BookAuthorGenreRating
Together We Will GoJ. Michael Straczynskifiction/assisted suicide/illness1
Greenwich ParkKatherine Faulknerpsych thriller/drama2
The ArcTory Henwood Hoenrom/com sort of- more literary than a beach read, but less literary than literary fiction3
The ExilesChristina Baker Klineliterary fiction/strong female leads/perseverance4
One Night on the IslandJosie Silverrom com?5
A Deadly AffairAgatha Christieshort stories/cozy mystery6
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead Elle Cosimanocozy mystery/#2 in a series7
Madame de TreymesEdith Whartonclassic8
The Home Edit Life: The Complete Guide to Organizing Absolutely Everything at Work, at Home and on the GoClea ShearerNon fiction/organizing/home9
  1. This is a sad book and I will preface that it is not for everyone. However, it is quietly absorbing into why some people want to take their own life. Beautiful and haunting and human.
  2. I thought this was a pretty good book of its genre. It’s not quite a page turner, but it does get you quite invested in the main character, in a good way. While some of it is pat, there are a few very satisfying moments.
  3. There were some nice moments in this book. There was also some feminist posturing that made it a drag and veered off into depressing- not sure if this was intentional on author’s part. But if you want a basically light read with minimal heft, this is a solid choice.
  4. I liked the premise of this book but the reality was different. It’s a few different stories and multiple viewpoints, but I felt the characters and storylines were both incomplete. Literary fiction light.
  5. Rom com very light on rom or com. While I kinda sorta liked the characters, this book just drags on…felt like it was fifty pages too much…Too much telling, not enough showing…too contrived…
  6. There are some real gems in this collection. There are also some paste jewels as well. I’d never read any of these stories, and I’m 50% OK with having read them.
  7. I read the first in this series, and thought it was funny and clever and I liked the characters. This book however starts to border on the ridiculous, and the characters began to get on my nerves. Don’t know if I’ll read the third.
  8. I had never heard of this Wharton when it was suggested at book club. After reading I know why I’d never heard of it…it’s average to less than. This is a novella that does not stand the test of time, and I had trouble relating to the characters and the plot. Pass unless you are studying Wharton, in which case you’ve probably read it already.
  9. I love a good organizing book. This is not a good organizing book. It focused on celebrities’ with oodles of closet space. When you have a house full of closets, you have to be an idiot not to be able to organize properly. Show me how to organize a house with three kitchen cabinets. Don’t talk to me about houses that have shelves and cabinets to devote to the tea collection- show me how to do it in a when all you can spare is one tiny little section of a cabinet…
MovieGenreWhere SeenRating
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroomforeign language/drama lite/heartfelt/2022 Oscar nomineetheater1
Hand of Godforeign language/coming of age/drama/ 2022 Oscar nomineeNetflix2
Death on the Nilecozy mysterytheater3
Marry Merom comtheater4
The Mitchells vs The Machineanimated/childrens/2022 oscar nomineeNetflix5
Ascensionforeign language/documentary/2022 Oscar nomineetheater6
I am only including first run movies- not movies that I see in festivals with revivals
  1. Quiet, understated film set in Bhutan. A lovely example of trying to figure out what is and what isn’t important. Not for people looking for action or clear endings, but I thought it was very well done.
  2. Well done coming of age story set in Naples. Strong screenplay. Slightly veers off into melodramatic, but on the whole a solid movie.
  3. I love a cozy Agatha Christie murder mystery, so though this isn’t the greatest movie in the world, I enjoyed it. Yes, it is a bit slow paced and there are quite a few red herrings, it still made for a fun evening out for me. However, if you don’t like mysteries you can probably skip this one.
  4. Light and fluffy, anchored by charming Wilson and Lopez. It is exactly what you think it’s going to be. I love rom coms- sign me up.
  5. Very cute movie about the problems with tech and how it can take over our lives. Not really for kids under 6, but those kids over 6 will appreciate it and it’s great for starting a conversation with kids about the problems with too much tech
  6. In theory, this is a doc about the three faces of China- the factory worker, the influencer and the super rich. In reality, it’s a bunch of mini clips with very little dialogue or explanation. I felt like I learned very little about what the doc was trying to show. I do wonder though, if it was a directorial choice to do a film such as this, or if this is what the censors in China would allow.
I crossed off three this month (blue). I fear I may have to actually find books that fit the remaining categories, but as I did want to go out of my comfort zone…

33 thoughts on “My Month in Books and Movies: February 2022”

  1. I agree with your review of Clea Shearer’s book. I couldn’t decide if I was beyond her advice, or if she was beyond me. Would like to see Death on the Nile. It’ll be on TV somewhere soon enough. Happy Weekend!

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  4. I started the Exiles on e-book library loan and ended up sending it back early…really early. Don’t think I’m aware of any of the others, but they aren’t in my usual chosen genres either.

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      4. Honestly the only two versions of an Agatha Christie I didn’t like were the malkovich and a Tony Randall playing Poirot in the 60s. It was ridiculous. Otherwise I’m ok with most of the Christie’s

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  8. Always interested in what you have read and seen. In another post, you mention watching Reacher. My husband tends to enjoy action videos so this was great for him, but it had something for everyone. I was sorry to get to the end of the season.

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  10. Pingback: My Favorite Books – Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50
  11. Pingback: My Favorite Movies-2022 – Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50

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