BOOKS

06/07/25-06/26/25

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler

This is crazy and incredibly interesting. Wild how this stuff wasn't more well-known.



06/17/25-06/24/25

Selected Poems by Marina Tsvetaeva

My first taste of Russian poetry. Incredible stuff in here. Some of it didn't land for me, unfortunately (particularly the poems toward the end), but the stuff that I liked, I REALLYYY liked. Some of my favorites: "Where does this tenderness come from?", "from INSOMNIA", and "My ear attends to you"



06/05/25-06/07/25

All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

Watched the movie in high school and bought an old, used copy of the book about three years ago. I found a free audiobook version of this, so I decided to listen and read at the same time. One of the most compelling and enthralling stories ever. Sorta my dream job. Sometimes hard to keep track of all the names (especially when I was only listening) but I think I walked away with a pretty solid understanding of everything.



06/02/25-06/04/25

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr

I listened to this on audiobook while going on walks. This was super super interesting. It explores aspects about grocery stores/the chain of production that are not typically thought about when you're walking around a store lol. Some brutal stuff in here (Thai fishing slavery, the harvesting of shrimp, the injustices of long-haul trucking). Sorta a must-read, I think.



05/31/25-06/01/25

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Mainly listened to this on audiobook while walking. Very valuable, especially at the weird time in my life that I listened to it. I need to revisit it again soon.



05/27/25-05/30/25

The Wild Iris by Louise Glück

My first time reading Glück!! Some of the most personal poetry I have ever read, and it still remained very relatable! Extremely well done. My two favorite poems were "The White Lilies" and "Presque Isle"



FILM

June 21, 2025

In the Loop (2009)

This was so funny. Very obviously written by Jesse Armstrong. Yayyyy James Gandolfini and Peter Capaldi



June 18, 2025

The Phoenician Scheme (2025)

Unfortunately, I just thought this was okay. It was fun to watch a movie in theaters again, though :)



June 8, 2025

Schindler's List (1993)

Obviously really good. Was really ashamed that I couldn't stop thinking about how handsome Liam Neeson was throughout the whole thing... probably shouldn't admit that. Last few scenes were heart-wrenching (...not unlike most of the rest of the movie, but still...)



June 8, 2025

JFK (1991)

Got on a big political thriller kick after reading/watching All the President's Men, I guess. This was interesting and the editing was super cool.



June 7, 2025

All the President's Men (1976)

Watched this because I had just finished the book. Had already seen it in high school, but I appreciated it more this time around. I'm just a huge sucker for any movie where a group of journalists have to break a big story, so I loved this.



June 5, 2025

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Somehow had never seen this. I was itching for more Vietnam War stuff after finishing Full Metal Jacket, and this was the most obvious next step. I didn't love it as much as FMJ (yikes!! is that bad...) but it was still great. Use of The Doors was so goooodddddddddd. Now I need to read Heart of Darkness.



June 3, 2025

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

I really liked this. Just leaves a pit in your stomach. Really effective. Probably a 10/10... if not, a 9.5/10 :-)



June 3, 2025

Gone Girl (2014)

I had never seen this because I have been telling myself for years that I would watch it after I read the book. I will probably never read the book (especially after how much I disliked Gillian Flynn's first novel when I read it a few years ago). The movie was fun, but still had some of that Flynn dialogue that I hate. Still good!!



May 23, 2025

Nashville (1975)

This was really great. I immediately felt like I needed to rewatch it once the credits started rolling. Great performances all around. "I'm Easy" is such an incredible song (and the scene is wonderful, too). Anyways... I need to watch it again asap