Hi friends. It’s ‘My five favourites’ time again.
How are you all doing? Coping with our world’s ‘new normal’? Well, the weather’s warming up here in Auckland which is making a big difference to my happiness levels after what has seemed to be a very long winter.
There’s an excitement in the air in anticipation of summer and the holiday season. I know we still have a good few weeks to go before then, but just having the promise of something positive to look forward to is improving my mood.
And now, diving straight into this month’s My five favourites:
Away is an emotional and fascinating story about astronaut Emma Green (played by Hilary Swank) who sacrifices so much to fulfil her dream of going to Mars. This tale follows her journey as she leaves her husband and daughter behind and flies off on her mission. Fabulous show, sadly there won’t be a second season.
And have you watched The Octopus Teacher? If not, I’d highly recommend doing so. The story is about a filmmaker who forms an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest. Crazy, right? But he learns so much from this amazing animal about all the mysteries of her world. And you will too. It’s such a cute story.
We also watched a western series called Deadwood. Set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, this series follows the town’s growth from a camp to a town. Tim Olyphant and Ian McShane play real-life Deadwood residents Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen, and many other historical characters (Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp) make appearances in the show too. There are also many historical truths included in this series. I loved this show’s writing (David Milch is a talented writer) and the acting (particularly by Ian McShane) is also brilliant. Be warned, though – there is excessive profanity. But if you can get past that, you can appreciate that the script is often quite poetic.
The characters crept into our hearts so deeply that after finishing season three, we couldn’t say goodbye so we dived straight into Deadwood The Movie. Shot 13 years after the series ended, the movie featured most of the old characters from the TV series – which was amazing.
And yes, I watched Emily in Paris. Have you? If not, I’d say do it. I know it’s cheesy, but it’s light and easy to watch, reminiscent of Sex and the City as they’re both created by Darren Star.
And last night we watched Rebecca on Netflix and it was lovely. I definitely recommend this one, which was based on the book (with the same name) by Daphne du Maurier.
I’ve been in a bit of a reading funk lately and haven’t read anything new in the last month. Gasp. (Could it possibly be because I’m watching too much TV?! ) Oh wait, I have read a few chapters of Self-Care for the Real World which I was given as a gift. So instead of books I have read, I’ll share a few books from my Want To Read list:
The Instagram accounts I’m enjoying at the moment: Postcards from Midlife and Pure New Zealand (Tourism New Zealand’s official Instagram account which has beautiful photos).
Last month I told you about a TV show called Ted Lasso (season two is coming – yay!) and this month I listened to a podcast that Brene Brown did with two of the actors from that show. Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt chatted with Brene about all sorts of things and it was a fascinating listen. Turns out that show now has a bit of a cult following. Goes to show that kindness, positivity and love always win.
And speaking of Postcards from Midlife (Instagram recommendation above), I listened to a podcast episode that Lorraine and Trish did with Caitlin Moran – on surviving the midlife meltdown (that’s where I learnt about her book which I’ve recommended above).
Loneliness is on the rise. Read this if you’re looking for friendship and connection.
Will life go back to normal after this pandemic? Should it?
And that’s all for now. I hope you find something you like in my recommendations list today. I’ll be back with the November edition at the end of next month.
Happy Halloween!
Related posts: My five favourites – the September edition
Check the ‘Regulars’ dropdown menu for all of My five favourites posts, if you’re looking for more suggestions.
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