Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: April 2023
Added 2023-04-26 15:01:00 +0000 UTCAlan:
Hello Heroes!
I’m writing this from London! Megan and I are celebrating our 15th anniversary in a couple weeks, and we thought: Where can we find Jaffa Cakes?
What I’m reading!
- The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson. What a fun wrap-up to Wax & Wayne’s story! Intrigue, mystery, a God deceived, dad jokes. What more could you want? I mean, a magic duel on an old-timely battleship, if you’re me. But still, really really good!
- Twilight of the Gods by Ian Toll. The last of a trilogy of books about WWII in The Pacific. These books go into a lot of depth, as you can guess from there being 1,000+ pages per book, and there being 3 books, just to get through 4 years of war. But that’s because this war was immense. I’m fascinated by humans in extreme circumstances, and there have rarely been more extreme circumstances in human history than those present all over the pacific theater (1/3 of planet earth) for those 4 years. It was also my grandfather’s war. He was a US Navy fighter pilot. I couldn’t ever get him to talk about it. Now I know why.
What I’m watching!
- The Offer on Paramount+. It’s a (relatively fictionalized) retelling of the making of The Godfather from the perspective of Al Ruddy, the producer of the movie. It starts off really fun (for a big movie nerd) but the second half kinda bogs down. Phenomenal cast though! And the true story is so wild, it seems crazy that they fictionalized any aspect of it. But hey, gotta up the drama? I’m actually not a huge fan of the Godfather movies, but I’m gonna give ‘em a re-watch after this.
- Ted Lasso S3 is in full swing! I’ve seen some critics complain that the episodes are too long this season. I disagree. I haven’t been bored yet (that’s how I feel it’s too long), so they’re just right? Love the characters. Love the world. Hope they win the whole f*#%>€ thing!
- D&D movie! It was so much fun! I loved it. Megan loved it, and she doesn't play! Why isn’t Rege Jean-Page James Bond already? Dude is debonair as ¥@|<!
What I’m playing!
- Still playing Skyrim. And likely will be for months. So, boring update. I have horse armor now.
- Started messing about in No Man’s Sky. It’s good, I like space. I want to more space.
And…
Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)
Jono:
Hi everyone! I'm so excited to see what you all are reading and watching this month; I love a good recommendation.
This month I'm reading You Can Feel Good Again by Dr. Richard Carlson. It addresses the cognitive side of depression, and how changing our thoughts can lead to improvements in our emotional state. Not a cure-all by any means, but there's wisdom there.
I'm also reading Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Dr. Susan Jeffers, about leaning into our phobias, worries, and anxieties instead of avoiding them. So far I'm digging it!
Never seen the Scream films or watched Agents of Shield, so I'm diving in right now and enjoying them both. What about you all?
What have you been watching and reading this month?
Comments
Yes to Ted Lasso S3!!!! The episodes are the perfect length (they’re actually feeling too SHORT to me!!) and I’m loving the character development!!! I just read ‘The 12-Week Year’ and tying to implement it- which is tricky because of my ADHD and how focused I get on planning instead of execution…. But a lot of the ADHD community has stated how much they love it once they get going, because it keeps the hyper focus in check before you get bored of the thing you’re focusing on. Which is what I need, badly.
Natalie Carbone
2023-05-19 16:20:28 +0000 UTCI know this isn't to correct place for this probably but I can't afford the next tier where we get to recommend movies or videos at this time. If you guys haven't watched the movie Collateral Beauty, oh man it is amazing. Very interesting psychologically and emotionally deep. Anyway hope y'all are doing great!
Mountie Man
2023-05-12 15:47:34 +0000 UTCWe just binge watched scream again.i hope you like it...Dewey is my favourite character.
Teesh W
2023-05-11 15:30:41 +0000 UTCI still read Set this house in order - Matt Ruff I actually liked the portrayal of DID until now (I still have some pages to go) but the end is kinda dragging now, so we'll see afterwards lol Watched 65 yesterday, not so sure what to think Currently rewatching DS9 (third season now) because it's one of my comfort shows (going Voyager afterwards probably)
2023-04-30 07:13:42 +0000 UTCI just finished Branson Sanderson's first secret project books from his Kickstarter. Tress of the Emerald Sea. Highly recommend it. I think the book suits Alan's humor to a T.
Ariadwyn
2023-04-29 03:42:26 +0000 UTCFox and I by Catherine Raven (autobiographical story of a biologist and the fox she became friends with) Smile (2022) - So scary! It's relentless and has something to say about trauma.
Katherine Clarke
2023-04-27 03:12:14 +0000 UTCIt is, can recommend it if you're into books that have this dreamlike quality when describing the magic. Bit like The Toymaker and Paris by Starlight written by Robert Dinsdale. Magic system is quite soft, you don't get a thorough description of what rules it adheres to and what the limits are. It has a romantic subplot which I liked, it doesn't take away from the rest of the plot. Pacing is quite slow and gradual, you follow a bunch of different POV's and it isn't clear from the start how everything will come together. I thought the characters were engaging, but they can be a bit flat at times, for me that felt okay since the story is like a fairy tale.
2023-04-26 19:49:46 +0000 UTCWelcome to England, again I'm sure. we're not far from London, near MK. good to know you like Jaffa cakes too!
jonathan Whitfield
2023-04-26 18:41:35 +0000 UTCThe Highly Sensitive Person by Dr. Elaine Aron Non-violent Communication by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg Black Hat Bureau series by Hailey Edwards Re-watching Farscape on Blu-ray (because I am a major space/scifi geek) Just finished Picard series
Traci Koehler
2023-04-26 18:14:21 +0000 UTCFiction: Ocean Vuong "On earth we're briefly gorgeous" This is an emotionally difficult book, first book for this author, autobiographically informed about being a Vietnamese refugee. SHOULD BE A FILM!! Rough book, but utterly beautiful
Jessica Margolin
2023-04-26 18:06:29 +0000 UTCTed Lasso +++++ Non-fiction I'm reading : (1) Chris Voss "never split the difference" He's a former international hostage negotator and every chapter starts with a vignette from his experience, that he uses to unpack his points. QUICK read and very impactful for Real Life. 100% recommended for everyone: if you're naturally "good" with power dynamics, he's so expert you'll undoubtedly still learn from his frameworks. If you're like me, and power-blind until you're slapped in the head by someone, it will reassure you that you don't have to be a monster to stand up for yourself (or others) and explain how to develop those skills. ---- (2) I'm a composer, so music composition books [ama if you're a composer]
Jessica Margolin
2023-04-26 18:03:56 +0000 UTCI also watched the D&D movie last Wednesday, and I LOVED IT too! So so good!
Magnus
2023-04-26 16:21:29 +0000 UTCThe D&D movie was so fun. Jono: I think I might need to read that fear book. Right now I’m deep into Disney. I just did 4 days at WDW then a Disney Cruise! It was so fun. I’m starting a blog and writing about Disney and writing scripts for Disney YT videos. Disney makes me so happy, and I want to keep that magic alive.
Lauren Wagstaff
2023-04-26 15:41:45 +0000 UTCI would like to hear more about Midnight Circus, sounds intriguing.
Andrew Feistner
2023-04-26 15:31:43 +0000 UTCI’ve been reading The Rosie Project and A Gathering of Shadows, very different kinds of books but they’re both fun reads. Recently got into Ted Lasso myself and started S3 last night, hoping to watch my backlog of movies both in theaters and on disc. Last night I was getting into Returnal again after a long time, though I do want to dive into Hogwarts Legacy more but Jedi Survivor is just around the corner so I guess it’ll wait for a while as Zelda is coming too and Redfall! Too Many Games! I’m very excited to hear your thoughts on the Scream films Jono, they’re among my favorites ever!
Andrew Feistner
2023-04-26 15:23:51 +0000 UTCRewatching the Marvel Cinematic Universe in story chronological order so I don’t have to figure out what to watch for awhile. Reading The Last Blade Priest by W.P. Wiles and S - JJ Abrams/ Doug Dorst. Still playing WoW because I am comfortable there.
2023-04-26 15:23:41 +0000 UTCI haven’t had as much time to watch films this month, as I’ve been a bit bogged down with final projects for my classes at university. However, I have taken the time to read every night before bed and am now almost finished with with Bono’s memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. It’s a great book that includes some wonderful poetic writing and amazing reflections on life. Before reading, I was only really interested in Bono and U2 because of their Irishness, but reading this book has me fascinated with them and really interesting in exploring their music.
Catherine Ginn
2023-04-26 15:22:55 +0000 UTCHi Alan and Jono! This month I read: - the Midnight Circus by Erin Morgenstein: very fairy tale like, with 2 characters involved in a mystery that takes years to unwind and reveal itself. Absolutely loved it. - Also finished Wax and Wayne 4! I loved the character banter, but for me the book fell a little flat in terms of character development and plot resolution - currently reading: Crusade in Jeans, which is a Dutch children's book about a modern teenager who gets stuck in Middle Ages and joins a children's crusade. He uses his critical thinking and 21st century values of equality and justice to stand up for the poor children in the crusade and organize it better. Very wacky concept, but the book does a good job of making the history more accessible for children. At the moment I'm rewatching Avatar the Last Airbender because it's just so good.
2023-04-26 15:17:22 +0000 UTCAlan, have you ever played or seen Subnautica? As a filmmaker I feel like you'd love it. Great story, unique, and a freaking cool alien world. Jono, what book would you recommend for someone to read with trauma/ptsd? I'm rereading Howls Moving Castle and Coraline and rewatching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I'm having a lot of anxiety lately and rewatching some of my favorite is a comforting coping mechanism.
Ali
2023-04-26 15:15:20 +0000 UTC
