Crappy weather
The weather here in IKEAtown (also known as Älmhult) has NOT been conducive to wanting to be outside. According to my pensioner buddies at the local café, we’ve had 14+ days of rain. Which would explain why I have felt like a zombie most of the time.
So while the weather has been BLAH, I’ve been reading and watching TV (with the occasional bout of going to the gym) to keep me busy. Here’s what I’ve been reading and watching.
What Kim’s reading: Spare by Prince Harry and J.R. Moehringer
For six+ years, I’ve been following how the British tabloids vilified him and his wife, Meghan. None of the stories ever made sense and it was obvious how so many of them were steeped in racist tropes and misogynoir aimed at Meghan. Unlike many people, I’ve chosen to ignore the UK tabloids and so-called royal rota. Better to find out straight from the real source, namely Prince Harry.
Spare has its share of heartbreaking moments , especially when Harry shares how he found out about his mother’s death and the fantasy he came up with to deal with his grief. As someone who’s recently lost several people who meant a lot to me, I can relate. You don’t want to believe that they’re really gone. And, even when going through grief counselling, you try to deny at times that the people you love are no longer with you. Like Kate Bush in “Running Up That Hill,” you think you can make a deal with God to swap places or change everything so it’s not the truth.
Spare certainly delivers, and it’s obvious that Harry has the receipts to back up everything he claims, regardless of the current spin to continue vilifying him and his wife. If you’ve already watching Harry & Meghan on Netflix, then reading Spare will show you enough of what he went through following his mother’s death and how his life has not been the fairytale that we’ve been led to believe it was.
What Kim’s reading: Hey, Lover by DL White
I’ve been reading and loving DL White’s books for a while. She writes amazing women’s fiction and romance featuring Black main characters, and the stories are *always* page turners. Of course, Hey, Lover does NOT disappoint.
Here’s the blurb:
Struggle isn’t love.
At least, that’s what a broken Malik Hines told himself when he walked away from the love of his life, just as her career was on the rise. With any luck, he would have time and space to dig himself out of a dark hole. Healing, rebuilding, launching his Game Studio and writing his premier game took time. Suddenly, it had been nearly a decade since they last spoke.
Seeing her in the media stirs up a long harbored desire to reconnect, and Malik takes the biggest chance of his life. Could that door open again?
After taking over her father’s company, India Parker is on the hunt for the next big thing to push her company forward. In the background of her success, there is loneliness. Longing. And the feeling that there’s a large part of her life that has been on pause.
When a surprise gift arrives at her office, it reminds her of the man she used to love and would like to love again. The choice to open that door and press play…is hers.
Hey, Lover is a contemporary love story about getting a second chance with your soulmate.
Mind you, I should warm you that Hey Lover comes with trigger warnings: mentions of cancer, treatment for cancer, depression, faux relationships, infidelity.
If these topics are deal-breakers for you, then keep moving. You probably won’t enjoy it. But you’ll be missing out on a wonderful story.
What Kim’s watching: Ginny & Georgia – Season 2
Back in 2021, I found myself getting hooked on Ginny & Georgia on Netflix. I was in between projects at work and it quickly became my favorite guilty pleasure.
If you haven’t watched it, Ginny & Georgia follows Georgia Miller, a white single mom to her biracial daughter, Ginny, and her white son, Austin, who moves her family to Massachusetts as she tries to give them the life and security she never had. On the surface, Georgia seems to have it all together – but she’s got a not so savoury past and she’ll do anything to protect her kids and herself. And her past is catching up with her.
Anyway, I loved the first season, so I was looking forward to the continuation of it. Season 2 debuted on Netflix on January 5 and I have been treating myself to one episode per day…okay, sometimes it’s been two episodes… and loving it.
This season, we get to see more about how Georgia’s rash actions affect her children and the people around her. I hope we won’t have to wait too long for Season 3.
What Kim’s watching: The Good Place
How is it that I never watched The Good Place before it ended up on Netflix? Actually, that’s not true. I remember watching one or two episodes of it with my mom when I was visiting the US, but I don’t remember it being in Swedish TV. Whatever, the Swede and I are hooked and we end up watching two episodes per night.
For the uninitiated, Kristen Bell plays Eleanor Shellstrop, an amoral woman who wakes up in the afterlife being welcomed by Michael (Ted Danson) in “The Good Place” – but it’s obvious that there’s been a mistake…she’s not supposed to be there. After being introduced to her soulmate, Chidi (William Jackson Harper), she convinces him to help her be a better and more ethical person so that she can stay in the Good Place. And, of course, many hijinks follow.
I love the complexity and originality of The Good Place. There’s so much character development in it and it often leaves you guessing (and laughing) at what will happen next. So glad that I discovered it now…even if I am way behind everyone else.
What Kim’s watching: The Pale Blue Eye
I’m a huge Christian Bale fan, so tonight I will watch The Pale Blue Eye on Netflix. Time and again, he’s proven that he’s a brilliant actor. Whether it was as “Jim” in Empire of the Sun, his turn as “Laurie” in the 1994 version of Little Women, “Alfred Borden” in The Prestige, or as “Bruce Wayne” in Batman Begins or the Dark Knight.
Here’s the blurb:
Veteran detective Augustus Landor investigates a series of grisly murders at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York with the help of a young cadet who will eventually go on to become the world-famous author Edgar Allan Poe.
I have loved Edgar Allan Poe stories for as long as I can remember. And I love a good murder mystery, so this is right up my alley. I’ll let you know what I think ASAP.
So tell me – what are YOU reading and watching this month? I’d love to know! Drop a line in the comments and tell me what you think is worth watching and reading.
