life to enter the Scribe Quadrant, Violet must endure deadly quests and competitions that push her to her limits while trying to avoid being killed by one of the most powerful riders in the quadrant, Xaden Riorson.
My Thoughts: If you haven’t read this, you’ve likely seen it everywhere. Fantasy is not my genre - but you don’t need to be all in on fantasy to get swept away in Fourth Wing hysteria. It has elements of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter but it’s more grown up, sexy, deadly - very heavy on the ‘Romantasy’ themes. It took me about 70ish pages before I was really all in and once it all clicked for me, I was completely hooked.
Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren
Macy Sorensen almost has it all together. She’s settling into her new role as a pediatric resident and starting to plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man. But then she runs into Elliot Petropoulos - the first love of her life - and the feelings she’s tried to bury for a decade come rushing back. When they start to reconnect they both have to own up to the truth of what happened 10 years ago and where they both went wrong.
My Thoughts: Such a special read, I read this over a few days because I couldn’t put it down. I loved their love story. The tenderness of young love and the heartbreak that often follows is hard to shake but when it’s all mixed up in miscommunication and other traumas can it be resolved?
I can see myself re-reading this one again in a few years. I hope it gets turned into a movie!
Top 5 book recs from my Instagram followers
I asked my instagram followers to tell me their favourite book so far this year! Here are the top 5 most popular answers and a one liner describing what they’re about.
I’d also love to know what you’ve loved reading recently. Leave a comment:
Sandwich by Catherin Newman: A raucously funny novel with an unexpected punch about being 'sandwiched' between growing children and ageing parents and the power of change.
You Are Here by David Nichols: The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.
My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin: An incisive, deeply resonant debut novel about a nonconsensual sexual encounter that propels one woman's final semester at an elite New England college into controversy and chaos--and into an ill-advised affair with a married professor
The Guest by B.A Paris: The novel centers on two middle-aged protagonists, who unexpectedly find themselves together on a long-distance walking trail across northern England after being brought together by a mutual friend.
I Want Everything by Dominic Amerena: I Want Everything is a wickedly sharp story of desire and deception, authorship and authenticity, and the devastating costs of creative ambition.
Books I’m taking on my trip:
I’ve been hoarding these because I’ve heard they’re all brilliant - and Onyx Storm is the 3rd book in the Fourth Wing series. Here are some one liners so you know what they’re about:
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe: A tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who's struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her.
Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley: Set against ten years of political upheaval, it's an entertaining and relatable story about finding the happily ever after amongst the minutiae of the everyday.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki: The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros: Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre.
MOVIES
5 movies
Here’s a collection of movies that are either set in Europe, ones I’ve watched while on holiday that add to the vibe or are just nostalgic comforts (or a combo of all three).
Under the Tuscan Sun
After a heartbreaking divorce, writer Frances decides to leave San Francisco and go on a trip through Italy. On the trip she stumbles upon a dilapidated Tuscan villa and on a whim she buys it and decides to embark on a life in Tuscany.
My Thoughts: I adore this movie! It’s so dreamy and in another life I’d love to buy and renovate a home in Italy. Who wouldn’t!
Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion
Two best friends make up an elaborate lie about their jobs and lives when they attend their 10 year high school reunion and chaos ensues.
My Thoughts: One summer holiday in Noosa when I was 12 I watched this every single day with my best friend. We didn’t go to the beach once no regrets whatsoever. This movie is so 90s, hilarious and quirky and the fashion is entirely enough reason to flick this on.
Call Me By Your Name
Set in northern Italy in 1983, Call Me by Your Name chronicles the romantic relationship between 17-year-old Elio and Oliver.
My Thoughts: Ahh the discovery of Timothee Chalamet! None of us have ever been the same since. This is one of my favourite movies of all time. I watched it at the cinema three times back in 2018 when it was first released. Everything about it is beautiful; the location, the love story, the music, the message. I think about this film often.
The Great Beauty
Set in Rome, Jep Gambardella, an ageing socialite, wrote a novel in his twenties that made him globally famous. But on his 65th birthday, a shock from the past makes him take stock of the life he led and leads to an existential crisis.
My Thoughts: To be honest, the last time I watched this movie was maybe 10 years (so I’m due for a rewatch) but when I first saw this film at the movies - I went by myself - I remember the impact it had on me. I thought it was so beautiful and I couldn’t wait to get to Italy one day. It’s glitzy, gritty and raw.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Tom Ripley is a grifter who takes advantage of a misunderstanding to travel to Italy and bring back a wealthy man's son, Dickie. There, Ripley takes a liking to Dickie's wealthy lifestyle, and begins to worm his way into the idyllic lives of Dickie and his girlfriend, setting in motion a sequence of lies and violence.
My Thoughts: Worth watching just to see gorgeous Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Matt Damon in their youth.
TV
A list of five of my favourites - all time and current. I wanted to make sure a bunch of the shows had plenty of seasons and are rewatchable. Pop these on in the background while you’re working from home or have a weekend to rot or download them in bulk for the plane.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Belly is about to turn 16, and she's headed to her favorite place in the world, Cousins Beach, to spend the summer with her family and the Fishers. Belly and her brother Steven are best friends with the Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has loved Conrad for as long as she can remember and she’s grown up a lot over the past year, will he notice? She has a feeling that this summer is going to be different than all the summers before.
My thoughts: This show is all I’m thinking about right now as the third season has just started to air. It follows grief, love, loss, growing up and an intense love triangle that will have you picking teams like it’s Twilight all over again (team Conrad for me!!!!). Their use of Taylor Swift’s music is very special and important to me. I also highly recommend reading the books this show is based off.
Ginny & Georgia
Georgia, a free-spirited yet secretive young single mother, moves her family to the quiet town of Wellsbury, Massachusetts. She to attempts to establish a new life for her family after years of evading trouble and seeks to provide stability for her children. As Georgia’s hidden past emerges, the family confronts secrets, lies, and moral issues from their earlier lives.
My thoughts: Upon first glance, you might think this show is similar to Gilmore Girls - young single mum in her early 30s with a 15 year old daughter etc - but this show is darker and grittier. I just finished the third season and whilst the show covers troubling topics and has a certain intensity, it has a light hearted balance to it also.
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls follows the lives of young single mother Lorelai Gilmore and her academically-gifted teenage daughter, Rory, who live in the quaint fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Mother and daughter but also best friends, Lorelai dreams of owning her own inn, and Rory plans to attend Harvard University.
My thoughts: This is probably my favourite show of all time. It brings me deep comfort and happiness and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve rewatched it - because I’m always watching an episode here and there. It’s the definition of cosy!
Dawson’s Creek
Dawson Leery is an introspective 15-year-old and aspiring filmmaker in the small town of Capeside, Massachusetts. Since childhood, he has been best friends with tomboy Joey Potter, who routinely comes over to his house through a ladder into his bedroom for movie-watching and (platonic) sleepovers. When a new girl comes to town and moves in next door, Joey and Dawson’s friendship is tested.
My thoughts: I was too young to watch this when it first came out in the late 90s but after a soul crushing breakup when I was 18, I smashed through the entire series in a matter of weeks. It’s quintessential teen angst, will they won’t they, quaint small town wholesome vibes and it actually saved me after that breakup. I am currently rewatching it now and it’s so interesting watching something again decades later and discovering how my opinions on certain characters have changed.
Too Much
Jess is feeling lost, working too much in New York and has moved back in with her mother, grandmother and sister after a devastating breakup. When an unexpected job opportunity in London is presented to her, she takes the chance to disappear from her problems and attempts to start anew. Then she meets Felix, a 30-something aspiring musician and their unusual connection is impossible to ignore.
My thoughts: Lena Dunham is back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn’t realise how much I missed her and her specific signature brilliance. It made me emotional and so at ease seeing her back on screen. Things felt right again. Lena wrote, directed and also has a role in this show (she’s not the lead but I’ll take what I’m given) and it’s loosely based on her own story of moving to London and meeting/falling in love with her now husband. Watch Girls if you haven’t yet!
Hope there’s lovely cosy times or beautiful adventures and exploring ahead for you!
More Smooth Brain Thoughts,
Ali xxx