Read & Watched

R E A D

Gone Gull — If you want a "get away from it all" book that takes place in the South, this one is for you. Meg (the main character in this series) is helping out her grandma at an art center in Virginia...it feels very Blue Ridge Parkway. Of course chaos ensues and a murder happens. She's on the case along with all of her relatives, the students and her doctor dad. I think I read it in less than two days because it was just fun. 

The Deadly Dance — Agatha Raisin has decided to open her own detective agent in this mystery novel. She starts off looking for missing pets but ends up on the case of an attempted assassination of a rich woman's young daughter. There's a trip to Paris, lots of flirting and an attempted murder on Agatha herself! If you want to escape to the British countryside, choose this one.

French Chic Living — I love a good coffee table book and I would say this one is up there. I loved the photos but I will say the author is a bit full of herself...so read it with that in mind. I will say, I loved the cleaning advice section and just seeing what French country houses look like. 

Three Hours in Paris — Set during the day that Hitler visited Paris (he only went once for a matter of hours) this thriller follows the story of an American woman sniper. She's running through the various arrondissements, hiding out and you're left wondering if she'll make it out in the last few pages of the book. It kept me on the edge of my seat and made me want to go to Paris at the same time. 

Red, White & Royal Blue — I LOVED THIS BOOK. First, the main character is the First Son of the first female president and they are from Texas. His older sister got a journalism degree from Texas (uhm hello me) and he hates the son of the royal family. But they are thrown together into a friendship that blooms into true love in one of the best enemies to lovers I've ever read. Emails and texts are exchanged throughout the book between the two and they might get ya a bit hot and bothered. 

Women's Libation! — Another feminist cocktail book, I didn't love this one as much as Free the Tipple. The illustrations are amazing but I found the cocktails a bit more complex. I will say I liked that the author made cocktails out of feminist events not just women in this one. 

W A T C H E D

The Invisible Man — I really liked this retelling of a story that has been told a bunch. It's suspenseful, thrilling and has an epic twist at the end that I did not see coming. 

Normal People — Oh please tell me you've watched this cult favorite. It was so beautiful and made me want to book a flight to Ireland. I don't want the relationship the two main characters have because it is toxic but I loved the raw emotion that they portrayed. We've all been in the situations they were in and handled them badly. The show just makes you feel better about your choices. 

Mystery Road & Goldstone — These are gritty mystery movies set in the Australian Outback. I learned a lot about the relations between Aboriginals and the white settlers throughout them but they also have great shootouts if you like that kind of thing. 

Perry Mason — I really liked the first season of this HBO remake. It covers how Perry Mason became himself (a lawyer) and it is gritty. A baby is murdered and left on Angels Flight and the mother is suspected of his death. There's also a crazy religious cult and added race tensions. 

13th — By now you should have watched this documentary about our horrifying criminal justice system. 

The Trip to Greece — My dad and I love these movies with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. It's set in beautiful restaurants, they eat gorgeous food and they do celebrity impressions that will have your sides hurting. 

Teenage Bounty Hunters — Omg I weirdly loved this Netflix series. It got me! Set in Georgia (they mention every Southern chain you could think of) two religious schoolgirls end up becoming bond enforcement agents. But what they don't know is they'll uncover a huge family secret along the way.