Rec. #433: Ijeoma Oluo on the cover of Seattle Met

  

What: The amazing Ijeoma Oluo has a new book out this month, So You Want to Talk About Race, and she landed on this great cover for the February 2018 issue of Seattle Met.

There may be hope for us after all. 

... Maybe.

[This is also a sneaky recommendation for Oluo's book, which I haven't finished reading yet.]

Rec. #432: Throw Blankets from Society6

What: I have a lot of blankets from Society6 (like ... five? six? seven? something like that). They're just sooo soft and cozy.

Also, as with all things from Society6, you get almost too many fantastic design options.

Connection to previous Wreckage: I highlighted other cool stuff from Society6 in Gift Idea #10.

How to get it: Here's a link to Throw Blankets on Society6.

Rec. #431: Blandings, series 2

What: More delightful episodes of P.G. Wodehouse characters darting around the English countryside, getting into and out of scrapes with the patteriest patter that ever pattered.

Comparable to: It only just occurred to me that the characters in Schitt's Creek (List #59 and List #65) are pretty Wodehousian, except in a contemporary setting.

Representative dialogue:

"Unfortunately, Freddie was dropped on his head."

"How terrible!"

"Yes ... it will be."

How to get it: Stream it in the U.S. via Acorn, or buy episodes (for pretty cheap) via Amazon, Google Play, or iTunes.

Connection to previous Wreckage: Series 1 of Blandings was Rec. #379
 

Rec. #430: Revisiting Quote from a Fictional Character #39

[QfFC #39 was originally posted July 14, 2014]

"I suppose one gets to know men quickest by the things they take for granted."

--- Camilla Haven,

My Brother Michael, Mary Stewart, 1959
(Rec. #387)

Also by Mary Stewart: The Ivy Tree (Rec. #201)

Rec. #429: Revisiting List #35 (A Few of the Best Books I Read in 2013)

[List #35 was originally posted Jan. 2, 2014]


Best Way That Kate Atkinson Is Slowly Killing Us:
Life After Life
Kate Atkinson
(Rec. #367)

If you can make it through the “Like a Fox in a Hole” section without needing a break, I suspect you might be emotionally numb beyond redemption.

See also: Cast Histories (Rec. #3), Emotionally Weird (Rec. #282), Human Croquet (Rec. #137), Not the End of the World: Stories (Rec. #301), One Good Turn (Rec. #69), Started Early, Took My Dog (Rec. #270), When Will There Be Good News? (Rec. #192)

Best Short Stories:
Pulse

Julian Barnes
(Rec. #380) 

 

My favorite stories in this collection are the dialogue-only snapshots of dinner parties, but we've also got some more traditional contemporary short fiction and some historical tales.

Best Memoir in Essays:
I Know I Am, But What Are You?

Samantha Bee
(Rec. #285)

 

Samantha Bee is best known as a correspondent on The Daily Show, but here she reveals an eventful past — flashing, a girlhood crush on Jesus, and even a stint as a car thief. The book is in the same vein as Bossypants and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, but (don’t yell at me) better.

Best Memoir in Paint:
Hyperbole and a Half 

Allie Brosh

 

I might have given this to you as a present. If I haven’t yet, I still might. It’s nearly 400 pages of some of the best bits of Brosh’s blog, plus new content. It’s wonderful and Brosh is a marvel.

See also: Rec. #7

Best Novel in Translation:
The Infatuations

Javier Marias
translated by Margaret Jull Costa
(Rec. #384)

 

The narrator thinks herself over, under, around, and through the many-shaded moralities of murder, love, and death. Margaret Jull Costa does a bang-up job of translating both long, deep thoughts and snarky, funny asides.





[So, I still love all of these, but I would particularly like to point out I Know I Am, But What Are You? for any fans of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. It really is a great, interesting, funny book from a great, interesting, funny person.]

Rec. #428: Video for "Just One of the Guys"

What: Great song. Great music. Great lyrics. Great video. Great lip-syncing from Kristen Stewart, Brie Larson, and Anne Hathaway. Great pantsuits.

Great fake mustaches.

How to get it: The song is off of Jenny Lewis's excellent album The Voyager. You can watch this music video on YouTube.

Rec. #427: Megan Amram's Long-Running Twitter Joke

What: Megan Amram is a comedic genius. (She's written for The New Yorker and The Good Place, among other things.)

She is very active on Twitter --- Buzzfeed even made a list --- but perhaps her crowning achievement is that every day* she posts the tweet you see above.

The words stay the same (please note the delicate stab of that lowercase "t"), but the tone can change depending on what kind of New Hell Day we're having in our rapidly crumbling democracy.

What started as a poke at media pundits trying to normalize #45 has become the new theatre of the absurd. Megan Amram = our Samuel Beckett??

How to get it: You should really follow her on Twitter.







*As far as I can tell, this started May 15, 2017, but I wouldn't swear to it because the Twitter "advanced search" functionality is balls.

Rec. #426: Ted Danson in Mumford

What: I'm terribly fond of the 1999 film Mumford (Rec. #92). One of the many, many excellent members of its cast is Ted Danson, giving us an early smug-sleaze preview almost twenty years before his rightfully acclaimed work on The Good Place.

His Jeremy Brockett is a venture capital douchelord who is very, very smug about conflating wealth and enlightenment. In just one scene, Danson effectively captures soul-rot wrapped in cashmere.

Representative quote: "Like the Zens say ... be here now."

Rec. #425: Front Row

What: Front Row is an arts and culture BBC Radio 4 show, and the podcast of it usually tacks on some bonus content as well. Amazingly, the show produces stunningly good, balanced, and wide-ranging content daily.

Here are just some of the topics covered in the past three days alone:

• Richard Linklater (director interview)
• The decline of "literary fiction"? (panel discussion)
• Danez Smith (poet interview)
• Bridget Riley (art show review)
• Bayeaux Tapestry on loan (experts weigh in)
• Carleen Anderson (singer interview)
• Elif Şafak (author interview)
• The commuter in film (panel discussion)

How to get it: Download/subscribe from the Front Row website, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Rec. #424: Kate McKinnon & Kumail Nanjiani Opening Monologue at the 2016 Independent Spirit Awards

What: It's awards season! Look, awards can be hosted successfully by people who are not white dudes named Jimmy or James!

(I mean, we all know Tina and Amy were fantastic, and I heard Kristen Bell was pretty good last night?)

Representative Kate quote: "Carol is probably the most compelling story about someone leaving their gloves behind since The People v. O.J. Simpson."

Representative Kumail quote: "Idris Elba is nominated tonight ... I truly just got lost in his eyes for a second. That's not in the script, I just looked over and there were whirlpools and I'm trying to climb out. Goodness gracious, let's be friends."

Rec. #423: Revisiting List #4 (7 Mysteries from Authors Who Are Still Alive)

[List #4 was originally posted July 19, 2011]


You know that great feeling of finishing a very satisfying book? And you immediately think, "Yes, please, I'd like more of that," so you read other things by the same author, and then before you know it, you've read everything by the author, and you know there won't be any more because the author is dead? Yeah, that happens to me a lot.

So! Here are some enjoyable mystery novels by living authors. There's still the danger you'll catch up with their output, but at least you can hope for more from them.


1. Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson (Rec. #3): Private investigator Jackson Brodie makes a strong debut.

2. The Reaper, by Peter Lovesey (Rec. #21): A parish priest is not all he should be --- and is quite unrepentant about it.

3. Dreaming of the Bones, by Deborah Crombie (Rec. #55): Police inspectors Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James get caught up in a complicated investigation that begins with a cold case.

4. One Good Turn, by Kate Atkinson (Rec. #69): Jackson Brodie returns in a kaleidoscopic story that starts with road rage and ends with a hitman.

5. The Face of a Stranger, by Anne Perry (Rec. #91): A police detective loses his memory in Victorian London.

6. The Good Children, by Kate Wilhelm (Rec. #111): Four children become sudden orphans and try to keep it a secret.

7. Smilla's Sense of Snow, by Peter Høeg (Rec. #150): A young boy falls to his death in Denmark.




Update: Five years later, they're all still alive! Even Kate Wilhelm (89) and Peter Lovesey (81)!

I hope I haven't immediately jinxed anything.

Rec: #422: Revisiting Quote from a Fictional Character #19

[QfFC #19 was originally posted February 10, 2014]

"It makes you wonder. All the brilliant things we might have done with our lives if we only suspected we knew how."

--- General Benjamin,

Bel Canto, Ann Patchett (2001)

(Rec. #337)

Revisited today in honor of this article: "The Other Women's March on Washington"

Rec. #421: The Easy Way Out

What: Patrick listlessly works at a travel agency. (It's 1992, so that's still a thing.) He also sleepwalks through his relationship with his long-term boyfriend, Arthur, and is ambivalent about occasionally nudging his brothers, Tony and Ryan, into better lives.

This novel could be in danger of wandering off into beautiful, melancholy contemplation (and some of the writing can be accurately described as "elegiac"), but the characters themselves spark off the page so vividly that I'm shocked this hasn't been adapted into a movie.

I would watch an entire miniseries just about Sharon Driscoll, Patrick's co-worker.

Representative quote [ok, not super representative, but it does show '92 dunking on Trump]:
"I was planning to leave on the Pan Am shuttle right after work. The Trump would have been marginally more convenient, and they were giving away pens on each flight, but I didn't want to risk flying on a morally bankrupt airline."

Connections to previous Wreckage: Stephen McCauley also wrote The Object of My Affection (Rec. #360) and The Easy Way Out was the source for Quote from a Fictional Character #89.

Rec. #420: Sheryl Lee Ralph in One Mississippi

What: One Mississippi is an excellent series and I am VERY disappointed about its cancellation. VERY.

There's a lot to love and admire about the show (we'll get to Tig Notaro and the Louis C.K. episode and the songburst from Fun Home at some point), but at the moment I want to highlight the work Sheryl Lee Ralph did during season 2 as Bill's new love interest.

The character could have slipped into brittle iciness or flattened out the energy of a scene, but instead she was vibrant and precise and entirely believable. Three cheers for Felicia Hollingsworth.

How to get it: Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Amazon. There apparently won't be a Season 3 because Amazon makes poor choices.

Rec. #419: Museum Doppelgängers

What: There is something immensely satisfying about this reminder that people are people are people, even looking back hundreds of years.

It's the same feeling I sometimes get when reading, say, George Eliot: "Oh. Yeah. I know that guy."

[Generally much more satisfying than that Google app, by the way.]

Where to get it: I'm sure there are collections like this all over, but here's one from My Modern Met, which overlaps a bit with this Imgur gallery.

Rec. #418: Monthly Newsletter from Marian Keyes

What: Marian Keyes is an Irish author who is soooo charming that I basically can't stand it. Her writing tone is disarmingly cozy enough that her no-doubt-publisher-mandated email newsletters come across as fun, chatty messages from a friend that, best of all, you never have to reply to.

Representative message subjects:
"September! Himself goes away and I go feral!"

"Thank you, Australia! The Grim Redzer! Ailment of the month!"

"Happy New Year! Little to report! Except I have tripled in size!"

How to get it: You can sign up for her newsletter on Penguin's author page for Keyes. She's also very, very active on Twitter and moderately active on Instagram.

Rec. #417: Ashley Nicole Black on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

What: Before becoming one of the main writers/correspondents for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Ashley Nicole Black dropped out of a PhD program to pursue comedy. Like you do!

Some noteworthy clips include "Most Lives Matter" (also above), "Ms. Robot," and "Road to 2018: Stacey Abrams."

How to get it: Full Frontal airs on TBS and is up on YouTube. Ashley Nicole Black is also pretty active on Twitter and there's a really interesting interview with her on this podcast. 

Rec. #416: Revisiting Quote from a Fictional Character #53

[QfFC #53 was originally posted November 3, 2014]

 "Me, I want to bloody kick this moronic bloody world in the bloody teeth over and over till it bloody understands that not hurting people is ten bloody thousand times more bloody important than being right."

--- Jason Taylor,
Black Swan Green, David Mitchell, 2006

Cloud Atlas (Rec. #140) is, of course, genius, but my personal favorite David Mitchell book is still Black Swan Green (Rec. #72).

Rec. #415: Revisiting Quote from a Fictional Character #74

[QfFC #74 was originally posted August 10, 2015]

"I haven't got any thoughts. I'm just staring vacantly into space while a distant voice in the back of my head goes, 'Oh, shit!' like a car alarm in the middle of the night."

--- Simon Foster,
In the Loop, 2009

[Always relatable. Always.]

Rec. #414: Video for Aimee Mann's "Labrador"

What: The music video for Aimee Mann's "Labrador" is a shot-by-shot remake of the iconic music video for "Voices Carry" from Aimee Mann's time in the band 'Til Tuesday.

It is brilliant and hilarious, although I could do without the one-minute setup from Jon Hamm, mugging it up as the supposed director.

Plus, of course, Aimee Mann herself is brilliant and "Labrador" is a really great song.

Rec. #413: Emily's Cartoons

What: Many of web comics on the Emily's Cartoons Tumblr are part of a "My Life as a Background Slytherin/Hufflepuff/Gryffindor/Ravenclaw" series, which even the most casual HP fans will enjoy. 

There are also stand-alone autobiographical comics (like the one above), the beginnings of a pretty violent graphic novel, and one particular political cartoon that sometimes goes mildly viral.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Web comics can be so, so, so, so good. See also: Allie Brosh, Kate Beaton, John Allison, Sydney Padua

How to get it: In addition to her Tumblr, Emily McGovern also has an Etsy shop. You can also get additional bonus content via Patreon.

Rec. #412: What Google Bros Have in Common with Medieval Beer Bros

What: You know what's a good time? A nice bit of labor history! For reals!

In this (brief, I promise!) article, Pacific Standard situates the recent(-ish) "Google bro" memo within a longer history of cases studied by historian Judith Bennett. The takeaway? "Whenever an occupation becomes profitable, women get cut out."

How to get it: Available online at Pacific Standard here.

[Always know your sources! You can read about Pacific Standard here and about the article's author here.]

Rec. #411: The Big Family Cooking Showdown

What: The Big Family Cooking Showdown is the BBC's completely transparent attempt to fill the space left when The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show decamped for Channel 4.

In addition to the naming, we've got a similar format --- amateur British competitors making food, two judges, two hosts, a series of challenges --- and they've even lifted in the delightful Nadiya Hussain, the breakout favorite from GBBO.

And it pretty much works! This time it's families cooking entire meals. In the first several episodes, two families compete head-to-head, giving us a narrow enough focus that we actually get to know the people a bit. This only increases the show's charm attack, which is the most important thing Cooking Showdown took from GBBO.

Also, the people I liked often won. This of course made me like the show more.

How to get it: It airs on BBC2, but here in the U.S. it's streaming on Netflix.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Nadiya Hussain was one of the People in Media I Actually Liked in 2016.

Rec. #410: Tilda Swinton in a Remake of Auntie Mame

What: OK, so this doesn't actually exist yet, which is, admittedly, a problem. But! This has been rumored for years, with the most recent flurry about a year and a half ago, when Swinton apparently contacted Annie Mumolo (Bridesmaids) about writing the screenplay.

Please, please, please, please let some version of this happen. Pleeeaaaasssse. I need this. We all need this.

Connection to previous Wreckage: Auntie Mame (the book) was Rec. #70.

Rec. #409: Revisiting Quote from a Fictional Character #80

[QfFC #80 was originally posted October 12, 2015]

"I'm beating at happiness. I've beaten it into submission and bottled it for convenience."

---Alfredo Aldarisio, 

Pushing Daisies, 2008

(Rec. #233)

(List #53)

With all of the reboots going around, can we please, please bring back Pushing Daisies and at least give Raúl Esparza a chance to sing? After all, Bryan Fuller should have time now that he's left American Gods ...

Rec. #408: Revisiting Quote for These Times #6

[QfTT #6 was originally posted March 2, 2017]

"Now, he told me, I could see what humanity was worth. It could form the conception of justice, but could not trust its flesh to provide judges. Whatever it started was likely to end in old men raving."

--- The Fountain Overflows,

Rebecca West, 1956

It just remains SO relevant. 

Connection to previous Wreckage: The Fountain Overflows was Rec. #224.

Rec. #407: Ave Maria Bamford

What: It's new a 12-part web series from Maria Bamford! Topics are very Bamford-esque, like mental illness, bankruptcy, and addiction, all presented in a stark, stained glass wonderland.

Each video is only about 3 minutes. What are you waiting for?

Comparable to: Lady Dynamite

Representative quote: "When all systems have failed you, you turn to religion. [laughs maniacally] And that's no good, either, 'cause there is no God!"

Where to get it: The series is hosted on (/produced by?) Topic, but you can also find it on YouTube.

Rec. #406: Louis Virtel on Twitter

What: If you feel like you're gagging on an endless stream of Bad Takes that are also boring, allow me to offer you self-described "verbal voguer" Louis Virtel on Twitter as a palate cleanser.

A sampling of recent content:

He also guest hosted the podcast Pop Rocket for awhile (all to the benefit of the show).

[If you think he looks familiar, you might recognize him from this low-key viral Jeopardy clip.]

Rec. #405: What Resembles the Grave But Isn't

What: This poem by Anne Boyer is a bracing start for the new year. Get your boots on, kids -- it's survival time.

Opening lines: "Always falling into a hole, then saying 'ok, this is not your grave, get out of this hole'"

How to get it: I found it via her Tumblr.

Rec. #404: The Old Reader

What: An RSS reader (aka feed aggregator) is one of the best things in the world, and I remain flummoxed why everyone doesn't use one.

Maybe it's the tech-y sounding abbreviation (Rich Site Summary, for what it's worth), but they're free and also ridiculously easy to use.

The main thrust is that you can get all of your content from All the Websites in one place. You can organize your feeds into folders if that's your thing (it certainly is mine) and save/share posts as you wish.

But also! It lets you get around some of the most annoying things about online content.

• No videos playing as soon as you get to a site
• Streamlined readability (even compared to having an ad-blocker)
• No random content pushed at you from sketchy sources -- you choose the sites you want to see
• Things are organized chronologically
• You don't have to worry about constantly checking for updates because it saves things for you

I experience the internet (including Twitter and Tumblr) almost exclusively through my RSS reader and whenever I browse the Wide Wide World of Web without it, I feel like this.

And this.

How to get it: I use The Old Reader (named after the original Google Reader experience), but there are many options, like Feedly and NewsBlur and NewsTab.

Rec. #403: Mystery Show

What: Starlee Kine is basically a real-life Dirk Gently. Her podcast, Mystery Show, was tragically -- tragically -- cancelled after just six magical episodes.

In those six episodes, though, she manages to cover video rentals, Fellini films, VIP meet-and-greets, dog-piling, maximum morning height, lunchboxes, cowboy chefs, decorative belt buckles, and much, much more.

Opening lines: "When I was a kid, my little sister and I found an old safe in our grandparents' garage. This was in Palm Springs, California, so picture palm trees, swimming pools, desert heat so hot you can see it swirling in the air."

How to get it: Through the Gimlet website, or however you usually find your podcasts.