Thanksgiving Week Edit
What I'm consuming this week.
It’s been a long holiday week, let’s jump right in!
What I’m…
Reading
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange. I kicked off my Aspen Longlist reading with Wandering Stars, a book already on my TBR thanks to enjoying Orange’s debut novel There There. Wandering Stars features characters introduced in There There digging deep into more than 150 years of history shaping cultural and personal identity. A strong start to my Aspen Award reading. Bookshop | Libro.FM
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. The 2020 National Book Award winner for fiction, this is one of those books I kept meaning to get to that I somehow missed despite seeing book friends rave about it for years now. I saw a trailer for the Hulu series adaptation (it looks good!) and knew the time was now. Written in the form of a screenplay the book follows an Asian-American actor in a police procedural bending reality to interweave fact and fiction. A unique and impactful look at immigration, assimilation, identity, culture, and media. Bookshop | Libro.FM
Listening
Non-fiction November continues.
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer. Deeply reported, informative, moving, narrative non-fiction exploring Central America and the humanitarian crisis leading to mass migration impacting both sides of the U.S. southern border. I found my way to this book through Obama’s summer reading list. A must read shedding desperately needed light on a complex and relevant issue. Bookshop | Libro.FM
Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher. A chatty, intimate memoir co-narrated by Cher and Stephanie Block, who won a Tony award for playing Cher in the Broadway biomusical The Cher Show. Excellent listen! Bookshop | Libro.FM
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten. I saved this to keep me company while I was in the kitchen prepping for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely the right move! I’ve watched plenty of Ina in my day and I loved hearing her share her story in her own words. Married young in the ‘60s and building a career and a brand in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Ina’s story offers a surprisingly feminist perspective on marriage and career as she explores the evolutions of her life. Bookshop | Libro.FM
Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America by Talia Lavin. From the author of Culture Warlords, Wild Faith fits in alongside books such as Jesus and John Wayne and The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory. It is imperative we understand the Christian Nationalist movement which has infiltrated the Republican party both in leadership and policy. Lavin digs deep into the beliefs and culture fueling the Religious Right’s unrelenting march for power radically reshaping America in their image. Bookshop | Libro.FM
Watching
The Diplomat, Season 2 (Netflix). Finished up season 2, this show is so good!
Shrinking, Season 2 (Hulu). This is a good show, but we watched the first 2/3 before we realized episodes are being released week to week and there are still around a month’s worth of episodes unreleased. (This annoys me to no end.) So, watch it, but wait!
Friends, Thanksgiving Episodes (HBO). The Thanksgiving episodes are my favorite, rewatching is a Thanksgiving week tradition.
Wild Robot (Theaters). I can’t believe I forgot to mention we saw this in theaters a few weeks ago! This is absolutely the adaptation the book deserves. A true family movie, not just for the littles. Loved it! (Have you read the book? If not, you absolutely need to!)
Heretic (Theaters). Also neglected this one! I loved this psychological horror thriller starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets), Chloe East, and Topher Grace also makes an appearance.
Eating & Drinking
This new to use Creamy Tomato Beef and Noodle Soup was so easy and I’ve been enjoying leftovers for lunch all week.
Creamy Salsa Chicken in the slowcooker (1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, taco seasoning of choice, jar of salsa, cook for 4-6 hours on low, stir in a can of drained and rinsed beans, a cup of frozen corn, and a block of cream cheese of choice before serving over rice, in tortillas, or over chips) was the perfect, easy Thanksgiving week meal
For the holiday I contributed 10 lbs of mashed potatoes, 2 batches of Perfect Soft and Fluffy dinner rolls, the best Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie, and a Cranberry Pecan Cheeseball (which I’ve made for so long I can’t remember where the recipe came from!)
Links + Loves
NPR’s Best Books We Love 2024 is here!
As is The New York Times list of 100 Notable Books of 2024.
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Until next time!
I need to get to Ina’s book! We have not read nor have seen The Wild Robot but I do have a copy on its way to me! So excited!
I also saw the trailer for Interior Chinatown and it looked fun! I love Shrinking!