the sunday morning coffee table
first week of december (2024)
A while ago, I listened to a sunday scaries podcast episode where they described their ideal sunday coffee table — a place where they have everything they need to lie on the sofa and hibernate for a whole day, and every week since I’ve thought about mine.
A note to apologise that it took me more than a week to get this one out, I was in Copenhagen last Sunday so the coffee table looked a bit different!
I’ve been watching…
FILMS
Little Women (Gerwig, 2019)
Nobody does female coming-of-age like Greta Gerwig, and she truly found her best source material in Alcott’s Little Women. I watch this at least once a year and it always fills me with every cosy and uncomfortable feeling of growing up, female friendships and the beauty of sisterhood.
Our Little Secret (Herek, 2024)
You can’t approach this film without knowing how deeply Lifetime/Hallmark it is. Netflix has a strange space between genuinely gorgeous Christmas films (Klaus) and then… these. Is it probably better than Hot Frosty? Yes. Is it a masterpiece? No. But it’s low-stakes Lindsey Lohan Christmas fun and a little treat to those of us who grew up with an inappropriate crush on Ian Harding’s Ezra Fitz. In a less fun note, seeing Lohan in this did make me think a lot about plastic surgery and beauty trends, so in a recommendation within a recommendation - my friend Maria wrote a piece that I would highly recommend on this phenomenon.
TV
Silo (2023-2024)
Started the second series of Silo on Apple TV+ and it’s another impressive high-budget for a streamer that rarely bothers to promote its shows. Rebecca Ferguson is ultimately fantastic and the plot is still as intriguing as it should be for a speculative piece of fiction. I’m aiming to get to this book series in the new year so we’ll see how it compares!
Bad Sisters (2022-2024)
Again, lack of promotion had likely stopped me from starting this wonderfully funny dark TV show. A lot of drama these days claims to have the same vibes as Big Little Lies, but this is the only one I’ve found gets remotely close, combined with the relationships between the women in Yellowjackets. In short, made for me.
I’ve been reading…
BOOKS
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” might be a good descriptor for reading this! I loved my first full Dickens experience, but it took me quite a few more pages than usual to get into the rhythm and flow of the story. There’s obviously a million things to discuss when it comes to this book, its depictions of Revolution and characterisation, but ultimately I found myself gripped by the humanity of the final few pages.
ARTICLES
your fave is selling a pedophilic fantasy by Jade Hurley on her Jade Fax substack
The title of this essay is more rage-batey than the actual essay is. Jade’s research and analysis on the state of femininity and, by extension, feminism in the current age of internet fame and pop stardom is revealing. Woven through with the importance of race and class in this discussion, alongside relevant examples that never blame the women perpetuating the stereotype but looking directly at the system making them do it.
The Disappearance of Literary Men Should Worry Everyone by David J. Morris for The New York Times
Having written about this topic myself, I’m always inclined to listen to what others believe to be the issue and cause of the lack of male reading and writing fiction. This is a short read, but it punches the right points through.
![Sabrina Carpenter photographed by Zoë Ghertner for W Magazine [September 2024] : r/popculturechat](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!avS2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F921a1d87-8002-477a-9b3e-c5111185bd6d_1280x1280.jpeg "Sabrina Carpenter photographed by Zoë Ghertner for W Magazine [September 2024] : r/popculturechat")
Patterns in Repeat by Laura Marling
I’ve loved Laura Marling’s substack since she started it and her free posts, The Tarot of Songwriting, are a fascinating look into her psyche as one of the most acclaimed songwriters in the UK. The process through which she creates worlds, patters and art through her psychoanalysis studies and her long-standing poetry is such a treat to read.
I’ve been listening to…
PODCASTS
The Good Whale by Serial Productions and the New York Times
This podcast is a triumph of a production. It was recommended to me by a friend and I’m so glad I listened. Not only is it well researched and contains genuinely interesting insights into the story of Keiko, one of the world’s most famous whales, but it’s the storytelling that really makes it. I yapped about this podcast to my partner consistently as I listened to it and that tells you everything you need to know.
The History of Bad Ideas in the Past Present Future podcast
This is a new-ish series on this podcast and the analysis, if you’re interested in the topic, is fascinating. From Nobel Prizes to the Silent Majority, host David Runciman talks to relevant people to debate, discuss and point out why some of our most deeply ingrained societal ideas are… well, bad.
I’ve been eying…
All-in-one scarves
Not really eying given I’ve got one, but my friend has released a gorgeous hand-knitted scarf that can be used in a myriad of ways and I genuinely can’t take mine off.
