Ten little joys from February

Books, books, and more books...

Photo credit: Unsplash

Kacey Musgraves new song on repeat

I’m counting down for March 15th when her new album is released.

Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

I could not put this book down. Following 24 year old Hera and her affair with a middle aged married man, it’s darkly funny, so well written, and such a messy, human, and devastating at times read.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

Another book I couldn’t put down this month - told from the perspective of Andy as he spirals after the end of his relationship to Jen, my favourite part of this book was near the end as the perspective shifts to Jen and you get a clearer picture of their relationship and why it came to an end. I love Dolly’s witty, wise, effortless approach to storytelling and I loved how fresh this story felt as someone who regularly reads rom coms.

Frank & Red by Matt Coyne

This may be at the top of my list of favourite reads of the year so far - I picked it up on a whim from the bookshop one day and oh how glad I am that it caught me eye. The story of Red, a six year old boy adjusting to his parents seperation and the bully at his new school, and his new neighbour Frank, the grumpy old man next door and a recluse whose only company is the ghost of his dead wife. I cried, I laughed, I felt closer to what it means to be human after reading this book - I can’t recommend it enough.

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

I’ve heard lots of good things about this book and it did not disappoint. Those non fiction books that could have just been a podcast or blog post? This is thankfully not one of them. Described as ‘time management for mortals’, it’s not really a book about productivity but instead a philosophical exploration of how best to use our limited time alive.

What We Owe To Ourselves by Nicole Antoinette

I have loved

Nic Antoinette

work for years - I really recommend her Substack too if you’re not already subscribed.

I’m not an ‘outdoorsy’ person - I live in the middle of a city and rarely venture out to the countryside - so I was a little unsure at first if I’d be able to connect with the world of Nicole’s story where she documents her 500 mile hike on the Colorado trail. Oh was I wrong.

This book left me both curious about hiking in nature for the first time in my life and also feeling even more connected to the universal human experience of doing hard things, showing up for ourselves, and choosing the right path for us even if it’s not the same as everyone else’s.

I love the format of this book - a day by day account of Nicole’s hike - and I just felt so inspired by the life she has chosen for herself and the loved ones she shared part of this adventure with too.

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens

I’ve loved every Sophie Cousens book that I’ve ever read and The Good Part is no exception. The story follows Lucy, a 26 year old who wishes to skip to the good part of her life and wakes up at 40 years old and married with a two children and the career she only dreamed of in her 20s but no memory of the years that she’s skipped.

One Day on Netflix

Oh this show made me weep. I read the book years ago and adored it and also watched the film adaptation but didn’t really love it but this adaptation did not disappoint. Following Emma and Dex’s story over 20 years, visiting them on 14 different days of their lives, I’ll definitely re-watch this one soon once I prepare myself emotionally for it again.

Past Lives

I adored this film. It’s beautifully filmed and the acting is superb. Following Na Young and Hae Sung, childhood sweethearts who lose touch when Na Young moves from Seoul to Toronto with her family when she’s 12. They reconnect as adults, over Skype and emails, but then lose touch again. In the present day Na, who now goes by the name Nora, is married and living in New York, reconnects with Hae Sung when he visits the city and I don’t want to spoil more of the story for you but it’s just such a beautiful story of love, regret, and timing.

You Hurt My Feelings

Another film I loved this month, this one follows Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s character, a writer who is struggling with the lack of buzz around her second book who overhears her husband tell a friend of theirs that he himself did not enjoy it, after frequently telling her that he did. It’s a simple film, nothing ‘big’ happens, it just explores the characters relationships with each other, their work, and their insecurities, disappointments, and frustrations too.

What’s brought you joy in February?

Until next time,

Jen