CONSUMED - May '22
Writing this month’s Consumed was interesting because usually I would scroll through my Instagram to remind myself of what I’ve been watching etc. but as I am off Instagram I just had to rely on what really stood out to me.
Okay, Bosch is back. Which is, in my opinion, one of the best procedural cop dramas, OF ALL TIME.
This season is Bosch: Legacy which is a Bosch spin-off series. It’s actually a good spin-off series because sometimes there can be elements of the series that they can’t let go of. This is building on the original and it’s bloody glorious. Excellent writing, characters (some familiar, some new), and storylines. Bosch is based on books by Michael Connelly. I don’t tend to read books after I have watched the show or movie. This is on Amazon Prime, which is now going by the name Freevee in the States. I get that it sounds like TV but I don’t get why they changed their name to something that rhymes with a dying media format? Is it a contract thing? Is the Amazon name in mud because of Dickhead Magee? Also known as Jeff Bezos. I’m very confused.
Another Michael Connelly creation is The Lincoln Lawyer which you may have seen all over Netflix. This was a series that had me gasping in shock, wanting to watch more and sad when it ended. The protagonist, Mickey Haller is returning to law after recovering from an Oxycontin addiction which began after a surfing accident. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays Haller and has a very sexy Mexican accent. Garcia-Rulfo was in Goliath, I mention this because its another show I highly recommend. I also don’t know if anyone loves IMDb as much as I do. I quite enjoying looking at an actor’s resume. Angus Sampson is also in it, and I love him. He was so good in Fargo (season 2) so I like to see that he is experiencing success in other things.
Strange Weather in Tokyo is a hazy read of a novel. I had never heard of Hiromi Kawakami before but after giving myself up to this story, I am now reading another of her books, The Nakano Thrift Shop. I love Tokyo. That sounds like such a bark of a statement, but I do. So, I got a real thrill from reading something set there. The books are translated by Allison Markin Powell. I recently watched a K-Drama called Run On which centres around a translator so I know feel like I had an appreciation I didn’t have prior.
I am fascinated by reading and the process of reading and Books Promiscuously Read by Heather Cass White was a thought-provoking text. White is a scholar and at times I did find the book a bit hard to read but overall, I really enjoyed the ideas. This book explores how reading shapes us and is linked to the self. It did inspire me to read Don Quixote, the novel’s novel, but I didn’t understand it, so I stopped.
This month I read one of the greatest things I ever read, Going Postal – A psychoanalytic reading of social media and the death drive. This article came to my attention via Hayley Nahman’s substack, and completely stretched my mind with its eye opening ideas. I love things that feel like they refresh and expand your brain, and this did that.
Emily Henry, who I think is massive on BookTok, released her latest novel Book Lovers. It’s so good. Henry is a great writer and whilst I enjoyed her previous two novels, this one was my favourite. It plays on the city person falling in love with a country person trope in a fun way. I like to be surprised by my media.
Finally, I feel it would be remiss of me to not mention Harry’s House, the third (and latest) album of Harry Styles (former One Direction member). I personally feel like this is an incredibly random album. A lot of people have a lot of theories which I think makes for an interesting discussion about whether you need to know all this extra stuff to enjoy it. Like if I feel the album doesn’t go, I don’t know if someone explaining to me where I am and at what point in the album, I actually enter Harry’s house (it’s the song Matilda apparently) makes any difference. Plus, where was I before this song if not in his house. I don’t understand. This brings up interesting ideas surrounding fandom and the amount of work that fans do to participate in a media piece. And whether knowing more, and being a ‘better’ fan, means you enjoy the album more.
This brings us to the end of this month’s Consumed. Some other quick things, I enjoyed the K-Drama Run On, but not enough to discuss it. It did inspire me to wear a striped top under a striped shirt though. Have You Been Paying Attention? is back which I think The Cheap Seats has really aged, and now I don’t find it as funny. The election was on, and I dipped in and out of the coverage on ABC on the day. But what a relief we have a new PM. My Year 12s are studying Wonder Woman and I cried in class when Steve says goodbye to Diana. My Year 10s watched 10 Things I Hate About You and I remembered why I loved it so much. It was interesting watching it in that context because it felt like a private thing from my youth and now I was sharing it. This is one of the best videos I have seen in a long time. I’ve watched it three times in two days. I did not get into Her Private Life (another K-Drama), or the latest Sally Rooney adaptation Conversations with Friends. Even though I thought I would. I won’t be watching the new season of Stranger Things and I don’t understand why everyone hates Jared Leto so much.
Would love to hear what you’ve been watching, reading, listening to, and playing this month.
Natasha