• Container Gardening

    Last month in pop culture

    Best TV show I saw: “Gardeners World.” Thanks to BritBox, I’ve fallen hard for this BBC2 show about gardening. Hosted by the knowledgeable Monty Don, the program shares tips on starting a garden, maintaining a garden, designing a garden and prepping a garden for each new season.

    As a very amateur gardener — one with a black thumb, no less — I have found this show to be invaluable while I attempt my first container garden (see picture above). Even if gardening isn’t your thing, “Gardeners World” is a lovely way to relax after a long week and remember the beauty of nature.

    Gardeners World

    I also enjoyed: Dreaming about the future while watching “Escape to the Country” and enjoying the Devil’s antics during a rewatch of “Lucifer.”

    Best movie I saw: M and I took in a second viewing of “Avengers: Endgame” before he flew to Texas for his summer roadtrip. As a huge Marvel fan (yes, I’ve seen all the movies multiple times), I found “Endgame” to be a solid conclusion to a long and exciting series of films.

    I also watched: “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” which was better than Chapter 2, but still not the gut-punch that Chapter 1 was. That said, this fast-paced ultra-violent action film will satisfy anyone who enjoys a well-choreographed fight scene.

    Best thing I heard: The “Tetris and the Seed Potatoes of Leningrad” episode of “The Anthropocene Reviewed” podcast. I learned a lot about both topics, the former more lighthearted than the latter, and continued to think about them in the weeks following the listening session. I give this episode five stars.

    I also listened to: A bunch of classic tunes that I added to my “workout” playlist. Then I took said playlist to the gym. Haven’t been back there in months. Still hate absolutely everything about working out, but the tunes were good. New additions include “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio, “3 am” by Matchbox Twenty” “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette and a great cover of “White Rabbit” by Haley Reinhart (perfect for cooldown).

    Best thing I read: “The Dreamers” by Karen Thompson Walker (no relation). A mysterious illness that triggers perpetual sleep hits a small college town in California and chaos ensues. I’m with Josh Lyman on this one; the apocalypse won’t involve zombies or nuclear weapons. It’ll be some pandemic of a disease we thought was cured a long time ago. However, if the end of civilization involves a sleeping sickness, I’m fine with that. Sure beats bleeding from the eyeballs or setting yourself on fire (I’m looking at you, “The Hot Zone” and “The Fireman.”).

    I’m also reading: “The Lost Gutenberg: The Astounding Story of One Book’s Five-Hundred-Year Odyssey” by Margaret Leslie Davis. There are fewer than 50 original copies of the Gutenberg Bible in existence and only one (#45) has ever been owned by a woman. Davis tracks the entire life cycle of that copy, from its creation by Johannes Gutenberg to the obsessed collector who spent decades trying to add it to her private library. A fascinating tale for bibliophiles.

    My current desktop picture:

    Gerbera daisy

  • My Top 10 favs of 2018: A year spent reading, watching and listening to stories

    Amidst the madness of the world, I consumed 54 books, 35 movies, dozens of TV programs and many podcasts this year. These were my favorites.

    (Note: Not all were released during the past 365 days.)

    MY FAVORITE BOOKS

    1. “The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century” by Kirk W. Johnson

    2. “The Outsider” by Stephen King

    3. “Neither Snow nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service” by Devin Leonard

    4. “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss

    5. “The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean” by Susan Casey

    6. “It’s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree” by A.J. Jacobs

    7. “The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World’s Happiest People” by Meik Wiking

    8. “Elevation” by Stephen King

    9. “The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months Unearthing the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country” by Helen Russell

    10. “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker

    (Honorable mentions: “Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader” by Anne Fadiman, “Dinner with Edward: A Story of an Unexpected Friendship” by Isabel Vincent, “The Switch” by Joseph Finder, “I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections” by Nora Ephron, “From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death” by Caitlin Doughty, “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, “Cherries in Winter” by Suzan Colon, “Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks: A Librarian’s Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life” by Annie Spence, “Our Bodies, Our Shelves: A Collection Of Library Humor” by Roz Warren, “How to Find Love in a Book Shop” by Veronica Henry and “Flat Broke with Two Goats” by Jennifer McGaha)

    Overall reading ratio: I read 16,276 pages across 54 books — 51% fiction, 49% nonfiction; 43% male, 57% female.

    MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS

    1. Sense8
    2. The Great British Baking Show
    3. Love Your Garden
    4. Grace and Frankie
    5. The Kominsky Method
    6. 9-1-1
    7. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
    8. One Day at a Time
    9. A Million Little Things
    10. Escape to the Country

    (Honorable mentions: Timeless, The Great British Baking Show: Master Class, Santa Clarita Diet, This Is Us, Big Dreams Small Spaces, Jessica Jones, The Punisher, Elementary, The Good Doctor, Madam Secretary, Grimm, Escape to the Continent, How I Met Your Mother, Salt Fat Acid Heat, Castle Rock and Altered Carbon.)

    MY FAVORITE MOVIES

    1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
    2. Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold
    3. Last Flag Flying
    4. Feminists: What Were They Thinking
    5. The Man Who Invented Christmas
    6. Ready Player One
    7. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
    8. Unrest
    9. Between the Folds
    10. Avengers: Infinity War

    (Honorable mentions: Bohemian Rhapsody, Shape of Water, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Molly’s Game, Love Between the Covers, Black Panther, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Tag, Game Night and Skyscraper.)

    MY FAVORITE PODCASTS

    1. Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me
    2. Small Town Dicks
    3. Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda
    4. Criminal
    5. Death, Sex and Money
    6. The Anthropocene Reviewed
    7. Fresh Air
    8. Nocturne
    9. Dear Hank and John
    10. The Daily

    (Honorable mentions: The Bookshelf, Everything Is Alive, 99% Invisible, Radiolab, Rumble Strip, Sidedoor, This Is Love, Let Me Google That, Awards Chatter, Reply All, Word of Mouth, The Sporkful, Outside/In, Something Wild, The Penguin Podcast, The Science of Happiness, Remembering the Passed, Back Story, You Must Remember This and I Was There Too.)

  • Typewriter - Once upon a time

    My 10 favorite fictional authors

    In a world where authors are told to “write what you know,” it’s not surprising that so many novels feature characters who write for a living.

    I sense these stories appeal to other writers or aspiring writers or bibliophiles. Since I am two of the three, I’m utterly drawn to such tales. Here are my 10 current favorites fictional authors:

    * Joan Wilder, “Romancing the Stone”
    * Karen Eiffel, “Stranger Than Fiction”
    * Richard Castle, “Castle”
    * Jack Torrence, “The Shining”
    * Temperance Brennan, “Bones”
    * Gil Pender, “Midnight in Paris”
    * T.S. Garp, “The World According to Garp”
    * Mike Noonan, “Bag of Bones”
    * Jamie, “Love Actually”
    * Paul Sheldon, “Misery”

  • Waterfall

    You know… clouds!

    Clouds
    Cascading
    Cascading water
    A waterfall
    Clouds
    Lots of them
    Light and puffy
    You know…clouds!
    And flowers, covered with dew
    And trees hanging over
    And you and me
    …naked on a rock.

    This poem was once featured on a TV sitcom with a fabulous ensemble cast. Can you name the program? First person to click on the contact link and send the correct answer will receive a prize.

    [Update: The answer was “Taxi.”

    Congratulations to Kay P. for coming up with the correct answer. Your prize is on the way.]

  • music cassette tape

    A sneak peek into my culture diet

    W magazine reporter Stephanie Eckardt recently did a fascinating Q&A with Neil Gaiman for the Culture Diet column. In it, Gaiman described all the wonderful bits of art and literature he’d recently consumed. Eckardt’s questions were fun so I decided to answer them as well.

    First thing you read in the morning:

    The breaking news alerts that have piled up on my phone while I slept. Unlike most people, I’m not addicted to my phone. I don’t even keep it by my bedside; instead it rests in a holder on my desk in the library downstairs, merrily buzzing away all day while I sleep in the Batcave that is the master bedroom. Once I’ve showered, dressed, fed the kitties and come downstairs, then I’ll stop by the desk to see what madness has occurred during the day. If there’s nothing hugely pressing — or nothing I can do anything about for another hour anyway — I make breakfast.

    Books on your bedside table right now:

    Currently I’m rereading “It” by Stephen King, a deliciously scary, 1,168-page horror novel that Hollywood is adapting into a movie (again). I last read this book when I was 12, the same age as the kids in the story. Now, 30-some years later, I’m reading it again, and remembering parts that once filled me with dread while discovering new bits I’d forgotten entirely. I’m also marveling over the fact that I’m now older than many of the adult characters. Yesterday, I finished rereading “Zen in the Martial Arts” by Joe Hyams, a nonfiction lesson-filled collection of essays by a writer who once trained with Ed Parker and Bruce Lee. I’ve read this book several times over the years yet I still manage to glean something new from its pages.

    The TV shows keeping you up at night:

    Well, until Netflix canceled it, I was utterly enraptured by “Sense8.” Those of you who follow me on social media know how terribly disappointed I was by the show’s abrupt and ridiculous cancellation. Best show on TV, by far. Such a waste.

    Last movie you saw in theaters:

    “Wonder Woman.”

    Last show you saw at the theater:

    “Laughter and Reflection with Carol Burnett” at the Boch Center in Boston. She was a hoot.

    Last piece of art you bought:

    A Silas the Gargoyle statue.

    Last museum exhibition that you loved:

    I haven’t been to a museum in ages, something I hope to rectify very soon. The last exhibit that truly blew my mind was Annie Leibovitz’s “American Music.”

    Release you’re most eagerly anticipating:

    Stephen King and his son Owen have a new book coming out in the fall titled “Sleeping Beauties.” I can’t wait to see how that collaboration turns out.

    Last song you had on repeat:

    Last concert you saw live:

    Henry Rollins at the Academy of Music in Northampton, Mass. It was a week before the election so now it feels like ages ago.

    How you get your news:

    Online.

    Do you read your horoscope?

    If I stumble on horoscopes, I’ll always read mine and the one before it (I’m a cusp baby).

    Last thing you do before you go to bed:

    When I’m alone, I read before falling asleep. On those rare and delicious times when I get to share a bed with my husband, cuddling ensues.

    What’s your culture diet?

    –Photo by Eduardo Schäfer