What I've Read & Watched Recently

It has been such a long time since I did one of these posts...I think it might have been January of 2018, which is insane. But I want to get back into them! I've been pretty bad about reading lately, I'm guilty of just wanting to put Netflix on and forget about life BUT I have been reading some things. And I'm currently reading The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, which I'm liking thus far. So, without further ado, here's what I've been reading and watching lately — xoxo darling, Hayden.

W A T C H I N G

Unbelievable — I'm not a huge true crime fan, but I was scrolling through Netflix one night and happened upon this limited series. What caught my attention is that it's set/happened where I live. I work in Lakewood and live in Littleton, Colorado. Some of my friends live in Westminster and Aurora and I eat in Golden a lot. And I'm so glad I chose to watch it. What unfolds on your screen is a heartbreaking tale of disbelief, serial rape and women looking out for women. I highly recommend this one. 

The Kettering Incident — My dad turned me onto this one on Amazon Prime. It's set in Tasmania, in fact it's the first adult drama ever filmed in Tasmania. And dang was it weird. It totally pulled me in but it's really strange. The plot centers around a young woman who is having blackouts, she's a doctor but ends up in her hometown of Kettering where something happened to her younger step sister when they were children. Another girl goes missing and people start to blame the main character, but what happens is much darker and stranger than anyone could imagine. Sound interesting? 

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 3) — One of my all-time favorites is back for a third season and let me just say the clothes and sets are better than ever. While I didn't love this season as much, in fact I hardly binged it at all, I adored the parts with the two families living in the same house. I was cackling. 

The Man in the High Castle (Season 4) — The last season of this show premiered and I finished it in about three days (ha!). The plot to this bad boy has always been a good one, with some seasons better than others. This last season is full of action, suspense and an ending I think we all expected. I would give it a watch. And if you haven't watched this show, it's basically if the Nazis and Japanese won WWII instead of us — super interesting dynamics. 

Ken Burns: Country Music — My parents watched this first and told me how good it was but I was a little reluctant to do it just because each episode is an hour and 45 minutes, which is a lot. But, I finally broke down and did it and I do not regret it at all. The storylines are fabulous, the music makes you want to download every country song ever and you just feel good while watching it. You might cry at some of the sadder stories but you'll laugh at the musicians quips. 

Bombshell — Wow, what a subject matter. This one really got me in my feels because while I knew a little about the Fox scandal, it wasn't something I did a ton of research on. But this movie tells it like it is in that classic Big Short way. All of the actresses do a phenomenal job, you might even think Charlize is Megyn Kelly. 

Knives Out — I had to wait super long to see this because every time I tried to buy tickets the theater near my house was sold out, talk about insane! But I was not disappointed when I finally did see it. The clothing and the set are what got me the most (Chris Evans sweater game is on point). But also, there are many a twist-and-turn that I did not see coming. It's kind of like if Clue met a Hercule Poirot book that met a Sherlock Holmes novel.
Vienna Blood — A new show on PBS that's based on one of my all-time favorite book series', Vienna Blood is set in 1906 Vienna and revolves around a psychologist and a detective. They team up to solve some fairly violent crimes and it makes for amazing books and now television. I'm really excited to continue the series and would recommend if you like history, mystery and pastries.
Cheer — Okay, I know I'm not the only one who loved this Netflix documentary because everyone in my office loved it too. I wasn't sure if I would watch it because I've never been a big lover of cheerleading (unless it's Bring it On) but holy moly, 10/10 recommend. I watched it in less than 24 hours, that's how obsessed I was. If you aren't familiar, it follows a community college cheer team as they train for the national championships. It's full of ups-and-downs and it's ending is a bit bittersweet.
Virgin River — Alright, I watched this at the very beginning of 2020 and I still don't know how I feel about it! It's set in the small town of Virgin River, based on a book series, and is kind of like a modern soap opera. Some of the characters really annoy me, but then I love others. I would call it a cozy program but let me know how you feel about it if you watch it because I just don't know. 

R E A D I N G

Under Occupation — Alan Furst is one of my favorite authors and I enjoyed the latest installment in his war repertoire. It's set in Paris, like every great Furst novel, and centers around a mystery novelist (ha!) who gets caught up in the French Resistance. It culminates in intrigue, lots of train rides and Nazis.
The Reading Circle — Having been a big fan of the Piggly Wiggly series, I decided to read this series by the same author. They have that same down-home, southern feel to them that I love. This is the second book, centered around the small town library, trying to save it from being cut out of the budget and young-and-old-love. The whole thing is a feel-good book and it's great for a cold day with a cup of coffee.
In Praise of Difficult Women — It took me a while to get into this feminist book, but once I did, I sped through it. I liked it because instead of being a little blurb or one page on each woman, it was a whole chapter. I learned so much about so many difficult women and I really liked that aspect. It has all different ladies, from actresses to philanthropists, but all of them were a challenge — as we should all be.
Romance Novels — I rarely talk about my love of romance novels on Haute Table, because I rarely talk about them in real life. I was recently re-watching To All The Boys I've Loved Before and the main character is obsessed with romance novels. It made me realize that I had been weirdly ashamed of discussing them in public? Which is really odd for me, because I'll talk about almost anything. Much like Lara Jean, I'm always reading one, but on my phone because that's easier than getting them from the library. And I have favorite authors, for example, Kristen Ashley is probably my favorite. I've read almost everything she has written and loved all of them. Recently, I've been into the Fantasyland series by her, it's about two parallel worlds (ours and a medieval one) and lovers destined for each other on different sides. So good!