Three recs, staying distracted edition
A different kind of Cinderella story, a delightful cozy crime show, a historical murder mystery series
We’re not thinking about the US election, right? That’s certainly how I’m getting through this week. It’s how I intend to get through this coming week, too. I’ve done what I can do (ask me if you want to hear what a pain in the ass it is to vote from abroad, by the way) and I hope that all of you who are US citizens have voted or are going to. Voting is the absolute bare minimum we can do in a democracy, so we should all be doing it.
That said, do not invite me to an election watch party on Tuesday. As I told a friend (and devoted KUK reader!) today, I’m queuing up the most absorbing, engaging, and fun reads and watches for next week so that I can live in a world that is not this one for a few days. In 2020, it was the City of Brass series that got me through October/November. This year, I’m especially taking recommendations for smart-and-bingeable television and YA-adjacent fantasy/historical book series. Hit me with your best escapist recs and I will add them to my list.
Until then, enjoy this week’s recs (two of which are very bingeable and escapist, incidentally!).
Rec 1
Anora (film)
Every so often, you see a film that does everything. And when I say “every so often,” I mean “very rarely.” Because it’s hard. It’s a tight-rope act to have excellent drama, heartfelt romance, and strong action sequences. To make you laugh and make you sob. To be both absurdly heightened and emotionally grounded. To feel familiar but also surprising and unexpected at every turn. I could go on.
Anora is Sean Baker’s (of The Florida Project, among many others) Palme d’Or-winning latest about the eponymous stripper from Brighton Beach who gets into bed (literally and figuratively) with the childish, fun-loving son of a Russian oligarch. Naturally, nothing goes the way she expects it to – or, to be honest, the way the audience expects, either. It is, by turns, a Cinderella story, a gangster comedy, a commentary on power and money in late-stage capitalism, and a lot of other tropes that I honestly don’t know how to define. All I know is that it’s an incredible, emotional experience that had me laughing most of the time and also sobbing at the end.
Can you tell I’m trying not to give too much away? I had been hearing praise for this film for months, but I still didn’t quite know what to expect, and I don’t think anything can really prepare you for it – and that’s a good thing. The world it brings to life is compelling and lived-in, as if we’ve walked through a door to find people living their lives. The story somehow manages to be both ridiculous and unbelievable – and also deeply honest and emotionally real, which is how it manages to pull off that high-wire act. And the acting performances are more impressive than those of most big-name actors you know, and if awards ceremonies actually meant anything, they’d all win. (To be fair, one of the Russian actors is a very big name in Russia.)
Honestly, this movie blew me away. It’s possibly my favorite thing I’ve seen this year. I keep thinking about it and it makes me smile and my heart ache in the best way. Baker really knows how to tell a story.
Where: In cinemas across the US and UK!
Rec 2
Only Murders in the Building, s4 (TV)
Let’s address the elephant in the room: This is not my first time recommending Only Murders. It may well not be my last. (And let’s be honest, they’d have to really fuck it up for me to not recommend the fifth and final season.) But I just finished the most recent season and it’s one of few series I’ve actually watched through to the end lately, so I can’t not rec it.
For those who aren’t familiar: Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez star as a mismatched trio of true crime podcast fans who start solving murders themselves. It’s contemporary cozy crime at its absolute best – it’s funny, it’s heartwarming, it’s over the top, it’s got plenty of red herrings, and it’s jam-packed full of excellent characters. If you’ve not seen the first season yet, it genuinely feels like the experience of reading a really good New Yorker long-read about a series of weird events at an uptown apartment building.
As for season four, it’s just as ridiculous and delightful as I hoped. This time, our dynamic team find themselves the subject of an upcoming movie and have to go down the Hollywood rabbit hole in order to solve the murder of an old friend. There are maybe a few more misdirects than necessary this time around, but, as ever, the journey is so much fun that I can’t even care. I especially appreciated all the industry inside jokes (it’s true, all the industry wants is your childhood trauma!) and I will never tire of watching these characters hang out together. There’s also something to be said for a show where A-list actors find ways to come back season after season (when they really don’t need to) and everyone genuinely seems to be having a blast.
If you haven’t started the series yet: enjoy! If you’ve been on the fence about starting this season: you won’t regret it.
Where: Hulu (US), Disney+ (UK)
Rec 3
The Cadfael Chronicles (books)
This time last year, I wrote an issue all about murder mysteries and detective series. It didn’t occur to me until I spent this October listening to the audiobooks of the first ten (10!!) of Ellis Peters’ iconic Brother Cadfael mysteries that maybe there’s a reason I read these kinds of books at this time of year. Autumn is the right time for this sort of thing, isn’t it?
Here’s the deal: Brother Cadfael is a Welsh Benedictine monk living at Shrewsbury Abbey in the early/mid 1100s. He used to be a soldier and sailor, having been on the Crusades, and then came back to Britain and become a monk – as well as a doctor/apothecary. And, thanks to the events of the first book (the excellently named A Morbid Taste for Bones), he also starts solving murders. (He also seems to have a sideline in helping star-crossed young lovers get together, which is adorable.)
Like all good murder mysteries (Chief Inspector Gamache, I’m looking at you), the Cadfael books are as much about the characters and interpersonal drama as they are about the mysteries that drive the plot. These also happen to be excellent historical fiction, as I now have a newfound understanding of the way England colonized Wales, how “English” wasn’t really an identity until the 19th century, how church and state interacted on an everyday level when Rome was possibly more powerful than the king, and how 12th-century Britain was basically the Wild West. Cadfael is a compelling character, as are his friends and colleagues, and, just like with Only Murders, they’re really fun to spend time with. Plus, you know, there are some good mysteries.
One extra little plug for the audiobook: As was recommended to me, I listened to the version narrated by Patrick Tull. Is there anything more pleasant than having an older Welsh man with a deep, mellifluous voice tell me a story? I really don’t think so.
Where: Borrow for free from your local library, or buy from your non-Amazon bookseller of choice. (Here’s the Bookshop UK link to A Morbid Taste for Bones; it doesn’t seem to be on Bookshop US, but I trust you to find it.)
(In the name of full transparency: I’ve included affiliate links to Bookshop.org – if you’re going to order from them anyway, please use my link so I can make a little extra cash! If you want to see/order any/all of my book recs, I’ve made lists on Bookshop, too: US version, UK version.)
That’s all for this week! What are you reading/watching/listening to that I should be aware of? Drop me a line (or comment) to let me know if you check out any of my recs and what you think.
Please spread the word and I’ll see you in a couple weeks.
xo
Kate
Did someone share this with you?
Loved this one! Tuning in for all 3