Greetings! I have a backlog of posts to write because I kept waiting until the world didn't seem likely to end. I'm still not sure we're in the clear, but I'm going to take advantage of this lull. (And, again, this is no longer a place I wish to discuss politics, thank you very much. Meet me over on Twitter for that, and please wear blue.)
I'll have some great recipes for you later in the week, but today, I'm talking about music, books, and even TV!
Wait, what, TV? You may have noticed that I don't do TV reviews, and that's because I'm just not into TV. The only two shows I've watched in the last, what, 10+ years are The Sopranos and Breaking Bad. I have never seen a single minute of Game of Thrones or The West Wing or Downton Abbey or Grey's Anatomy or Parks and Recreation or Schitt's Creek or ... well, you get the picture. And it's not because I have anything against TV or because I think I won't enjoy these shows. For no really good reason I can put my finger on, I'm just not interested in watching a series of episodes of anything. I enjoy movies much more. So I know that these are all fantastic shows and that I would probably love some of them, but, well, it's not likely to happen anytime soon. Maybe when I retire.
However, all that being said, I did watch part of a series and all of another one. First, because Pete and Julie are very much into chess and we played quite a bit over December break, Andy and I started watching The Queen's Gambit. We've watched the first three episodes so far, and we will probably finish. Someday. Probably. Why not right now? I have no idea. But anyhow, it is interesting so far. (Re chess, I learned how to play as a kid—everyone knew how to play every game in those days—but hadn't played in probably close to 40 years. And well, I suck at it. I joined Chess.com but found that the 10-minute time limit made me frantic. Same with 2o minutes. So then I tried 30 minutes, and that was a little better, although I still haven't won yet. And then I played a friend a few times, with no time limit, and I just have not gotten any better. I think my brain is missing the part that would allow me to look ahead at the various moves that might occur...)
But, but! I did watch every single episode of Ted Lasso, and I can't say a day goes by that I don't think about those characters! This is a stellar show in every way—plot, script, characters, actors, everything. I can't even describe to you what a feel-good experience it is, but without being sappy at all. It is also so funny that several times I was cracking up so much I needed to press pause while I composed myself. It's on Apple TV, which we don't have, but we did a one-week free trial and watched on my giant iMac. But I realized I didn't want to binge-watch, because each episode is just so good that I didn't want to rush. So we paid $5 for the first month, watched the rest at our leisure, and then canceled. Two huge thumbs up on this one from me and Andy (and every other person and reviewer I know). I've heard that it's been renewed for two more seasons and, well, I don't know how I feel about that. I sort of want it to just to exist in those 10 episodes and not try to do any more—but, at the same time, I look forward to spending time with those characters again.
I have some book reviews to catch up on too:
This Is Happiness by Niall Williams: This is a lovely book—Williams's writing is like poetry—but it's not the kind of book one would ever say that they couldn't put down. It's not terribly plot-driven, although there is a plot. It takes place in rural Ireland in the 1950s, when a stranger comes to a small village to help sign everyone up for electric service. We get to know all the village inhabitants and grow to love them even while poking gentle fun at them. Love, laughter, memories, loss, tears, and, yes, happiness all ensue. Some people will probably find it boring, but I enjoyed it. Williams captures the place and time perfectly—the village was almost like the main character in the book.
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson: This book got a lot of buzz, but I was ultimately disappointed. It's the story of an FBI operative who is chosen for a particular assignment because she is a black woman. The action takes place in Burkina Faso in the late 1980s, but it is told in a style that didn't work for me at all: The main character is composing a letter to her sons to let them know what she did and why. I felt like the author had to remind herself of this gimmick every so often and would add something like, "So as I watch you both sleeping there so peacefully, I remember that you don't know about this..." Anyhow, I was interested to learn about that period in Burkina Faso's troubled political history, but that's about all I can say. None of the characters felt real to me at all, and the writing was workmanlike. Not once did I stop and think, "Wow, what a great turn of phrase or description or sentence." One of the members of my book group thought it read as though the author had an eye toward a movie deal. Maybe so.
Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig: This instantly became one of my favorite books ever—really! It has everything I require in a novel: gorgeous writing, fully fleshed-out characters, and an interesting plot. It's the story of nineteen-year-old best friends Angus and Rob, who emigrate from Scotland to Montana in the 1890s to stake their fortune. It's a long book, but rather than find it tedious, I worried that it would come to an end all too soon. But not to worry, because it's part of a trilogy! This is officially the middle volume, but in fact it's a prequel to the first book, so I'm glad I read it first. (I sometimes find that there are unintentional spoilers if you read a book before its prequel—for instance, say there's a character in the prequel who you think is dead but really isn't. If you had read Book 1 first, you would have known that the character would in fact survive.) Now I can go back and read Book 1, which takes place chronologically after this one. Anyhow, Doig's writing style is just a pleasure in every way, from his descriptions of nature—both beautiful and brutal—to the way he brings to life his characters. I really can't recommend this book highly enough.
Now on to the music portion of our program. If I could take only one CD with me on a desert island, I would cheat and take The Last Waltz (4 discs!). I've probably watched that concert movie more times than any other movie, if you add up all the YouTube clips I watch regularly—"The Weight" (with the Staple Singers), "Ophelia," "Cripple Creek," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Stage Fright," and so on. I never get tired of them, and I'm madly in love with everyone in the Band. But there's one song that's lesser known, "Acadian Driftwood." The version on The Last Waltz has all the other Canadian guests joining in (Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, etc.), but I prefer the studio version, the remastered version of which you can hear here. Anyhow, Andy and I were listening to it, and I mentioned this gorgeous cover by the Roches. (I've always noticed that there is something magical about the harmonies that siblings can achieve!) Andy told me about another cover I hadn't heard, by Richard Shindell. I don't much care for his version, but I found the video fascinating, because it tells the story behind the song, that of the Expulsion of the Acadians, which I hadn't known anything about. It's really worth watching while you listen.
*Such as it is during a pandemic. We are all healthy here and I hope all of you are too. Hang in there, the finish line is in sight! I don't imagine I'll be able to get the vaccine for several months, but it's coming...
Doig is a fabulous writer. Have you read "The Whistling Season?" My older daughter(who doesn't like sports) has recommended Ted Lasso very highly. Like you, I don't watch many series on TV. I enjoyed the Queen's Gambit, but heartily disliked the first couple episodes of Schitt's Creek, so I didn't continue. I do watch too many of the Great Baking Shows though!
Posted by: Margaret | January 25, 2021 at 12:33 PM
I haven't read anything else by Doig but am thrilled I have a lot to catch up on! What an amazing writer. And I think I heard from someone else that "Schitt's Creek" takes some getting used to. Let me know if you watch "Ted Lasso"—it's really sooooo good!
Posted by: Karen | January 25, 2021 at 01:13 PM