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Top Five YA Series For Newbies
I love reading books and read a wide range of genres. I would never have guessed though, that I would enjoy YA novels. They seemed like a silly waste of time since I was a full-grown adult. Then I found myself trying to get into listening to audiobooks. I wanted something for a roadtrip and also, often reached the end of podcasts that I enjoyed but still wanted to drown out the city noise around me. Unfortunately, the calming tones of someone reading to me made me basically drift off and stop listening and I didn't want to miss good books. That's when I grabbed a YA audiobook. My logic was that if I missed it I wouldn't care. Strangely, I found that I didn't miss any of it. Maybe it has to do with simpler plots, or different pacing, but either way, I now seek out these novels for a different kind of fun and I recommend it.
Here are five to get you started.
His Fair Assassin Series by Robin LaFevers: Assassin nuns in Medieval France. I feel like that phrase should make you throw your computer aside to go out and start this book series. It is comprised of three books, Grave Mercy, Dark Triumph and Mortal Heart. There is magic, seduction, murder, and the God of Death. When I say, God of Death, think sexy and mysterious. Here's what's great about this series. It's well written. I sincerely tried to push my way through the Twilight series and between the sexism and the poor writing, I found myself not having a good time at all. The author has done her research on Medieval France and she also writes strong female characters who play active roles in their love lives. Unlike Twilight which fetishizes the idea of the tortured powerful man and the woman who can tame him thanks to having "something special" about her (spoiler alert, that special thing is being into him enough to put up with his bullshit) this series portrays the possibility of women having good healthy sex. Even when it gets SUPER complicated. Bonus, I learned the word "garotte".
Legend Series by Marie Lu: If dystopian futures with tragic love are more up your alley, then you are in luck because there are SO MANY YA dystopian novels that fit that bill. I recommend this one to start with. The world of the Legend series feels more solidly built than many, makes a decent commentary on government corruption and the class divide in society, and has a classic love against all odds story as well. They should definitely have made this movie instead of the Divergent movies (based on Veronica Roth's Divergent series) I feel like this series is not as predictable and it doesn't rely on a convoluted societal structure like the factions which, although an interesting idea, ends up feeling forced and like the author doesn't really have much to say about a couple of the factions (the Amity faction is the real the Hufflepuff of that world).
The Six of Crows Series by Leigh Bardugo: I have only read the first book of this duology but the characters are really engaging and there is some queer representation! It is a heist novel that gathers a ragtag gang pushed into a seedy life because of a number of reasons, some their own fault and some the fault of an unfair world. Each is willing to risk their lives in hopes of escaping their current situation. These two books take place in the same world as Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy where certain people possess great powers over the elements and human biology. I'm not sure I'm ready to dive fully into the Grisha Verse which seems to go a bit into the deeper end of fantasy but I definitely enjoyed this book. I am completely shipping Jesper and Wylan.
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman: This is a classic series that centers around a young girl, Lyra, who lives in a universe where there are witches and talking bears and everyone has a daemon (a physical manifestation of their souls). She and her daemon, Pantalaimon, use bravery, savvy and trickery to try to save the children from a mysterious danger that they don't entirely understand. The trilogy travels through parallel universes on a fun and exciting adventure and takes a critical stance against Christianity and organized religion which I enjoyed quite a bit.
The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater: This four book series is absolutely ridiculous but fun! I would not say that it is written very well and I would highly recommend reading it out loud to someone who also enjoys ridiculous things. It follows a group of private school boys and Blue, a girl being raised by a group of psychic women on an adventure to find a Welsh king. The world has plenty of magic, some Welsh folklore, and a whole lot of car fetishizing. Seriously Maggie Steifvater writes about cars as though she lost her virginity to one. It's amazing. This series does have some queer representation which is great. It also has strong female characters, although it has a tendency to forget about them at times. The most interesting character in this series is Ronan, and it definitely should have been a four part series centered around Ronan, but on the whole it is some dumb fun.
Barry: A Hero for A Troubled America
America is a bit of a mess right now. At some point the news stopped being something to check in on each day, and it became a tidal wave trying to drown us. If you are actually still one of the heroes trying to digest the inundation of headlines you may have noticed that the things that are darkly funny have begun to blur together with the things that are deeply horrible. Sometimes it is questionable whether I'm seeing a real headline, a headline in the Onion, or a plot summary for a new Black Mirror episode. Did you know that China is using a social rating system and if you fail it you can't use domestic airlines? Add to that a continuous stream of revelations about the abuse of women by the men who were once the core creators of our pop culture escapism, the men in office writing the laws, and the men in the media reporting on the whole system. America is overwrought. This is why you need to watch Barry, the show with the eponymous lovable assassin who stumbles into an acting class and begins to question his life purpose.
Yes, you need to retreat. But don't go too far.
I understand that you can only swim through a tidal wave for so long before you're exhausted and want to retreat. That's what pop culture is for. It's the perfect escapism machine to let us breathe for a minute before we soldier on. I support that. Right now though, it is important to not retreat so far that you shut your eyes to the world around you. Barry gives us a hero that is a war veteran grappling with serious personal issues and isolation as he tries to survive in civilian life. In essence, Barry is ours, as a society, to take responsibility for because we don't have a plan for bringing veterans back into everyday life. We can root for him as he struggles through a morally gray deep end and laugh at the comedic evil characters, but we are still faced with a societal issue that we should be doing better at solving. This keeps us from straying to far into the cocoon.
That might seem unpleasant, but we can't afford to stop being angry right now. We can't allow ourselves to slip into accepting the present America as the status quo. Game of Thrones and This Is Us are fine shows to have on your watching list but be wary. Try to remember that the world's problems aren't going to be solved by dragons or a good cry. Don't allow the constant news cycle to numb you to the point that you decide to escape forever and then oops, accidentally forget to vote. I recommend instead, keeping shows in your life like Barry that leave you feeling just a little unsettled so that you remember why you wandered here in the first place.
Satirical Comedy Will Save Us
Barry's use of dark comedy to make social commentary is one of the best uses of comedy, because it reminds us to look at the mess around us and take stock of the part that we have played in allowing it to get like this. Shows that mix drama, comedy, and social commentary together to make a point about the world such as Love, Catastrophe, Search Party, and Good Girls, should be on your watchlist just like Last Week Tonight and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee are essential news shows to watch. These shows gives us a better sense of what is wrong with the world than any News at 11 ever will. This type of comedy that is not afraid to skewer us, not only points a finger at a problem but also uses unexpected connections and juxtaposition, to get to heart of what the issues are. Choose comedies that shine a light on our hypocrisy instead of the kind that condones our asshole behavior. If you hate it when a show makes you think about something uncomfortable or difficult than perhaps it's time for you to take a deep look at how you are living your life. You might just be the problem.
Barry is more Better Call Saul than Breaking Bad
The premise is silly and absurd and if it was just played for the joke I don't think it would work. Bill Hader, fortunately brings sadness and vulnerability to the role. Like in the movie, The Skeleton Twins, he plays the emotion of "broken" extremely well. As extreme characters, like Henry Winkler as the acting coach, Stephen Root as the handler, and Anthony Carrigan as the high strung mobster swirl around him, he remains grounded and calm. Thanks to this, he anchors the crazy world and keeps it from spinning out of control (although it is still early in the season). As an anti-hero, Barry is much more like Jimmy McGill in Better Call Saul than he is Walter White in Breaking Bad. Instead of reveling in watching him rise up against the system even as he burns his whole life down, he is rather a character that we want to have a second chance. We want Barry to figure it out and overcome his flaws even though it is clear that there are traps that will continue to pull him down.
At the time in which Breaking Bad came out, Walter White portrayed America's anger and frustration that if you played by the rules and did your best that you would not get ahead. Walter White was built on the idea that nice guys finish last. Over time though, "nice guy anger" leads to a boatload of problems both in Breaking Bad and in real life. Walter White's pride and anger led him to believe that he was at his best when he had power, money, and made people afraid. He thought that was the moment when he had won against the system when it was actually the moment that he had destroyed everything he cared about in his life. Jimmy McGill in Better Call Saul and Barry are both just doing what they do best and unfortunately, due to personal failings, circumstance, or lack of guidance, neither can find a place in "upstanding" society for their skills. The logic that they use to justify their actions may be wrong but they are not after the same power and vindication that Walter White is. It's easier to root for Barry because he simply isn't as much of an asshole.
Some Final Thoughts
You still need to take care of yourself. I get it. If you allow yourself to become so exhausted that you can't participate anymore, then that's a problem as well. So take the breaks you need so you can soldier on. As long as you have a guide rope to lead you back to the fight, you're fine. I would suggest this show as one of the knots in your guide rope.
I also would like to mention this: D'Arcy Carden should be cast in everything. She is amazing. And finally, Bill Hader, if I ever have to hear that you are a horrible man of Hollywood, please have the good grace to come forward and admit it yourself.
A Very Fatal Murder & American Vandal: Reflections on America's True Crime Addiction
I recently sat down to watch American Vandal and then subsequently I listened to the podcast A Very Fatal Murder. Each serves as a welcome response to America's (and my) true crime addiction. American Vandal, about a high school's student's investigation of a graffiti incident, serves as a love note to the True Crime genre. A Very Fatal Murder, on the other hand, is a quick listen and is a satire that goes for laughs and punchlines and does a succinct job of making fun of us.
Serial & The True Crime Craze
In 2014, American television was moving on to on-demand style of viewing and leaving appointment television watchers behind like dinosaurs of the past. If you still loved sitting down in the evening to receive whatever the TV had to offer sandwiched between your seven o'clock news and eleven o'clock news then the chances were that you would enjoy a Law & Order spinoff, a CSI, or something with the same crime-of-the-week set up. They were predictable relics of a different era that in a way weren't that much different from the nightly news--easily digestible crime that's happening somewhere else and perhaps feels just scary enough to justify some your more problematic opinions. And then Serial came out and America, as a whole, fell in love with crime again.
Serial managed to sneak into the hearts of those who had left network television behind because it was packaged up as a podcast, radio's sexy younger cousin. It had the exact NPR tone that was needed along with the Ira Glass seal of approval. Meanwhile, the show also built a bridge to a wider demographic by using a classic common denominator, crime. And it not just ripped from the headlines crime, but true crime. We were hooked. America binge listened to Sarah Koenig's calming voice as she wondered about our prison system and race bias in America. People who never shared any pop culture similarities were suddenly chatting at the water cooler about whether they were "Team Adnan" or not. We then leaped from Serial to Making a Murderer to The Jinx, to S-Town. Then we realized that there might not be enough true crime.
Feeding the Addiction
The problem was that it couldn't just be any kind of true crime. Serial had exposed us to a nuanced kind of true crime and Making a Murderer had heightened that. We wanted something that was more than just run-of-the-mill gruesome. It wasn't enough to make us afraid of what monsters humans could be. We, at large, had begun to crave that NPR mix of humanity, storytelling, and a reflection on what that means about our society at this moment in time. And there just wasn't enough "perfect" true crime for that. We tried to write shows to touch on it with True Detective, American Crime Story, and The Night Of. They were "based on" true stories. Once you've had the heroin of a real story though, anything less leaves you feeling hollow.
A Very Fatal Murder, skewers this attitude perfectly. It has amazing one liners about how we view small-town America, the tragedies of others, and the police. It takes a stab at the content creators as well and questions their motives. This is hugely important in evaluating our love of this kind of content because it is one thing to be Team Peeta when you are watching a fictional story like Hunger Games and a very different thing to be Team Adnan, who is a real person living out the consequences of his conviction. When we take on their stories and when we consume them, we need to examine our role in their lives. Are we just rubberneckers, craning to see an accident that we are glad that we aren't a part of, or are we opening up a discussion with the goal of advocating for change in the justice system?
We Aren't Monsters - Mostly
I have pondered why we love a very certain type of true crime and I don't believe that it's because we are monsters. I have come to believe that one of the things that we crave in the "perfect" kind of true crime, is the ability to play a role. When we experienced the story of Serial and Making a Murderer, we were able to learn about something that we felt like we could affect. We didn't just consume the content, we sought out information as to whether we could seek more fitting justice. We wanted to right the things that we felt were unfair. American Vandal takes its time and the two main roles, the Documentarian and the accused are acted in a nuanced and insightful way. This series comes away with a distinct point of view and asks the important question of whether we, the creators of these shows and the viewers are necessarily the best group to deliver justice. It also reflects on how we affect the other real lives involved when we watch these shows. More than watch--what happens when we become obsessed with them?
I still love True Crime. I listen to three podcasts devoted to the topic and if someone told me that there was a new series to watch, I would block off the time for it. Fortunately, with American Vandal and A Very Fatal Murder, satire and parody have now stepped in to remind us of what effect our obsession has on the world around us. We, as a society, have always loved crime stories but when we begin to use real people's lives as entertainment we need to begin to step very carefully and examine our motives often. Hopefully comedy will continue to be there to keep us honest.
The End of the F***ing World and the Lesbian Police Spin-off We All Want
I stumbled onto The End of the F***ing World, a road trip/romance comedy, complete with a psychopath, while wading through my Netflix account. The series is based on a comic book turned graphic novel of the same name (minus the polite asterisks) by Charles Forsman. This show is deeply dark and has many great moments but let's start with one of the most wonderful. The relationship between the two lesbian detectives. They are the secret stars of this series and I want more.
Yes, the young actors do a great job, but those detectives...
The two leads are definitely also doing a wonderful job here. I don't want to undercut their work. James, played by Alex Lawther, believes he is a psychopath, and Alyssa, played by Jessica Barden is a scrappy and rebellious teen. Both of them have parental figures in their lives that range from ineffective to destructive. The plot unfolds as a funny and poignant, coming of age story that is destined to not end well and it is deeply dark, comical, and poignant. That is the perfect three in a series for me. I like my comedy based in deeply complicated worlds with a ton of heart and this series nails that. But those lesbian detectives stole my heart and I am now waiting on the edge of my seat to hear that they will be doing a spin off series. If no one is thinking of doing this then someone please get the show's producers on the phone because I have a wonderful proposition that the world will thank us for.
Darego & Noon, an action packed lesbian buddy cop show about a stern lady-killer and her awkward, idealistic partner. Will there ever be more between them than a couple department issued guns? Find out this fall. This is clearly a hit and dare I say, might just be the show that saves America? Please watch this Netflix Series and then write a letter to Netflix requesting this buddy cop series that we all need. You won't regret it.
British shows have more diverse female cops and it's wonderful
I am certain that this hasn't always been the case and I don't want to forget America's Cagney and Lacey, but in the current TV lineup, I find that British shows do a better job at depicting diverse women in detective/police roles. Off the top of my head, DS Miller in Broadchurch, Sergeant Cawood in Happy Valley, Detective Glaspie in Collateral, all exist in police enforcement without having to be sexy, heavily made-up, tight clothes wearing cops, or love interests. They are just different types of police women out policing. It's perfect and it's something that the world needs. The two cops in The End of the F***ing World, are DC Eunice Noon (Gemma Whelan), and DC Teri Darego, (Wunmi Mosaku) and they have regular body shapes, they are in their thirties, they have complex lives beyond work, and one is a person of color which adds to the levels of representation. The subtleties of their relationship are played out beautifully and concisely through the show with subtle moments and facial expressions that manage to cover paragraphs of dialog and backstory. This is one of the best and most nuanced lesbian relationships that I've seen on television in a while and I want more.
After watching this I looked into the graphic novel to find out if it also included the lesbian cop duo. Although there is a female cop, the characters were otherwise developed for the Channel 4, UK show. I find it interesting that one of the great elements of this show was an addition of homosexuality and a biracial relationship not present in the original. Hollywood on the other hand, almost always makes the opposite choice, stripping queer relationships and diversity from comics and novels for a whitewashed result as though America couldn't possibly handle it. This show proves out how much more depth diversity adds to a show and Hollywood would be greatly served if it begins to examine its lack of queerness in their comic-book based properties. I'm looking at you Wonder Woman and Black Panther.
Comic Books and Graphic Novels, can be a gateway to diversity
Comic books and graphic novels are an excellent source of content and have become wildly popular in current television and in the movies. This is why it is vital to consider what is adapted and edited out. The comic book world can be filled with white male gatekeepers who define the rules of a world that they consider theirs but comic books can also serve as a gateway to diversity. This is a medium that allows for a broad and diverse world where an author can tell their story without needing to win over production companies, and readers can see themselves in these stories, not just through words, but drawn depictions. I came late to the world of comics in part because when I was growing up, girls weren't steered towards comic books. It wasn't until I happened to work at a desk adjacent to a wise woman and excellent curator of culture that I finally picked up a graphic novel. She also was an insider at a local comic book shop, and it was through her that I got to see another side of that community as well--the good and the less good. She opened up my world to Maus, Y The Last Man, Persepolis, Ghost World, Watchman, The Walking Dead, and Alison Bechdel, whose graphic novels and comic, Dykes to Watch out For were a huge part of my "who am I" lesbian formative years.
The diversity that is possible in comics needs to make it to the screen every time. Comics can be a white male world as can Hollywood. Both have been long secure that people of color, women, and the queer community will continue to watch white men do things, whereas white men would never go to see anyone else do anything. That is learned behavior and it's time time to tear it down. If young boys went to the movies to see a black superwoman in an awesome movie where she fought evil and jumped over buildings and somehow could disguise herself just by putting on glasses then the only people who would lose their minds would be the men's rights groups and they are on the wrong side of history. And also crazy. Go figure out why you're so angry men's rights groups. That kind of rage is murder on the heart health. There are starting to be cracks in the walls and those cracks need to be widened. When I see characters added to a show aimed at teens like Derego & Noon (coming this fall), I can see a better future. Now it needs to radiate outward. Get on board Hollywood.
Good Girls: Ruby! Save Yourself! Get Out!
Ruby! Get out! Save yourself! Get away from these two crazy sisters! Your family is so sweet, and I think your husband will get better health insurance as a cop. Don't quote me on that but at least look into it. Also, your husband is going to be a cop so maybe a life of crime shouldn't be on your to do list. I know that things are stressful and that you got into this because your back was against a wall, but these sisters have terrible self-control issues. You don't need this Thelma and Louise crap in your life! Let them work out these family issues on their own time. You have real things to lose. Take some of the money to invest in your own dreams and put the rest in a high interest account to help your daughter. Then forget you EVER knew these sisters.
I am rooting so hard for this show but this is what I find myself yelling at the television each week. The three leads have great chemistry together and it is a joy to see Retta in this role after Parks and Rec. I also love the inclusion of Sadie's character, Annie's daughter. Sadie, played by Izzie Stannard, is exploring her gender identity and seemingly the one thing that Annie is doing right is being an open and loving parent as Sadie guides the process for how she needs that to happen. The addition of June Squibb in the mix as Boomer's sweet and overly frank grandmother, Marion, makes me hope even more that they will be able to pull off the plot of this show. Did you know that June Squibb is 88? She is basically who I want to be at that age. So, writers, get this crime plot together.
The motivation to get into crime in the first place is sound and believable and makes for insightful social commentary. Retta's character, Ruby, shows us that we should have socialized medicine and that the Pharmaceutical industry is evil. Mae Whitman's character, Annie, reminds us that we should raise the minimum wage and when a man and a woman accidentally get pregnant as teens it's a lot easier for the man to go on to have a successful career. Christina Hendricks' character Beth, teaches us that you should not let your husband take care of all of the financial stuff. Get into his accounts and see what's going on in there, ladies! The initial decision to rob the grocery store feels justified. The deck is stacked against them in such and unfair way that the only way to fight against it, is to take some extreme Robin Hood measures.
Their backstories are so compelling that I begin fully wanting them to be successful criminals. If Beth wants to be a crime boss, then go for it! Take back the power, ladies! Also, you need something to make you feel alive in the suburbs, right? Unfortunately, I can't let myself get carried away with the fun of their hi-jinks and newfound boldness, because I keep getting caught up with whether the writers want the characters to be desperate women driven to crime, or stupid and impulsive women looking for a thrill.
Then there are the criminals. Hot tip, criminals, if you want to use housewives as an innocent front to help you avoid notice from the police, stop showing up and drawing attention to yourselves! The suburbs aren't exactly chill with men with neck tattoos showing up to their birthday parties and roaming their supermarket parking lots so maybe keep a lower profile. One second the criminals are managing to mint some of the finest counterfeit money around and the next, they don't have a doctor on the take to stitch up their boys quietly while not ratting them out to the police? It's so frustrating and it makes me think that the women then are crazy to stick with this plan. It's one thing to come home and find a bleeding man in a makeshift hospital in your basement with a sketchy doctor (I would like to suggest the actress Suzanne Cryer from Silicon Valley, her deadpan comedy is severely underutilized). It's another thing to come home and find a bleeding man in your daughter's bed with no suggestion on how to make sure he doesn't die. I want to believe that Beth would call bullshit on that.
Then they begin a money laundering scheme while the FBI is on their trail. Don't worry, it's one that involves so much suspicious behavior caught on camera that it feels insane that it has worked for even one episode. Start a fake business! Have you seen Breaking Bad or Weeds? Do something like that. Then I can focus on the sheer fun that these actors bring to the screen. I DO want to see them trip up and barely skirt danger constantly but I DON'T want to worry that Ruby's marriage will fall apart and her daughter might die all because Annie bones a TV salesman.
It is a good sign that so far, the show does seem to do a good job of doling out punishment to jerks and these actors can carry a lot of insanity so I have hope but someone needs to decide exactly how absurdist this comedic world is. Right now it feels like the rules of the world have not been set and it would be a real shame to lose a chance at taking full advantage of this wonderfully assembled cast.
Top Five Podcasts You Should Listen To
I'm going to start this off with a great life hack if you live in a busy city. Are you ready? Put on headphones and pretend that everyone doesn't exist. There you go! The next time you're on a crowded subway, or find yourself surrounded by throngs of tourists, just toss those headphones on and the crowds will suddenly slip away. It might take some practice but I promise, it's a real game-changer.
After you've mastered the trick, you'll probably need some podcasts to listen to. There's always the obvious. If you haven't listened to This American Life or Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, then get out there right now and do it. For me, I find that those work best for a car ride that you know will be about an hour long. For This American Life, I recommend, #009 Julia Sweeney, #0061 Fiasco!, #104 Music Lessons, #241 20 Acts in 60 Minutes, #623 We Are the Future. For Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me just choose based on the guests you like. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and if you're like me, you'll have a strong opinion about Paula Poundstone. My opinion is: Get it together Paula! Learn more about the news!
Once you're done with those, or you just need a break, here are five podcasts that I love.
Pop Culture Happy Hour: This weekly discussion panel style show is well moderated and covers movies, television and events in a fair and thoughtful way. They do a good job at making sure to bring in relevant guests for specific genres and to ensure diverse opinions and cultural sensitivity. It's a fun and funny discussion and their What's Making Us Happy segment has led me to some great Pop Culture finds.
Crimetown: If you loved Serial, Making a Murderer, and The Jinx, then kick back and listen to this podcast about Buddy Cianci, Rhode Island, and organized crime. Ponder why it is that sometimes we accept criminal politicians as long as they seem to really care. The first season is great, and as a person from New Jersey, it was nice to listen to a story about ridiculous mafia-types living in another state.
Planet Money: Classic NPR. Interesting and well researched stories about economics. I don't have an innate interest in economics and this podcast always pulls me in and explains things in a clear and interesting way. I mention this one, in particular, because I find that I stop listening to it at times because I get overwhelmed by "the state of the world and who the president is" and things like that. Whenever I start listening again, I remember that it's a great podcast and I'll listen to a bunch at a time. So if you've drifted away from this one, come back! Economics can be interesting and understanding what is going on is a always a useful weapon against the idiots in charge.
Homecoming: I am really rooting for well written fictional podcasts. I loved Thrilling Adventure Hour for all of its silliness. Paget Brewster is a comedic delight and I have yet to find something that fills that void. Homecoming, is not a humor podcast, but it is well written and interesting. It takes some unexpected twists and I sped through it pretty quickly. Also, if you want to really hate David Schwimmer, then give this a listen.
They Walk Among Us: This is one of my favorite true crime podcasts. I have tried to listen to comedians talk about murder and or friends get drunk and talk about murder and it just hasn't scratched that itch. This podcast is one British man methodically describing the haunting details of murders through history. His voice is enjoyable to listen to and it is graphic while also at times taking a moment to reflect on humanity.
There you go! Start listening and start tuning other people out!