autumn & winter media round-up
what i've been reading / watching / listening to
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I don’t usually mind winter, but I have to say that this winter felt like it dragged on forever. As soon as the sun and the blue sky started to reappear (which is rare in the UK anyway), there was a noticeable difference in my mood. No more driving to work in the dark and returning home in the dark, no more dry skin that I constantly (read: obsessively) moisturise to avoid cracking hands, no more having to bundle up in layers of clothing. But as much as I may be happily bidding goodbye to winter, I did engage with a lot of great media during the winter months, so here’s a collection of my favourites:
BOOKS
Intermezzo - Sally Rooney
Intermezzo is the story of two brothers: Peter, a successful lawyer in his thirties who is juggling relationships with two different women, and his younger brother Ivan, a competitive chess player in his early twenties, as they navigate grief and their romantic relationships in the wake of their father’s death.
This novel is a moving, deep character study of its two protagonists, exploring their family dynamics and how they grapple with navigating brotherhood in the shadow of their father’s recent death. Intermezzo also has Rooney’s trademark political zest: commentary on wage labour, the housing crisis in Dublin, monetary power dynamics, religion, existentialism, and discussions of chronic pain (to name a few). It definitely feels like a step forwards for Sally Rooney as a literary fiction author, and I would argue is her most moving novel yet.
The White Book - Han Kang
Through meditations on the colour white, Kang imagines the life of her mother’s first child who died within 2 hours of being born, along with reflections on grief and the fragility of life. The book just scrapes 150 pages, but yet it’s full of such poignancy, such heart. A beautiful tribute to an older sister Kang never got to have, a life not given the chance to be lived. I personally connected with this very deeply.
Say Nothing - Patrick Radden Keefe
Say Nothing is an absolute feat of narrative non-fiction, delving into the Troubles conflict in Ireland which spanned decades. Like with most historical events, there are nuances and different sides to every story, which Radden Keefe exhaustively examines here. It’s a book which explores the old-age question of: can any change be enacted without violence?
Skippy Dies - Paul Murray
Skippy Dies begins in a doughnut shop where two friends, Skippy and Ruprecht, are having a doughnut-eating contest when Skippy turns purple and falls off his chair. What follows is 600-pages of backstory, delving into the lives of those who attend, teach at, or are somehow connected to Seabrook College, an all-boys Catholic school in Ireland.
Murray has such a skill for crafting dialogue, it’s full of humour and is so accurate to teenage-speak (especially that of teenage boys) that the echoes of the school corridors immediately come back to you. But the novel also has a darker side, an underlying sense of sorrow running throughout as Murray digs into the troubles plaguing each character, from first love to drug dealing, to infidelity and the haunts of trauma. It’s a sprawling tragic comedy, and a book I wanted to start again as soon as I finished it.
Martyr! - Kaveh Akbar
Cyrus Shams, a newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a search that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum.
This is a stunning, philosophical book about one of the most human endeavours: to live a life worth being remembered. We follow a character who spends the novel battling with a want to be martyred, to have his life written down in ink, to be given space in the history books. It’s a very human impulse, the actions of many figures throughout history could be boiled down to this one desire, and it’s something that Akbar explores with such deftness and beauty here.
FILMS
The Holdovers (2023, Payne)
A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school's head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.
To quote Harry Styles, this is just one of those films that feels like a film. It has such a nostalgic air to it and feels quietly comforting, the perfect film to watch on a rainy, cold December afternoon.
Saturday Night (Reitman, 2024)
Tensions run high as producer Lorne Michaels and a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers prepare for the first broadcast of "Saturday Night Live" on Oct. 11, 1975.
I’ve read online that you won’t like this film if you know a lot about SNL - but as someone from the UK who has only watched a few SNL clips on YouTube, I really enjoyed it. Everyone’s performances were great, and I love films that take place over a short period of time. And I love chaos, which this film has in abundance.
Twisters (Chung, 2024)
Haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado, Kate Cooper gets lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi, to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. She soon crosses paths with Tyler Owens, a charming but reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures. As storm season intensifies, Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves in a fight for their lives as multiple systems converge over central Oklahoma.
I thought this was a great somewhat ‘sequel’ to Twisters (1996), with an entertaining storyline and compelling characters. I may also be biased because I simply will watch anything starring Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Anora (Baker, 2024)
Anora, a young woman from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
When I first heard about this film online and watched the trailer, I didn’t think I’d like it, but I’m very pleased that I was wrong. It’s a classic tragicomic; funny and fiesty at times, but perfectly balanced with sadder, darker moments. Mikey Madison’s performance is just incredible also (clearly, as she won the Oscar for Best Actress).
Nosferatu (Eggers, 2024)
In the 1830s, estate agent Thomas Hutter travels to Transylvania for a fateful meeting with Count Orlok, a prospective client. In his absence, Hutter's new bride, Ellen, is left under the care of their friends, Friedrich and Anna Harding. Plagued by horrific visions and an increasing sense of dread, Ellen soon encounters an evil force that's far beyond her control.
It feels redundant to even attempt to call Nosferatu anything close to an ‘underrated gem’, so I won’t go that far, however I was very surprised at the differing reactions this film had online compared to when I spoke to people about it in everyday life. I think a lot of it is related to this ‘irony epidemic’ (to borrow Ethel Cain’s phrase from her Tumblr post) that we seem to be living in, punctuated by the experiences of people laughing at this film in theatres and the inability to recognise films as art along with entertainment. All that to say, I thought it was a beautiful film with stunning cinematography, almost every scene felt like it could be a painting.
SHOWS
Bad Sisters (Apple TV)
The Garvey sisters are bound together by the premature deaths of their parents and the promises they made to always protect one another.
If you can get a TV show hangover, then this show gave me one. I binge-watched both seasons during the run-up to Christmas and then felt quite bereft once I’d finished and had to find a new show. Everything Sharon Horgan touches turns to gold.
Black Doves (Netflix)
Helen, the wife of a powerful politician, learns that her secret identity as a spy is in danger after her lover is killed by London's underworld. Her employers, the Black Doves, a spies-for-hire organisation – that retrieves industrial, political or diplomatic secrets for the highest bidder – send Sam, an old friend, to protect her.
I love Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw so it was a given that I’d love this. One thing about the British is that we can always be relied on to make great spy thrillers. I already can’t wait for season 2.
Pachinko, season 2 (Apple TV)
The hopes and dreams of four generations of a Korean immigrant family, beginning with a story of a forbidden romance that leads to a sweeping saga taking place in Korea, Japan and America.
Just like the first season, this was absolutely incredible. It’s an amazing adaptation of the novel, but I don’t think you need to have read the novel to watch and enjoy this show. Season 2 continues Pachinko’s tradition of unfolding compelling character arcs and shining a light on a section of often forgotten history.
My Brilliant Friend, season 4 (HBO)
Based on the best-selling novels by Elena Ferrante, My Brilliant Friend follows Elena Greco and Raffaella “Lila” Cerullo. Their story covers over 60 years, exploring the mystery of Lila, Elena’s brilliant best friend and worst enemy. Season 4 delves into the adult lives of Elena and Lila, who find themselves entangled in the turmoil of Italy in the late 1980s. Amid motherhood, career demands, betrayals, threats, disappearances, and natural disasters, the two lifelong friends once again reside in the same neighborhood.
I was putting off watching this because 1) I loved the previous seasons so much and 2) I loved the original cast so much (especially the younger actresses who play Lenu and Lila), but thankfully the new cast were just as amazing. This whole show is one of the best examples of a book to screen adaptation, and just like with the books, I’m already excited to revisit this story in the future.
MUSIC
Some of my favourite songs I was listening to throughout autumn and winter:
I Told You Things - Gracie Abrams
take a shot - Sabrina Sterling
Robbed - Rachel Chinouriri (I have forced myself to stop listening to this as it makes me sob lmao)
So Close To What - Tate McRae (the whole album was on repeat)
And that’s pretty much it - I’d love to hear what some of your favourites were throughout the autumn/winter season so let me know in the comments 💌
Great roundu! reminded me I need to watch black doves asap
a great roundup!! I hadn't heard of half of these shows lol but they've come at the perfect time for me needing something new to watch. thanks for sharing!