Jenn D’s October Recs

Hello again! It’s that time again - October recommendations! Calloo, callay! It’s spring here in the Antipodes but if I squint real hard I can pretend those camellia petals are autumn leaves. By November I’ll be sweating every day but right now I can still pretend.

Reading:

I rekindled my Wheel of Time reread, and have made it through the fourth, fifth, and sixth book, and am now well into the seventh. It helps having them on my e-reader, because it’s portable. Even the newer paperbacks are doorstoppers. I’m not saying high fantasy should always be printed on Bible paper, but like, it wouldn’t hurt? Anyway, I’m enjoying the series a lot more with the addition of the Wheel of Time Companion. Every time I’m like “Who? Where?” I can open this handy dandy reference and then I’m able to follow the story a bit better.

Watching:

My daughter and I spent a week or two slowly getting through Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. We started this tradition a couple years ago; we pick a series and craft while watching together. (This week I learned some basic knitting!) Strange New Worlds was fun and I highly, highly rate it.

I also finally finished watching The Bear, and if you can get past the swearing and the tension, I would say it’s one of the best shows to come out this year. Also I have made Carmy’s chicken piccata and I would one hundred percent recommend it. (I added buttered noodles as a side because I gotta have those carbs.)

I also finished Nancy Drew and I can’t get over how well-written it is. If you want a good ensemble cast with incredible characterizations (and you don’t mind the odd jump-scare or mild body horror), it’s a yes from me.

Podcast things:

Always love Maintenance Phase, but as I was frantically getting my quilt finished for the Quilt Show, I went through a bunch of their back catalogue. A+ debunking of wellness myths and fads. Also I live for Aubrey’s laugh. I quite enjoyed the deep dive on Belle Gibson. (Australia, what is up with us and shady wellness people? Yikes.)

I also really enjoyed Decoder Ring’s two-part series on McGruff. I grew up with those ads! Willa Paskin had an observation that we like exploring things from our childhoods because they harken back to a time where things were more culturally ubiquitous. They have nostalgia power because we all experienced it. (Put Barbie Girl on the playlist at a party with a bunch of 40 year olds and you’ll see what I mean.)

Internet things:

This long-read on a guy who roped his family and friends into doing insurance fraud is wild. It sounds like the plot of a TV movie. Well worth the time spent reading it, though!

This article from Quartz about “the obesity paradox” is my go-to for responding to anti-fat bias. So many people who are “just concerned about [their] health” should read this and then really examine why they think bigger is equal to unhealthy. (It’s the bias. It’s always the bias.)

I loved this column on why curry isn’t a thing but also is a thing. It’s kind of a deep dive and goes into the colonialist history of food assimilation, which is fascinating. I actually found it when I was idling through Smitten Kitchen’s website looking for a nice chicken dinner idea (and her chicken curry is on the meal plan for this week).


Scandal strikes the Fat Bear competition! Ballot-box stuffing! Is nothing sacred?

I’ll be back next month with more recommendations. Pray for me, guys—it’s Greywaren week, and I am going to suffer. On Sunday. When I actually have time to lie down and read it and feel all of the feelings. Enjoy the rest of the spooky season!