June 2024 Recommendations
*Personally curated, unaffiliated, positive reviews only. If I didn't enjoy it, I won't recommend it!*
TV & Movies
🍿 Hit Man: Richard Linklater’s latest movie is based on a fascinating 2001 Texas Monthly story about professional “fake” hitman, Gary Johnson. The movie is fun and entertaining, and Glenn Powell (who I also loved in Anyone But You) is perfect and hilarious as shape-shifting Gary. Given the hitman theme, I was expecting a plot twist, but was truly surprised by the ending!
📺 Red, White, & Royal Blue: This may be one of the best romcoms I’ve seen in recent years. The setup is silly (a British prince and the son of an American President who despise each other fall in love) but the acting (except for Uma Thurman’s accent) is excellent, and I fell deeply in love with both male leads. Nicholas Galitzine, of Idea of You fame, and Taylor Zakhar Perez were believable and endearing as somewhat star-crossed lovers and I am truly excited that a sequel is in the works!
📺 Eric: Set in 1980s NYC, Cumberbatch plays Vincent Anderson, a brilliant but curmudgeonly puppeteer at a children’s television show, very similar to Sesame Street. Vincent is in conflict with everyone in his life, from his wife and wealthy property developer father to his colleagues and his young son, Edgar - who goes missing after walking to school alone for the first time. The show is beautifully filmed and complex, and I’m preparing myself for heartbreak in future episodes as we find out what happened to Edgar, and how Vincent, who seems determined to self-destruct, will cope…
Books & Articles
📖 The Husbands: Our heroine, Lauren, is unmarried until she returns home from a night out with friends to find a “husband” living in her house. Controlled chaos, and a meditation on how to choose the right path (and people) in life, ensues as Lauren realizes she can replace her “husband” and the lifestyle that accompanies him, with a completely different man by simply sending him to her attic. This is a fast, unputdownable read, and I highly recommend it!
📖 How to End a Love Story: this novel is a love story with an unusually complex emotional journey and I was engrossed for several days as I lolled by swimming pools and beaches. Helen Zhang and Grant Shepard have a troubled past and a shared profession: they’re both writers. When they have to work together on a job, they both must grapple and finally come to terms with their feelings about the past, and each other. The book is written mostly from Helen’s perspective, but also from Grant’s, and I appreciated the (unusual for a romance novel) insight into the man’s feelings, motivations, and insecurities. I love a story where the lead protagonists learn something about themselves and become better people, and this book delivers.
📖 Summer Romance: Annabel Monaghan delivers another clever, well-plotted, heart-warming love story. Nora Goes Off Script, her first novel for adults, is one of my favorite books of recent years, and her second novel, Same Time Next Summer, was equally delightful. In Summer Romance, Ali, a professional organizer, is a mess: divorced and grieving her mother, she needs something to get her life unstuck. When she takes off her wedding ring and meets a cute guy at the dog park the same day (courtesy of her own dog’s bad behavior) her life seems to be heading in a new direction…
📖 The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels: A highly entertaining epistolary-style novel, which follows bestselling true crime author Amanda Bailey as she attempts to revive her career by writing the definitive book on the never-quite-solved case of the “Alperton Angels,” a death-pact cult in a small British town. Told in the form of WhatsApp and text messages, emails, and interview transcripts, the reader is along for the ride as Bailey doggedly works to piece together what really happened - while racing to beat another writer, Oliver, who is chasing the same story. Twists and turns and subplots abound, and almost nothing is as it seems, in this addictive, satisfying mystery.
📖 Funny Story: Emily Henry’s latest romance novel is set during summertime in a lakeside Michigan town, where our heroine, Daphne, is unceremoniously dumped by her fiancee who belatedly discovers he’s in love with his longtime female best friend. Homeless, friendless, and pining for her mother, Daphne readies herself to leave town and start over, while finding herself attracted to her ex-fiance’s new fiancee’s ex-fiance. Yes, you read that right. I always love Henry’s clever writing and in this book, I particularly enjoyed the delicious summer romance vibes and the heartwarming emphasis on the importance of friendships.
Podcasts & Playlists
🎧 Freakonomics podcast: How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway: a fascinating piece on Stereophonic, the Broadway show that recently won five Tony awards, including Best Play. Interviews with the play’s writer, producers, and lead actors delve into what a “hit show” means for each of them, how long it took to write, how much it costs to produce a show in London and New York, and what this kind of success really feels like.
🎧 Second Life podcast with Gaby Dalkin: What’s Gaby Cooking Blogger, Best-Selling Author, and Founder of Dalkin & Co: this is a fascinating interview with the well-known personal chef, food blogger, cookbook author, and entrepreneur about her career, life, and philosophy. Gaby’s enthusiasm for her work is infectious and inspiring (especially for aspiring bloggers!) and her latest cookbook - the first on grilling to be written by a woman - is a welcome addition to my kitchen!
🎧 American Fiction Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: On a rainy day last weekend, I rewatched American Fiction - one of my very favorite movies in recent memory - with Jim, who hadn’t seen it. I had forgotten how perfectly the music in the film complemented the storyline, and when Jim commented on it, we took to Google to find the soundtrack. Having assumed the jazz was predominantly made up of Thelonius Monk classics in a nod to the main character’s name, we were stunned to learn that the score by Laura Karpman is entirely original and was composed specifically to interplay with the dialogue. I’ve been playing it each morning this week, and it’s a lovely way to start the day!
Recipes
🍽️ Grilled Halloumi: have you ever tried Halloumi, the firm, salty, Cypriot cheese, sometimes called “squeaky?” When it’s heated, the outside remains firm while the inside becomes melty-delicious. It’s a super-quick, easy summer standby that’s great as an appetizer, especially with a dry sparkling wine, or side dish. In addition to grilling, Halloumi can be fried in olive oil on the stove for a few minutes until golden brown. Serve with a splash of lemon juice and sprinkle of flaky Maldon salt. Yum!
🍽️ Crispy Gnocchi With Tomato and Red Onion: like all the best recipes, once you’ve made this quick, delicious dish once, you can use the underlying technique as inspiration for multiple variations. The genius twist here is crisping shelf-stable gnocchi in olive oil in a cast iron pan (or any skillet) - no more soggy gnocchi! The gnocchi is then combined with a fresh tomato salad and vinaigrette for one of my favorite summer dinners. There are many ways to switch this up: we’ve added mozzarella, skipped the basil, and used red wine vinegar instead of balsamic. In my opinion, crispy gnocchi is always a good idea!
Greek Salad: I noticed a couple of small tweaks that really elevated this easy-to-make dish. Taking the time to remove the skin from tomatoes and cucumbers allows the vegetables to soak up more delicious dressing, and briefly marinating red onion slices (or shocking them in water) softens their bite.
Lemon-infused olive oil: the fish we ate in Greece was so fresh it needed very little seasoning, except for a sprinkle of crunchy sea salt and a dash of olive oil infused with lemon, which was a revelation to me! As it turns out, it’s also incredibly easy to make at home.
Greek Meatballs: made with various types of meat, sometimes lamb, sometimes beef, what makes these so mouth-watering is the inclusion of fresh herbs, especially mint. With tzatziki to dip them in, plus a green salad, these are going into my summer weeknight dinner rotation!
