📚 FAVOURITE BOOKS OF FALL 2020 📚
FICTION
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
I started this book before the pandemic hit and I put it aside as work intensified. When everyone in Toronto went into self isolation, I was able to finish this beautiful book. It turns out it was the perfect lockdown read, given the premise of the book.
The story takes place just after the Bolshevik revolution where the aristocratic protagonist, Count Rostov, is placed under house arrest inside a top hotel in Moscow.
I initially thought the book would be a snooze-fest. I mean, what could possibly be interesting about a man who spends his life stuck inside a hotel? The book completely surprised me, particularly the author’s superb use of imagery and wit.
A quote that resonated: “That sense of loss is exactly what we must anticipate, prepare for, and cherish to the last of our days; for it is only our heartbreak that finally refutes all that is ephemeral in love.”
Widely available now: Indigo, Amazon, and a host of independent booksellers that deliver.
NONFICTION
How to Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens
Without question, this book is a must-read for every nonfiction writer and academic. Every day we are inundated with information consisting of books, videos, articles, podcasts and even tweet-storms. Without a method to capture and process this information for use by our future-selves, a ton of time is wasted when we sit down to write.
In a nutshell, this book describes techniques to capture relevant information in a format that quickly resurfaces later when we need it.
Limited availability in hardcopy, so digital may be the way to go: Indigo, Amazon, or order through a host of independent bookseller options who deliver.
🎥 FAVOURITE MEDIa OF FALL 2020 📺
🧠 BRAIN CANDY 🍬
Younger (TV Land; Amazon Prime)
I am a little late to the party on this one. With six seasons already under its belt, Younger is the perfect fun, hilarious, make-you-feel-good series I needed during the worst of the pandemic lockdown.
The magic comes from its stellar cast and visionary creator Darren Star, who also created Sex and the City.
The good news is you can binge watch all six seasons on Amazon Prime, and rumour has it, a seventh season is on the way.
🧠 BRAIN FOOD 🥕
I May Destroy you (HBO)
Set in London, England, the series follows a group of close friends as they navigate the Millennial social scene. The main character Arabella, played by the magnificent Michaela Coel, is a writer under pressure to finish her sophomore book.
One night at the pub, Arabella’s drink is spiked, and as her memory flickers in her consciousness, she wrestles with the realization that she may have been raped.
The series explores multiple levels of personal violation, from the subtle to the egregious, and explores friendship and forgiveness.
Coel is the creative genius behind the show, which fictionalizes her own experience of sexual assault while writing for the British comedy Chewing Gum (Netflix). In addition to writing and staring in each episode, Coel also directs a bulk of the episodes.
The full season is available to stream on Crave(HBO) in Canada.