Vicki's Picks!
Recommendations for books, tv, the internet & other bits
I have to be honest, perhaps the only thing I miss about editing magazines is sharing all of the things I’m mad about any given month. It was lovely having a platform to share and promote great stuff, particularly in the lifestyle and entertainment space. But then I thought, duh, you can do that with your Substack! So here are my curated picks of what’s so hot right now.
Books I’ve loved
Obviously, I’m in a very book-y headspace at the moment. While I was writing the first couple of drafts of the novel, I was avoiding commercial fiction in case I accidentally copied anyone. And before that, during the pandemic, I was rereading fiction I knew I already loved (apparently key Anxious Hun behaviour) or reaching only for the fluffier, easier stuff. Nothing wrong with any of that, of course. But over the summer I’ve been mainlining new fiction and it’s been ab fab. Some of my faves…
*You With A View falls in to the category of “okay book, lovely sex scenes”, just in case you’re one of those new people on the internet who’s allergic to a birra riding in print.
*Yellowface gets pretty scary, but in a great way. It terrified me about releasing my debut, so that was brilliant!!!
*Forever Home and Dirty Laundry are both set in Cork and have crime/mystery vibes without being creepy for bedtime (am a wimp).
*Summer Stage, The Five Star Weekend, Bad Summer People and Same Time Next Summer are all set in beachy seaside towns in the eastern US, think The Hamptons and Nantucket. They will all make you want to own a vacation home in one of these locations.
*Romantic Comedy is very obviously set at a pseudo SNL and it’s a bit *detailed* about all of that, but it’s very readable nonetheless.
TV I’m devouring
With Joe…
We’re pretty much solidly watching Bones, because we never watched it when it was on TV. I’m pretty happy because it’s very good and David Boreanaz is a ride. I have been dreaming about human remains quite a lot, though. Before that, we were watching the Greys Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice. Very good!
The other shows we watch together are all on HGTV on Discovery+. Hey, I never said we were cool.
Next up: The Bear season 2, Only Murders In The Building Season 3
Alone…
I’m still enduring And Just Like That… weekly, finding moments of magic in a very WHAT THE F*CK show. So many questionable decisions by everyone involved, so little energy to parse them all.
Otherwise it’s a Housewives smorgasbord. I’ve finally, FINALLY gotten in to Real Housewives of Orange County because I started on season 10 where lots of stuff is happening. I’m bingeing that while watching the latest season week to week, which is like a strange time warp.
I’m also BET IN to the new RHONY after being sceptical about it at first. It’s so modern, fresh and chic af. Brynn gives early Sonja, and I am more than a bit obsessed with Erin.
Films I’ve enjoyed
Movies I’ve rediscovered…
I haven’t been very well lately, so I’ve been rewatching old romcoms to feel alive. I can say with some confidence that Uptown Girls is trash - I don’t know why I thought I’d like it with the precocious little granny Dakota Fanning rotting throughout - but I loved Sliding Doors even more this time (so clever!) and Miss Congeniality is still a stone cold classic.
Next up: Drop Dead Gorgeous, LA Story and then a slew of Autumn in New York movies to get me excited for our trip in October. Woooo!
New movies that were good!
I LOVED Air, the Michael Jordan x Nike origin story (Amazon Prime). Ben Affleck is such an underrated director.
Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret was…. good. I loved the production design and Rachel McAdams was great as the mother but (I’m noticing a theme here) the kids annoyed me a bit. Having loved the book since I was ten years old, I pictured Margaret a bit less… frowny. It was cute though.
The Fabelmans was a decent watch but far from Spielberg’s best. Paul Dano was VG, and hey, I liked the kids in this one! Brave of him to essentially make a film about his parents’ weird throuple though.
Miscellaneous Recommendations
*If you’re not following
on Instagram, you’re not living bbz. Other favourite follows include DeuxMoi, NotSkinnyButNotFat and*I bought Joe a modern SNES a few years back, basically it’s a mini version of the old console preloaded with classic games but it’s nice and compact. We’ve started playing Donkey Kong, both separately and together, and it’s so hard! Loads of craic, though.
*My friend Lucy has started selling her amazing art here. How divine is my commission???? It’s inspired by one of the characters in my novel…
*If you’re on the North Side, check out the new Arboretum upstairs in Chapters on Parnell St. It’s a boujis lady lifestyle shop that sells plants, coffee, cake, cards, gifts etc. Combined with the bookshop downstairs, it’s absolute paradise.
*Speaking of homewares - I haven’t bought any clothes since the end of June, but I have bought almost everything Anthropologie and Oliver Bonas sell for the gaff. Zero customs on either, fyi….
*Lots of real life faves are milling away on Substack -
is writing about beauty, is all about fashion and I’m LOVING learning more about Laura’s big move to Oz .
Thanks for the shout-out! X