5 from Fitch: April 2024
You know those friends you have who always offer great recommendations for books to read, movies to see and places to go? That’s us! Every month, our intrepid writers will share five recommendations based on their current favorite things. Have you read a riveting book lately? Seen a movie or show that deeply affected you? Eaten a new take on an old classic? Check out any interesting art installations? Please drop us a line in the comments!
Caroline Morris
🎥 Watching: “Bottoms,” directed by Emma Seligman
What is it?
A 2023 movie about two lesbian best friends Josie and PJ in their senior year of high school who start a fight club to hook up with cheerleaders.
Why I love it.
This movie is ridiculously funny. It’s a satire of both “Fight Club” and all early 2000s high school dramas, incredibly campy and genuinely hilarious in its own right beat by beat — all at the same time. Co-leads and rising stars Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott (real-life best friends and writing partners) crush every scene and improvise in many (watch for Josie’s monologue about marrying a gay pastor). With a strong cast including former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and British actor Nicholas Galitzine that understands the nuance of well-done comedy, this movie cracks me up and makes me wonder if I could ever write something this good.
Stephane Fitch
📚 Reading: “Whalefall,” by Daniel Kraus
What is it?
A novel by Daniel Kraus, the co-writer (with Guillermo del Toro) of “Trollhunters,” which became a fantasy TV series for Netflix.
Why I love it.
This novel made a lot of best books lists including The New York Times last year, so I gave it a spin — and was surprised and delighted. It’s science fiction of a sort, but with a tremendous heart. Think of Andy Weir’s “The Martian,” but with a sperm whale standing in for Mars. The protagonist fights like hell to escape the whale and also to make sense of his agonizing relationship with his late father.
Christine Gibson
🐦⬛ Doing: Befriending crows
What is it?
Ever since I read that crows will bring presents to people who are nice to them, I have been trying to get in good with the flock on my street.
Why I love it.
Last spring I started putting out cashews on the walkway whenever they were nearby, and by the end of summer they were swooping down right behind me.
The first warm day this spring, I was sitting on the porch when a crow landed on the roof a few feet away. He stared at me expectantly for a moment and then said, very politely, “caw,” at which point I took the hint and spread some peanuts on the maple stump. Later that afternoon he was seen trying to peck through the lid of the peanut can.
So far the relationship has been mostly one-sided, although I did find a dried hydrangea bloom folded in some tissues he had strewn around my porch.
Dorothy Pomerantz
📺 Watching: “The Leftovers,” streaming on Max
What is it?
Based on a book by Tom Perrotta, Damon Linelof’s follow up to “Lost” is about a world where 2% of the population has disappeared. Unlike “Lost,” it nails the ending.
Why I love it.
The show premiered in 2017 but I never watched because I thought it just looked too depressing. And while “The Leftovers” does squarely deal with grief and loss, it also examines faith and hope and the way we build and break down barriers between each other in such a beautiful way. It’s also just incredibly entertaining with a cult dedicated to smoking and scenes where our protagonist is sometimes a secret assassin.
Maggie Sieger
📚 Reading: Gigi Pandian’s ”Accidental Alchemist” series
What is it?
A series of whimsical and humorous mystery books
Why I love it.
Zoe Faust is an alchemist who is more than 300 years old. She’s a bit of a mess and has moved from France to Portland, Oregon, to start over. But odd things from her former life keep popping up. Like the gargoyle from Notre Dame cathedral that stowed away in her moving boxes. Accidentally brought to life by a French magician, the gargoyle, Dorian Robert-Houdin, is a master chef — and Watson to Zoe’s Holmes. Pandian has no graphic descriptions of violence or death, but the stories aren’t as vapid as many of today’s ”cozy” mysteries.