My Media Diet Lately: Round 2

Reviews Of Stuff I've Read, Watched, or Heard

Round one of this seemed to go over like gangbusters (apparently I say gangbusters now, like a 1920s bank robber or something) and so I decided to drop another into your lovely laps. It’s a bit late as I spent all day spring cleaning yesterday instead of pre-writing this, so forgive me.

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Onward to a few of the things my brain consumed lately!

• Night Boat to Tangier - Having loved, absolutely LOVED Kevin Barry’s most recent book The Heart in Winter, I absolutely had to try his other books. I started with Night Boat and it follows two aging Irishmen, longtime drug smugglers and agents of violence and chaos, sitting in a ferry terminal waiting for one of their estranged daughters. The book time travels back often, and is this beautiful winding lyrical tale that I was pretty damn captivated by. It didn’t grab me as much as the first, but I did love it. I’ll continue to dive into his work happily, as I’m officially 2 for 2 now. Very worth it. Very.

  

• Shoresy Season 4 - Ok, I’ll admit this right away: I’m sorry it took me so long McGraw. You were right. My little sis tried to get me to watch Shoresy for longer than she should have, because—like Pringles—once we popped, we couldn’t stop. Here’s how I would describe Shoresy to someone who hasn’t yet watched: Take Ted Lasso, make it Canadian, replace football (soccer) with hockey, and then make it better. Funnier. Sweeter. Now, I think Ted Lasso is like Diet Coke, super sweet but artificially so, while Shoresy is like real Coke, or even the fancy Mexican Coke in the glass bottles that uses REAL cane sugar, just the right amount of sweetness that feels REAL, the perfect fizz, and it hits the spot in a way the Diet kind can’t. I say this while admitting, I love Ted Lasso. So yeah, talk about a glowing recommendation. It takes a full episode or so of the first season to “get it” but once you do, it’s over. You’re in. YeahSo, fully recommend this, and if you don’t try it you are, to quote Shoresy, “So dumb.”

  

• To Write To Write Playlist on Spotify - This one, I am admitting, is my own creation. I just couldn’t not include it, as this playlist is my absolute go-to for anytime I want music but I don’t want to bother with lyrics, with the distraction sometimes music can be, and all I want is to just feel transported and left free to work, to meditate, to think, to rest, to breathe, or to give my life a walking soundtrack that feels cinematic and beautiful and transformational. It’s ambient music, really, and it’s phenomenal, and I LOVE it.

• Rogue Heroes Season 2 - We absolutely, positively ADORED Season 1 of Rogue Heroes, the unbelievably true (though certainly embellished here for dramatic effect from time to time) story of how the Special Air Service division of the British military was formed. While season 1 focused on the SAS and their campaign in Africa, Season 2 follows them as they venture into Italy during WWII to liberate the Italians (those that weren’t traitors and joined them) from the Nazis. It’s brutal, it’s hilarious, it’s deeply introspective at times, and the main character regularly spouts poetry. What more could you possibly want? If you’ve not jumped on this train yet, now is absolutely the time.

  

• Silo Series by Hugh Howey - I jumped onto book series this after loving Seasons 1 and 2 of Silo on AppleTV, as I couldn’t possibly wait another year, or two, or three, to figure out what happens to these beloved characters. Prior to watching the show, I didn’t even know there was a book series, and boy am I glad I know now. I’m 96% done with the whole series, all three books, and should finish tonight. I love it. It’s a page turner, it’s got these beautiful sections where it truly makes you think about this world we’ve created, what matters, what is special, what is worth saving and how. Intermingled with that, is a story that keeps you riveted. I never thought I’d be into a book (let alone 3) about being buried in a silo miles below the earth, but dammit, it hooked me. If you’re in the market for a new series that’ll keep you turning pages, while also feeling like a pretty easy read, this should be it.

  

There you go! Round 2 of my Media diet as of late. My little brain snacks, little mind meals. I hope you’re still digging these. Also, as the Matchbook is an ever-evolving thing, let me know in the comments what other kind of random surprises you’d like to open on Friday.

How can I make this Matchbook even MORE fun?

I love you a lot, enjoy your weekend.