What We're Reading (and Watching!) April Edition
Happy Friday everyone! We’ve all made it through another week, and right now, I’d consider that an accomplishment.
It’s the beginning of a new month, so I wanted to announce our Literally.PDX x LWLShelf pick. For April, we’re reading Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. From the publisher:
A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both
An instant New York Times best seller and a 2020 NAACP Image Award Finalist, this book has popped up on everyone’s “must read” lists over the past few months, including Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, Vogue, Fast Company and so many more. It’s received some mega praise from far and wide, so I’m looking forward to seeing what all the excitement is about! I hope you’ll read along with us!
What else are you reading these days? I am slowly making my way through an audiobook (Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston), turning it on when I do the dishes (which is WAY more often now that I’m eating at home for every. single. meal.) or working on my 500th puzzle with a large glass of wine. I’m finding it really hard to concentrate lately - I’m waffling between worrying about the economy and the health of loved ones, to feeling bored and unmotivated, to frantically baking bread because I just need more carbs. Books are a great distraction, and right now I feel like distraction is good!
Between work, puzzles and baking, I’ve been watching a few great shows! I’m slightly obsessed with Succession on HBO - it’s dark and dramatic enough that I can only watch 1-2 episodes at a time so I can spread it out, and the cast is incredible. The show is centered around the ultra-wealthy Roy family, whose patriarch, Logan, is at the helm of Waystar-Royco, a media and hospitality corporation. Logan’s advanced age and deteriorating health cause a power struggle between family members and executives alike. There’s mega drama and private jets, and it’s interesting to see how the other side lives! Distraction!
Another really great miniseries I’ve been loving is The Imagineering Story on Disney+. This docu-series takes viewers through the history and creation of the Disney theme parks, from the days of Walt Disney dreaming up the idea for a park through today. It’s absolutely fascinating to witness the grit, drive artistry and innovation of the Imagineering team at Disney and how my favorite DisneyWorld rides were created.
I hope everyone has a restful weekend! Happy puzzling, baking, TV-watching, sleeping, and reading!
-Emily
*Cover image by Manon de Jong :)