Short stories about various end-of-the-world-type scenarios might sound a bit depressing but honestly, on a stressful day, when your cortisol’s firing on all cylinders anyway, having a read can cheer you right up, in a “hmm, things could be worse” sort of way. It’s basically the book version of #birdbox
One of my favorite writers happens to be one of my favorite people. These two prized possessions written by @laradearman are two of the most accomplished crime fiction novels I read in the past year. Go meet her at the Larchmont Public Library in Westchester, NY, on Sunday Jan 20, from 3.30pm, or grab a copy from Larchmont’s @thevoraciousreader and find out why she’s so darned brilliant.
Meditation not really my jam. Neither is hanging upside down. “F*ck That: An Honest Meditation”, by Jason Headley, is though. If your New Year’s resolution is to read more books, you can get through this in less than 5 mins. It totally counts. And if you want to start meditating, just repeat after me… “And with each breath, feel your body saying: F*ck That.”
I’m flinging both of these under the tree this year. “My Art Book of Love" is perfect for small fry; it’s a sturdy board book that describes different kinds of loving feelings through a variety of famous artworks. For kids that love a good yarn, “A Year Full of Stories” brings together 52 seasonal folktales, myths and legends, from all over the world, in one gorgeously illustrated volume.
I’ve been a member of this superb group of female film critics for over a decade and am always excited to see which movies make out awards list. Here’s our full list of picks for 2018:
COURAGE IN FILMMAKING
Haifaa Al-Mansour, Mary Shelley (RUNNER-UP)
Sara Colangelo, The Kindergarten Teacher
Sandra Luckow, That Way Madness Lies
Jennifer Fox, The Tale (WINNER)
COURAGE IN ACTING [Taking on unconventional roles that radically redefine the images of women on screen]
Helena Bonham Carter: 55 Steps
Viola Davis: Widows (RUNNER-UP)
Nicole Kidman: Destroyer (WINNER)
Melissa McCarthy: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD: For a film that most passionately opposes violence against women
Call Her Ganda
I Am Not A Witch
On Her Shoulders
Say Her Name: The Life And Death Of Sandra Bland (WINNER)
KAREN MORLEY AWARD: For best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity
93 Queen On The Basis Of Sex Roma (WINNER)
Woman Walks Ahead
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN AWARD:
[Performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film
dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored]
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Glenn Close, The Wife (WINNER)
Andrea Riseborough, Nancy
The Women Of Widows
MOMMIE DEAREST WORST SCREEN MOM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Krista Allen, Party Mom
Toni Collette, Hereditary
Nicole Kidman, Destroyer
Jacki Weaver, Widows (WINNER)
How I feel about getting the Christmas decorations out and cracking open a Cadbury’s advent calendar 🙌🏼 It’s not about that at all though. This is the award-winning tale of three anthropologists based in the wilds of New Guinea in 1932, who quickly become as fascinating as the tribespeople they’re studying. Superb pick from my #bookclub gang.
Found a cosy reading nook and ploughed through a pile of books this week. Memoirs, absent fathers and British whimsy; all research for my own current book project.
Behold, this year’s Thanksgiving prep, courtesy of @snoopdogg 🙌🏼 Who fancies some Baby Got Back Ribs and Cinnamon Rollin’? Me! I might be too busy reading Tha Boss Dogg’s kitchen anecdotes to do any cooking though. And before you ask, of course there’s a top-notch choccy chip brownie recipe in here. EATING SEASON HATH BEGUN. 😋
Got my mits on the new Kate Atkinson novel, courtesy of The Voracious Reader. A cracking read for anyone who likes their ex-World War II spies with a dollop of humor, a pinch of existential angst, and a job at the BBC. Top-notch fight companion, even while surrounded by small children.
🎶 “Dance, magic dance!” 🎶 Jim Henson’s Labyrinth is a straight-up masterpiece. Got hold of this for Halloween costume prep and it’s a genuine piece of treasure. It’s as much of a bonkers fever-dream as the movie, with an avalanche of illustrations, production notes and interviews. Sting, Michael Jackson, and Prince were among those considered for the Goblin King role, but David Bowie got the first call, and my childhood was transformed.
Will be making a beeline to see the new movie-version of this superb coming-of-age YA novel. The book came out early last year, hit the @nytimes bestseller list, and is destined to become a modern classic. The spirited cast of characters pulls you right into the array of issues that today’s black communities face every day in the US, with the Black Lives Matter movement front and center. Keep an eye out for @angiethomas next book, “On The Come Up”, out in Feb 2019.
Which songs are most often stuck in your head? Mine are mostly David Bowie’s, along with the odd Snoop Dogg. Found this mini-memoir in @spoobillbooks by @thenewschool philosopher Simon Critchley. He writes about his own formative Bowie moments, peppered with philosophical musings on what the great man was really up to with his ever-changing sound and look. Any fellow Bowie fan will find some common ground (I’ll bore you with my own formative Bowie moments another time). #andthestarslookverydifferenttoday
