7 good things

Quick memo

Martha Stewart’s kitchen of dreams

Martha on Netflix

I can’t tell you this is the most pleasurable or life-affirming viewing experience but it’s fascinating nonetheless. After a slew of self-produced celebrity docs like J Lo’s carnival of narcissism, This is Me…Now, R. J. Cutler’s film about Martha Stewart is refreshingly nuanced and gritty.

Once American’s golden girl, Stewart comes across as a haunted domestic goddess whose incredible professional success and idealised public persona was tainted by personal torment from a domineering father, a philandering husband and a generally miserable home life.

Present day Stewart is prickly, inscrutable and funny and she still has fantastic hair at 83. I flip flopped between respect for her impeccable taste and business cunning to pity for how emotionally repressed she seems. She’s somewhat less repressed when she’s pissed off. In one scene from some archival footage, she is seen excoriating some poor lacky for cutting an orange with the wrong knife. Brutal but very entertaining.

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

An erotic lesbian thriller set in post-Holocaust Netherlands. Yes, actually.

More specifically - An exhilarating, twisted tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961—a powerful exploration of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of our collective past.

Masterfully plotted and totally absorbing.

It’s been shortlisted for this year’s Booker Prize (which will be announced next week). Fun fact: this year, only one man made the shortlist, a year after the award was criticised for featuring more men called Paul than women : /

I also recommend reading van Der Woden’s essay, On (Not) Reading Anne Frank

Brassic

This funny and unexpectedly sweet British comedy drama completely passed me by. A caper about a gang of mates getting up to no good. As a friend rightly says, it’s much better than it needs to be. Easy and non-confrontational.

Uncharted with Hannah Fry (S2)

Fun, nerdy data podcast. I recently interviewed Fry for the second time for The Sunday Times Magazine. Gifted link here. She’s brill.

Book Gossip

I just subscribed to this newsletter from New York Magazine. Good title. Sounds promising. Let’s see.

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

I can’t stop listening to Chappell Roan. A pretty perfect album.

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Do you have any good things to share? Dish in the comments and do tap the like/heart button if you can so more people can see these posts.

See you next time!

Hannah