Hello, and welcome to the first week of the last month of 2024! As we fall head over heels into twinkling lights, snow (maybe?) and feasts, I’m looking back on a November filled with good reads, a fun TV throwback show, and a wonderful, wonderful podcast discovery!
I Read…
A CURSED HEART by Jenny Hickman, book two in the MYTHS OF AIRREN—a series of inter-connected standalone fantasy romances set on the magical island of Airren.
Where A CURSED KISS is the story of Keelynn and Tadhg, A CURSED HEART is about Aveen and Rían. I read Keelynn and Tadgh’s story a while back and was utterly charmed by Tadhg’s shenanigans. Having read A CURSED HEART, however…I still love Tadhg, but his brother Rían may have stolen my favor: a cursed, shapeshifting immortal prince without a heart (LITERALLY) who does unhinged-flirty-sarcasm better than anyone, has a thing for knives, abhors dirt, and is allergic to dust: YES, PLEASE!
Also: this book is a case study in snappy banter, hilarious badassery, and a hate-love-hate-love-hate-let-me-kiss-you-now romance arc. Watching him meet his match in Aveen over and over was so much fun, maybe a bit adorable—and unreasonably sexy. Add some dark curses, heartbreaking sacrifices, evil mother-queens, and a few twisted surprises and I’m ALL IN. Please go read this self-published gem:-)
I Watched…
The first two seasons of LOST! All six seasons are now streaming on Netflix, so I took the opportunity to dive into the mind-bending show I first watched in my university dorm (the series originally ran from 2004 to 2010). Spoiler alert: the show is still really, reaaally good! The big dramatics, the strange and supernatural, the flair for adventure, the magnificence of the island, and—above all—the character building!
Inspired by the Tom Hanks movie CAST AWAY and the massive, game-changing reality competition series SURVIVOR, LOST focusses on the survivors of a plane crash. They must learn to stay alive on a mysterious island filled with deadly things out to get them. Each survivor has secrets (so, so many secrets) and each episode contains flashbacks to their lives before the crash to slowly (agonizingly slowly) reveal said secrets (SO. MANY. SECRETS).
In my humble opinion, the back-and-forth between past and present is what makes this show a masterclass for writers! Thank you, J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Carlton Cuse for gifting us the epitome of genre-defying, non-linear narrative complexity!
I Listened to…
The POD SAVE AMERICA podcast hosted by former Barack Obama speechwriters Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett, former White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, and former presidential spokesman Tommy Vietor. The podcast typically covers recent news items relating to American politics, including the Trump administration, the US government, the Democratic Party, and center-left grassroots activism. They’re regularly joined by journalists, activists, politicians, entertainers, and world leaders.
I started listening to the podcast after the re-election of Donald Trump, in an attempt to understand what the f*ck happened (on this side of the Atlantic, we have A LOT of questions folks!). POD SAVE AMERICA provides in-dept, honest, no bullsh*it analyses of the election. I mean, these guys are as ferocious and profane as they are knowledgeable. They are frequently mocking (and fun)—and they are not apologetic about it. I love it!
Pro tip: watching the podcast on YouTube adds to the experience😉