5 from Fitch: January 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!
Becky Oliver DiGenova
🎙️Listening to: “The Dale Jr. Download”
What is it?
An eponymous podcast from retired NASCAR driver (and abandoned-racetrack preservationist) Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co-host Mike Davis, who is Junior’s longtime PR guy and founder of Dirty Mo Media.
Why I love it.
Earnhardt and Davis are dynamite together, digging into the history, business, technology, relationships and jacked-up personalities behind not just NASCAR, but IndyCar, Formula 1, dirt track racing, motocross and pretty much anything on wheels. Junior peppers in just enough behind-the-scenes stories of “Dad” while proving you don’t have to be The Intimidator to own your craft.
Christine Gibson
🎬 Watching: “Heavenly Creatures” (1994)
What is it?
For my money, this is Peter Jackson’s masterpiece (or it was until he rescued 2021 with Get Back).
Why I love it.
Two outcast teenagers — played by Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet in their debut roles — bond over their shared talent for imagination. Jackson’s venture into their elaborate fantasy world captures the vivid fervor of adolescence even as the girls’ increasingly intense friendship takes a tragic turn.
Caroline Morris
🎵 Listening to: “Unreal Unearth” (2023) by Hozier
What is it?
Hozier’s third and newest studio album.
Why I love it.
It is a masterpiece on every level, especially lyrically. One of the album’s primary inspirations was Dante’s “Inferno.” While Hozier’s album walks us through the nine circles of hell, he does not put himself in an analog box, using the themes of each circle as an undercurrent to the unique stories he tells through beautiful lyricism. He also pulls in his Irish heritage, from the language to the literature to its brutal history. Hozier also has a remarkable ability to move between genre and tone, from intense rock and gospel-inspired tracks to heartbreaking ballads to a few rollicking numbers. All of this is supported by his incredible vocals, which should have a place in Dante’s “Paradiso” themselves. I highly recommend everyone listen to “Unreal Unearth” (then listen again!).
Stephane Fitch
📚 Reading: “The Daily Stoic”
What is it?
A book (and related Instagram feed) of stories, essays and ideas rooted in the teachings of the Stoic philosophers, who lived in the second and third centuries BCE.
Why I love it.
The modern world demands that we react decisively to digital stimuli at hair-trigger speeds — to “shoot first, ask questions later.” So I’ve been greatly moved by the teachings of the Stoic philosophers and their many adherents. The Stoics were deep-thinking Romans who founded their school around 300 BCE, and they argued that solving many of the problems of life required tremendous restraint, forgiveness, generosity and creativity. As this book makes clear, Stoicism has influenced many people through the centuries, from the Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero to naturalist and essayist Henry David Thoreau to actor Matthew McConaughey. Thank you, Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman, for assembling this collection of 366 “meditations on wisdom, perseverance and the art of living.”
Kristin Kloberdanz
📺 Watching: “Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God”
What is it?
An HBO three-part documentary series that explores the cult of Amy Carlson, a woman who proclaimed herself to be Mother God and whose followers stuck with her until the bitter end.
Why I love it.
The show is a jaw-dropping look at how anyone with a touch of charisma and a knack for stringing together a word salad of New Age lingo can become a godlike figure. I am fascinated by cult leaders, and Carlson’s wild drunken hold over her followers proves that this glorious ascension isn’t just for toady, dead-eyed middle-aged men. A festive shot of colloidal silver, anyone?