Hello blog, I’ve missed you!
Just popping in to write is about all the books, movies, TV shows, and theater I saw this past year. For recaps of my media and literary diet in years past, here are the links for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
BOOKS
I read 30 books this year, which is 10 more than last year! A big reason why I read more is that I finally downloaded an app to borrow e-books and audio books from the library (Libby is my favorite app, though I have Overdrive and Hoopla as well). I’ve been able to borrow even the most popular titles for free from the library — it’s just a matter of waiting several weeks before they become available. Since I have holds on a dozen or so books at any given time, there is always something available that I am excited to read. 2019 was also the first time I’ve been serious about audio books — it’s now my preferred way to devour memoirs (which is why there are so many of those on this list). I drove across country this past June and was behind the wheel for approximately 42 hours… and I spent 19 of those hours listening to Michelle Obama read her memoir Becoming. I feel like she was in the passenger seat beside me on that drive, just casually telling me her life story.
Below is a list of all the books I read this year, in the order I read them (note that most of these books were actually released prior to 2019). Here’s a quick shout-out to my favorites:
- Educated by Tara Westover
- To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Okay, on with the list!
 | Commonwealth (Ann Patchett) - 2.5 stars Slightly disappointed by this saga of a blended family that toggles back and forth between past and present over many decades. It lacked the spark I was hoping for. I’ve read maybe five of Ann Patchett’s books over the years and vastly prefer her non-fiction (as evidenced further down this list).
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 | The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America (Dan Kois and Isaac Butler) - 4.5 stars A definitive chronology of one of the best plays in American theater. The authors interview key players about the incubation of this play dating back to 1991, as well as those involved in various productions around the country and beyond. I savored all of the glorious details in this book. Plus there’s context from a multitude of voices to more deeply understand the history of AIDS in America.
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 | Educated (Tara Westover) - 5 stars Really powerful first-person story of Westover’s unimaginable early years growing up on an isolated mountain in Utah with her many brothers and sisters. Instead of going to school, she worked in her dad’s junk yard hauling scrap metal and sustaining terrifying injuries for which she received no medical attention outside of her mother’s homemade remedies. The fact that she was ultimately able to pry herself away from the abuse to earn a masters at Trinity College and tell her own story is nothing short of miraculous.
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 | Stories I’d Tell in Bars (Jen Lancaster) - 4 stars I’d been meaning to read Jen Lancaster’s books for years. In this series of essays, she comes off as very funny and relatable. It’s the perfect vacation read— you won’t have to think too hard and will be laughing out loud at Jen’s unfiltered voice.
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 | You Think It I’ll Say It (Curtis Sittenfeld) - 4 stars Thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories by the author of Prep, a book I read and loved years ago. Each of these stories is razor sharp and also sexy. There are some great twists. Highly recommend.
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 | To Shake the Sleeping Self (Jedidiah Jenkins) - 5 stars I’ve followed Jedidiah on Instagram for years and have always appreciated his insight into human nature. This is his first book – a travel memoir – and I literally felt like he wrote it for me. That’s how much it resonated. He chronicles his somewhat spontaneous decision to ride a bicycle down the west coast of America and continue through Mexico, Central America, and ALL of South America to the southern tip of the continent. Reading his travel observations and interactions along the way makes me yearn to take an extended trip around the world again.
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 | Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari) - 5 stars Hands down the best book I read all year. My copy has highlights on nearly every page and the book currently sits on my nightstand so I can thumb through it on a semi-regular basis. It’s a history of our species with historical context to better understand how we developed into who we are today – like a textbook, but WAY more engaging to read. This book will blow your mind. Yuval Noah Harari is a systems thinker who can zoom out to the big picture and make sense of history in a remarkably facile way.
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 | Becoming (Michelle Obama) - 5 stars I bow down to the remarkable human being that is Michelle Obama. She is the hero we all need and don't deserve. I don't know that I’ve ever read a memoir that was so personal, moving, smart, genuine, and engaging. As mentioned further above, I listened to the audio book of Becoming. Now whenever I read a quote or interview of Michelle’s, I can hear her voice in my head because it’s so cemented from listening to this book on tape for 19 hours. I will forever be in awe of Michelle Obama after reading this book.
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 | Daisy Jones and the Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid) - 4 stars I love the format of this docu-novel about the fictitious character of Daisy Jones, a wild child singer who bursts onto the LA music scene and joins forces with an existing band to form Daisy Jones and the Six. The book is a series of retrospective interviews with band members in the present day, cutting from different POVs to reveal what really happened when they rose to fame in the 1970s. This book is such a natural fit to be turned into a movie, and that’s exactly what Reese Witherspoon’s company was thinking when they snatched it up for an upcoming Amazon miniseries. Side note: I used to be roommates with the author when we first moved out to LA many years ago! It’s so incredibly cool to see her receiving well-deserved attention for her work. If you haven’t checked out The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I read it last year and loved it. Highly recommend.
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 | This is the Story of a Happy Marriage (Ann Patchett) - 4 stars Ah, now this is the Ann Patchett writing I love! In this compilation of essays and articles written over the years, Ann covers a variety of topics with insight, wisdom, and grace. She writes about her marriage, her dog (that one made my heart smile), the time she tried to join the police force to write a story, and the time she stayed at the Hotel Bel-Air for a week. Loved it.
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 | City of Girls (Elizabeth Gilbert) - 3.5 stars Elizabeth Gilbert is one of my favorite authors (if you’re not already following her on social media, you totally should – she’s brilliant and gives away gems for free all the time). And this book should’ve been a slam dunk for me: it takes place behind the scenes at a theater near Times Square in the 1940s, where the main character Vivian moves in with her aunt (who runs the theater) and all the misfits who work there. And to a degree I was into it. But it didn’t quite gel as much as I’d hoped.
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 | On Being Human (Jennifer Pastiloff) - 3.5 stars I’d never heard of the author before, but she’s part of the same ilk of female authors I follow on social media (Liz Gilbert, Glennon Doyle, Cheryl Strayed) so I knew upon seeing this book that the content would be up my alley. It was. Jen details her personal awakening as she transitioned from being a long-time waitress struggling with depression and anxiety to a yoga teacher who now leads retreats all over the globe to empower women.
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 | Something in the Water (Catherine Steadman) - 4 stars I loved this thriller so much. I’d never much cared for Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train because of how they depicted the lead female characters (psychotic and unreliable, respectively). But I dig that the lead female in this book is more of a take-charge person who wants to get to the bottom of the downed plane she and her husband discover while scuba diving on their honeymoon. I devoured this book in three days.
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 | My Squirrel Days (Ellie Kemper) - 2 stars I like Ellie Kemper but was less enthused with her memoir / humor. I listened to the audio book to hear it in her own voice. She recounts stories from her childhood that to me weren’t very engaging; I found my mind frequently drifting to other things and I’d lose the thread of the story she was telling. It got much more interesting after college when she began auditioning and landed The Office, and then later moved to New York City and was on Kimmy Schmidt.
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 | Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (But Also My Mother’s, Which I Know Sounds Weird) (Michael Ian Black) - 4.5 stars Now THIS was a compelling memoir by a comedian. Michael Ian Black’s mother receives a serious medical diagnosis, which prompts Michael to write about his life and family dynamics over the years. His observations are painfully real and painfully funny. I listened to the audio book on this one and was glad to hear Michael’s story in his own voice.
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 | My Sister the Serial Killer (Oyinkan Braithwaite) - 4 stars Ah, why does the older sister always have to pick up the slack?! (Just kidding, Bethany.) Korede is tired of cleaning up the mess every time her little sister calls her to report that she’s accidentally murdered her boyfriend, something that’s happened three times now. Each time the sisters have gotten away with it, but how much longer can their luck hold out? This story, set in Nigeria, is a delicious campy thriller.
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 | One True Loves (Taylor Jenkins Reid) - 4 stars Another TJR novel! This one came out several years ago but I just read it this year. It is so soapy, and I mean that in the best way possible. Hallmark should turn this into a movie, stat. A woman named Emma runs a bookstore in rural Massachusetts when her presumed dead husband is found alive years after his plane went down. But by this time she has moved on from their former life in LA to run her parents’ bookstore, and has fallen in love with someone from her past. Now she has to pick between her former husband and her new fiancé. Honestly, upon reading the synopsis this isn’t something I’d normally gravitate to, but I loved this book. I found myself rooting for all three people in this love triangle, swapping my allegiance back and forth between the two guys. Then when Emma finally makes her choice, it feels both surprising and exactly as it should have unfolded. A very satisfying read.
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 | You Have the Right to Remain Fat (Virgie Tovar) - 4.5 stars I was so glad to read this book! Are you tired of being constantly told by the world around you that you should lose weight? That you are not good enough as is? Virgie Tovar takes a scholarly look at the roots of this inferiority, masculine approval / feminine submission, how race plays into body image dynamics, and how we can resist by becoming comfortable with our bodies as they are via radical acceptance.
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 | The Farm (Joanne Ramos) - 4.5 stars Check out this description: a charming farm in rural New England is the setting for a high-end surrogacy service that recruits mostly low-income non-white women to carry babies for the rich and powerful. We see this story from all sides: the wealthy woman who runs the program, many of the women who are recruited for the program, and people looking to use their services. There are some great plot twists. It’s a fascinating look at class and poverty in America while also being an entertaining fiction read.
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 | State of the Union: A Marriage in Ten Parts (Nick Hornby) - 3.5 stars An estranged couple meets in a bar before their weekly marriage counseling sessions. Each of these ten chapters takes place during their bar meet-ups, and each week we learn more about these two individuals. I didn’t really enjoy this book but at least it was a quick read.
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 | The Great Believers (Rebecca Makkai) - 5 stars One of my favorite books from last year. It’s set in the gay community of 1980s Chicago as AIDS increasingly affects the men there. Then we jump to present-day Paris. Eventually the thread that connects these two worlds is revealed, as we jump back and forth in time tracking the group in Chicago, which shrinks as more of the men are diagnosed as HIV positive. The author writes about how she wanted to explore the AIDS crisis from Chicago, since that topic has been covered more heavily in New York and San Francisco but not in her city. Highly recommend this read.
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 | Three Women (Lisa Taddeo) - 4 stars One of the more fascinating books of 2019. Over several years, the author followed three real-life women who agreed to be profiled (two anonymously) as they shared intimate details of their love lives with the author. Each woman is from a different geographic area with varying backgrounds, yet the common threads between them – representative of being female in America at this point in time – stand out. The book is written as if it’s fiction, so it flows like a story rather than a more journalistic piece with quotes, etc. A decent read.
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 | Letters from Max (Sarah Ruhl & Max Ritvo) - 4.5 stars A heartbreaking epistolary book in which playwright / professor Sarah Ruhl exchanged ongoing letters over many years with her former student at Yale, a poet named Max who is dying of an incurable disease. Max and Sarah have a special bond that defies description – they are almost of the same mind. As they bounce ideas back and forth via email, they dive into all manners of topics: philosophy, religion, love, what it means to be alive and to suffer. I savored each page of this book.
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 | Dear Girls (Ali Wong) - 4.5 stars As if I couldn’t love Ali Wong more after watching her two stand-up specials (please see both of them and thank me later), she had to go and write a gorgeous memoir as told via letters to her daughters – hence the title, as every chapter begins with “Dear Girls.” This has the effect of making us – the readers – flies on the wall as Ali tells intimate stories of her youth up to the present, talking directly to her daughters and at times outright threatening them (something along the lines of: “if you become a comedian, I will kill you!”). I love the structure of this book, and the way Ali balances the bittersweet truths of her life’s story with hilarious humor.
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 | The Most Fun We Ever Had (Claire Lombardo) - 4.5 stars This book reminds me of Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (the first book on this list) because it’s similarly about a family saga that unfolds over several decades, jumping back and forth in time – but I loved this one so much more. The marriage between a Chicago couple is the bedrock of the book, as we follow the lives of their four daughters and eventual grandchildren. Memorable characters, really solid prose, and well-drawn observations about life made this an A+ read.
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 | Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Will Arbery) - 4.5 stars Hands down my favorite play of 2019. While walking out of Playwrights Horizons after seeing this world premiere, I bought a copy, and then proceeded to examine every page of Will Arbery’s genius writing. This play is set around a campfire in someone’s backyard in Wyoming, as four former students who are now a decade out of college reunite to see their old professor be sworn in as the new president. Now it’s late at night and they are all a little drunk, and truths start coming out. At one point their old professor stops by (she is the play’s fifth and final character). The reason this play is so expertly drawn is because these people are all conservatives. Like, super conservative. And we (probably liberal theater-goers) are exposed to really fascinating perspectives. The playwright grew up in this world (his parents teach at a similar college in Wyoming) and this play is a Trojan Horse of sorts – you can’t help but feel for these characters, and even love them, even as they talk about ideas that might go very much against your own beliefs. They are fully formed, complex humans of a high intelligence and we are lucky to be privy to these conversations. I’d shortlist this play for the Pulitzer in a heartbeat.
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 | The Plant Paradox (Dr. Steven R. Gundry) - 4 stars Wow, there is a LOT to digest here (pun intended) as the author details how our bodies break down food on a cellular level, and how there are foods we have been taught are good for us (tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant – nightshades; these are botanically considered fruit) but that are actually terrible for our digestive systems because they contain lectins. Lectins are the plant’s defense mechanism to propagate its seeds, and they cause problems for anyone who eats them. Beyond this, Dr. Gundry talks about the benefits of intermittent fasting (to give the mitochondria in our cells a break from doing all the heavy lifting of digestion). And more. It’s fascinating on a scientific level and this knowledge goes a long way in what I put into my shopping cart (or my stomach) these days.
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 | Over the Top (Jonathan Van Ness) - 4.5 stars This ferosh memoir by my favorite Queer Eye host was SO MUCH FUN to listen to on audio book! First of all, every pseudonym in this book comes from the Romanov family because Jonathan is obsessed with them. This adds an undeniable level of drama to even the simplest stories from his childhood (“And then Sergei pushed me into the sandbox at recess! And Anastacia laughed!”) On a more serious note, Jonathan reveals very personal details as his life spiraled out of control with drug use and promiscuous sex before hitting rock bottom and learning to love himself. He is HIV positive now, which is remarkably manageable in this day and age. He is so vulnerable in this book and it’s a must-read for anyone who loves Queer Eye and Jonathan.
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 | Sounds Like Me (Sara Bareilles) - 4 stars Man, I was really into memoirs this year! I breezed through this audio book in a week just by listening to it during my commute. I really like Sara’s music (and her Broadway show Wairess), and was briefly around her while working on Jesus Christ Superstar Live two years ago. I really like following her on Instgram because of how real and unfiltered she is. Her memoir was similarly open and honest – each chapter starts with one of her songs (which she actually sings acapella if you listen to the audio book) and serves as a jumping off point for various stories from her past. I especially liked the chapter about her time studying abroad in Italy, and how she leaned into music during her darkest hours. It’s a solid listen.
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 | Born a Crime (Trevor Noah) - 4.5 stars I’m sort of cheating because I was only halfway through this book on December 31st, and still have about a hundred pages to go as of today. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. First of all, I don’t watch the Daily Show aside from viral clips that pop up on social media, so that’s the only way I know Trevor Noah. But his origin story is fascinating. He was born from a black mother and white father, which was literally a crime in South Africa in 1984 under Apartheid. Growing up, he didn’t fit in with the black kids or the white kids, and learned to code switch by necessity (which was possible because he knows many languages – did you know South Africa has 11 national languages?!). His outsider status followed him throughout his youth, and a lot of his skill set and perspective comes from how he moved through the world. His mother is fascinating. Trevor is fascinating. He’s also uber intelligent, which I’m sure comes to no surprise to anyone who sees him on the Daily Show. He breaks down the complicated politics of Apartheid throughout the book in more easily understood metaphors. I’m now a huge fan of Trevor’s.
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For all the categories listed below, my favorites are denoted by asterisks.
TV SHOWS
Schitts Creek (S1, S2, S3)
Will & Grace (latest reboot season)
Russian Doll (S1) *****
Queer Eye (S3 & S4 & Japan season)
Teachers (S3)
Fleabag (S1 & S2) *****
Catastrophe (S3 & S4)
Younger (S6)
Good Trouble (S1) *****
Stranger Things (S3) *****
The Politician (S1)
90210 (reboot season) *****
Veronica Mars (reboot season)
Parks & Rec (S2, S3, S4, S5) *****
TV highlight of the year for me: I finally started watching Parks & Rec, and LOVE IT!!
+ Live from Lincoln Center specials:
Cynthia Erivo
Annaleigh Ashford
Megan Hilty
Kinky Boots
Much Ado About Nothing *****
New York Philharmonic special celebrating Sondheim
+ Netflix comedy specials:
Amy Schumer’s Growing
Seth Meyers’ Lobby Baby
Aziz Ansari’s Right Now
MOVIES
Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened
Fyre Fraud
The Favourite
Wine Country
Always Be My Maybe
Toy Story
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Murder Mystery
Yesterday
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Jaws
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
A League of Their Own
Avatar
Downton Abbey
Midnight Traveler
Jojo Rabbit *****
Apollo 11
Late Night
Booksmart *****
Parasite *****
Little Women
Hustlers
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
The Farewell
West Side Story
THEATER
I saw 78 theatrical events in 2019, which is down from previous years as I spent most of 2019 in Los Angeles. I still see lots of theater out here, and seek out shows as far away as South Coast Rep and La Jolla Playhouse to make up for some of what I’m missing in NYC. This is what I say every year, and it holds true: theater is a big priority for me and I’m on a lifelong quest to study the depths and expanse of this art form. Attending a variety of shows is an investment in my on-going education. Below is a list of all the plays and musicals I saw in 2019.
Theater in New York City (9 on Broadway, 15 off-Broadway):
Choir Boy *****
The Prom *****
The Cake
If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka
Merrily We Roll Along
“Daddy”
Hillary and Clinton
Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie
Kiss Me Kate
The Pain of My Belligerence
Network *****
Continuity
Tootsie
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Happy Talk
Be More Chill *****
A Strange Loop *****
Hadestown *****
Public Servant
Octet *****
Underground Railroad Game
Something Clean *****
The Wrong Man
Heroes of the Fourth Turning *****
Theater outside of NYC (49 shows, plus 2 concerts & 3 NT Live events):
Sisters Three (Inkwell / VS. Theatre)
Linda Vista (Taper)
An Inspector Calls (The Wallis) *****
1776 (La Mirada)
Ragtime (Pasadena Playhouse) *****
America Adjacent (Skylight Theatre)
Shipwreck (London) *****
Company (London) *****
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (London)
Twilight Zone (London)
All About Eve (London)
Alys, Always (London)
The Modern Prometheus (Chester)
Girl on the Train (Liverpool)
Barber Shop Chronicles (Manchester) *****
The Country Girls (Dublin)
Free EU Roaming (Dublin)
Furniture (Dublin) *****
Cadillac Crew (Yale Rep)
Yell (Yale)
Flamingo Kid (Hartford Stage)
Hi My Name is Ben (Goodspeed @ Norma Terris)
Happy Days (Taper)
Hoboken (Hollywood Fringe)
Good Boys (Pasadena Playhouse)
The Luckiest (La Jolla) *****
Into the Woods (Hollywood Bowl) *****
Last Five Years (After Hours Theatre Co.) *****
Witch (Geffen)
Self-Injurious Behavior (Theatre 68)
Latin History for Morons (Ahmanson)
A Play is a Poem (Taper)
The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Deaf West)
Kiss My Aztek (La Jolla) *****
Miss Lilly Gets Boned (Rogue Machine)
Little Shop of Horrors (Pasadena Playhouse)
A Kid Like Jake (IAMA)
Light in the Piazza (LA Opera)
The Canadians (South Coast Rep)
Aubergine (South Coast Rep)
Fruition (Theatre of Note)
#Hash(tag) America (Catalina Bar & Grill)
The New One (Ahmanson)
The Great Leap (Pasadena Playhouse)
Jitney (Taper)
The Thanksgiving Play (Geffen)
Love Actually Live (Wallis)
Cambodian Rock Band (La Jolla) *****
Swan Lake (Ahmanson)
+ NT Live events:
Lehman Trilogy *****
Fleabag *****
Les Miz in concert from London
+ these concerts:
The Man, the Myth, the Legend: Hugh Jackman tour (Hollywood Bowl)
Birdtalker and Drew Holcomb (The Troubador)
Thanks for following along! What were the best books / movies / TV shows / theater YOU saw this past year?
NOTE: I used Amazon Affiliate links for the book titles; should you purchase one, I’d receive a tiny commission.
