I had some big writing assignments this month, so I didn’t read as much as I usually do. I also spent a lot of time watching Night Country, Love Is Blind and this new-to-me show called Deadloch about a lesbian crime-fighting town in Tasmania. It’s like if Night Country and Derry Girls had a baby. h/t to Melissa for the rec.
Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever by Matt Singer
I got a lot out of this book, which has become a problem for everyone around me because all I want to do is argue about movies. It’s a great book for anyone interested in film, film criticism, and Siskel & Ebert. I loved the parts of the book about Siskel & Ebert, but could have done with less behind-the-scenes of how their various TV shows got made. Well worth the read though.
The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul
Whew doggies. Luckily, I no longer have to write 800 words on how bad this book is because Saeed Jones did it - and did it very well. Read his review for the NYT here. I like RuPaul and was eager to read this book, but it just isn’t good. The whole time I was reading it, I kept thinking, why isn’t anyone editing this? There were so many parts where he needed to go deeper and so many other parts where he needed to say less. There was no emotion in the book. It felt like a rehearsed graduation speech that he stretched into a book.
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
I’ve already forgotten this book, but I do remember that I had fun reading it. Very steamy sex scenes. I’m trying to leave my house more and quit being so goddamn weird, so I joined the Parnassus Between the Covers Romance Book Club. It’s hosted by my friend Katie (aka @yourlesbianbookmom) and this was the pick for February. The meetup was a blast and I can’t wait for the one in March. (More below after the recs.)
Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile
I loved this book so much that I already wrote a post about it. I was not a big Brandi Carlile fan beforehand and read this because it gets recommended so often on podcasts and by other writers. I’m a fan now! It’s a great book. Highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
Because I didn’t read much this month, here are some related (ish) things I read and wrote recently.
If you're like me, you probably follow (and thoroughly enjoy) @nashvillehistoryx. I recently met the person behind the popular account and profiled her for Nashville Scene's annual People Issue. Meet Fleur!
The concert already happened, but I wrote a Critic’s Pick for the Flyana Boss Nashville show. I love them so much.
Katie (from above) interviewed That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon author Kimberly Lemming for Parnassus. Read the interview here.
Ashley C. Ford reviewed the new memoir Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley for the NYT. I love reading Ashley’s reviews. Putting this book on my TBR.
Fans of The Stacks podcast, rejoice. Traci Thomas has joined Substack with her newsletter Unstacked.
ICYMI, here’s what I read last month.
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