Reading, Watching, Listening.
Watching:
13 Reasons: I’ve debated for a while about watching this but intrigue finally got the better me. There’s been much conversation and debate about this show that’s based on the story of a teenager who commits suicide. I’ve decided to watch it so that I can make up my own mind. I’m five episodes into the thirteen episodes so I’ll let you know what I think when I get to the end…I hear that the final episode is especially confronting. Have you watched?
This is us: Who’s hooked? I am. This show had me right from that brilliant twist in the very first episode. I feel like it’s all building to something, and of course we all want to know how Jack died (I still can’t believe he’s going to die). Any theories?
Reading:
Small Great Things: Last month I finally found the time to sit down and read ‘Small Great Things’ by Jodi Picoult. Jodi is one of my all time favourite authors so I always have high hopes whenever she releases a new book. Jodi is renowed for always have some kind of big twist towards the ending and I have to say that was probably my only real disappointment in this book. For me, the ‘big twist’ lacked the usual punch and shock factor, maybe even seemed a little too neat, with everything tied up in a neat little bow at the end. But, having said that, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book and it held me captive right the way through.
Work Strife Balance: I’m going to be brutally honest and say I’ve never been a big fan of Mia Freedman (she seems to be the woman that other woman love to hate) but I didn’t really know why exactly. I don’t think I’ve ever actually even read anything on Mamamia before (not that I can remember anyway) but I do love her podcast No Filter; though I think that’s more about the subjects she interviews than Mia herself. Anyway, I decided I didn’t really know enough about Mia to judge so I picked up this book, a little intrigued to find out more. And you know what? I actually really, really enjoyed the book. There were funny bits and touching bits and even some uncomfortable bits. There were bits I couldn’t relate to and bits I couldn’t. But overall, I enjoyed it and I definitely feel like I know Mia a lot better now (as much as a total stranger can!) At the end of the day, she just another woman, another mum, trying to do the best she can, stuffing up a lot along the way; something which she openly admits. Have you read Mia’s book?
Listening:
The Well: One of my favourite podcasts is finally back after a long break! I’ve talked about The Well here before; Rebecca Sparrow and Robin Bailey talk all things motherhood, friendship and life. And they’re back with a bang with the “when life pulls the rug out from under you” episode. Get on it people.
S- Town: Oh man, I could devote an entire blog post to this podcast (and I might just do that one day). Just seven episodes long I binged listened to the whole thing in a week. And then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I recommended it to a friend who I knew would enjoy it as much as I did so I had someone to talk to about it. If you haven’t listened to S-Town it’s hard to explain in too much detail without giving anything away. I can say this; it is quite unlike anything I’ve ever come across before. As my friend so perfectly put it in a late night text message after he’d finished listening “clocks, mercury and gold. A story about nothing and everything”. The story begins with a man contacting a journalist, Brian Reed (the creator and narrator of the podcast) informing him there had been a murder in his small town that had been covered up and asked him to investigate. In the end, that’s not really story at all….and that’s all I’m going to say. A little like Sarah Koenig’s commentary in Serial, you find yourself mesmerised by Brian’s voice and left wanting to hear more. Lucky for me I will be as my friend and I scored tickets to this event in Melbourne next month where we’ll get to hear Brian talk.
So, what have you been reading, watching and listening to lately?
June 20, 2017 @ 9:24 am
I’ve watched 13 reasons and yes the last episode shows way too much in my opinion. I have 3 teens and 1 tween and the concept of the show is great but you definitely need to watch it with them as some of it really needs to be discussed. #teamIBOT
June 20, 2017 @ 7:24 pm
I’ll admit I put my hands over my eyes for ‘that part’. I totally agree that this is something teenagers/you adults should watch with their parents not on their own as I fear the important messages might be missed…
June 20, 2017 @ 9:51 am
OMG S Town is the best!!! We must have listened to it in a couple of short days, such was the obsession. Love it! I have also watched 13 Reasons. I think it is reasonably well written and well acted. I wouldn’t let my teenagers watch it and the death scene is horrible! There was also another episode that we couldn’t bring ourselves to watch, but we are the parents of 4 teenagers all similar in age to the focus of the show.
June 20, 2017 @ 7:25 pm
I put my hands over my eyes for ‘that scene’. Lots of it was hard to watch but does raise a lot of important issues…though I really teenagers shouldn’t be watching the show alone…if at all
June 20, 2017 @ 2:24 pm
I tried 13 Reasons and just couldn’t get into it. I think I could sense the intensity ramping up and I just wanted out. It sounds quite distressing in parts.
June 20, 2017 @ 7:26 pm
It is pretty full on and quite hard to watch in parts for sure
June 20, 2017 @ 4:26 pm
My husband is a volunteer counsellor for Lifeline and he watched 13 Reasons and I think he considered it ‘trivialised’ suicide. I certainly did not watch it. But I was curious about S Town and listened to all eps. What a show. Do you know that Brian Reed is coming to Australia to talk about it – at the Opera House I think. I have followed Mia Freedman from mamamia days when it was a blog. In fact, I ‘met’ many of my now twitter, FB and blogging friends through that site. In those days it was a really grea place to share and I was encouraged to start my blog by some people after becoming a commenter. I have read two of Mia’s earlier books and not this one.She writes to engage and to be informative but since the debacle with her No Filter podcast last week I am disappointed in her lack of foresight. Denyse x
June 20, 2017 @ 7:28 pm
I’m actually going to see Brian Reed talk in Melbourne next month, can’t wait!
I did see that big debacle with Mia play out on social media last week; I had literally just finished her book that day and so I agree, it was disappointing
June 24, 2017 @ 9:14 am
Didn’t know about Brian’s show and just checked out tickets and we’re away that weekend “very sad face!”
June 20, 2017 @ 8:52 pm
Loved S-Town but I’m not going to watch 13 reasons. And This is Us is the best.
June 21, 2017 @ 10:26 am
I think I pretty much cry at some stage during every episode of This is Us!
June 20, 2017 @ 10:02 pm
I watched 13 reasons why {and wrote a post about it}. Personally, I hear and see a lot in my work so it wasn’t too confronting for me. Haven’t watched This is Us but heard good things about it. I did listen to S-Town. Intriguing to say the least! Oh and I had the same thoughts about Small Great Things — the ending was too good to be true.
June 21, 2017 @ 10:27 am
Oh I’ll have to head over and read your post about 13 Reasons, interested to hear what you have to say about it.
June 21, 2017 @ 1:47 pm
I watched 13 Reasons for a range of reasons myself, it was definitely confronting and I fast forwarded past the ‘scene’ which I thought wasn’t necessary in the scheme of things. I really needed a new podcast for the gym, looks like I found it. I have been reading The Poet by Michael Connelly, it was suggested by the lovely women at my local bookshop, I haven’t picked it up for a couple of weeks due to report writing but I’m looking forward to getting back into it.
June 21, 2017 @ 3:05 pm
I haven’t watched 13 reasons but it is something that I would like to see. I am like you I am hooked on This is Us.
June 23, 2017 @ 12:48 am
I’m intrigued by 13 Reasons however I feel like it might be a bit too distressing – I think by this stage of the year, end of term tiredness has hit, the weather is cold and I just need something to read and watch that makes me laugh or learn something. I’ve been watching the War on Waste and reading ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F***’ – for a parody it contains a lot of self-help truths too!
June 24, 2017 @ 9:11 am
I want to watch 13 Reasons but have so many other series on the go, I want to finish some of them before I start on something new. I LOVE This Is Us so much, hubby has a theory that Jack dies from drink driving after that night they have the big argument (but we’re a couple of episodes behind.) I’m also loving the new series of Orange is the New Black, although I’m not feeling the love quite as much as I did for the other seasons. How good was S-Town? My new podcast love is for The Minimalists, those guys are my heroes!