top of page

Watched & Read, January

Writer's picture: Rose AdeleRose Adele

Hello friends! It's a new month so that means it's time to share all the shows, movies, and books I consumed last month. Jan was a big media consumption month, in many regards (books, shows, news... heavy on the news). January felt like 1 second but also a whole year. It wasn't the best, but I did read some fantastic books and watched some great movies. You can find them and my reviews of them below.


*Where to listen: I use the Libby App all the time which is free to everyone who has a library card. I also pay for Spotify and if you do you get 15 hours of an audiobook per month, so basically two shorter books or a book and a half.

*Where to read: I thrift a lot of my books, use the library a ton, download checked out Libby books to my kindle, and occasionally treat myself to a crisp new book from a book store as well.

*Where to watch: most everything I watch can be found on Hulu, Disney+, Prime, MAX, or Netflix.



January Faves
Watched:
  • Shrinking (season 1 and 2): My heart. My heart my heart my heart. I loved this show. I binged it so quickly. You very easily fall in love with all the characters. The acting is great. The stories are great. It's relatable, it's real, its heart gutting, it's hilarious. You will want to be all their friends.

  • Loot: A very feel good, fun, yet heart hitting series staring Maya Roudolph. I'm not all the way through it, but it's a really nice easy watch when you're not in the mood for something heavy.

  • Lessons In Chemistry: When I was little my dad told me he would take me to see "Because Of Winn Dixie" if I first read the book. Ever since then I have always read the book before watching the movie and I'm so glad I did so with Lessons In Chemistry. While the limited series was fantastic, it was very different from the book. That book has my heart for so many reasons and I do prefer it to the series, however I think the series is still a great watch, it was just hard to not compare the small and large differences throughout the story.

  • Silo (finished up season 2): I stared this season last month and finished this month, like I said last month season 2 wasn't as good as Season 1 IMO, however still worth the watch to see how they story expands. They will be making a season 3 and ending the series with season 4 and I plan to follow along to see how this wraps up!

  • Started a new show called Doc: I've only watched a few episodes, but so far it's giving very standard medical drama haha, not that that's a bad thing. But you can clearly see where the story is going and it's a "solve a case per episode" type of series. Easy watching material!

  • Misbehavior: I randomly found this movie one evening and decided to give it a go! Based on a true story and starring Kiera Knightly, it explores the feminist movement following the lives of "average people" alongside beauty pageant competitors. It made me really sad as we're still out here fighting for some of the same things that they were then, but it also empowered me to keep going.

  • Inside Out 2: I watched this movie with my mom and it really tugged on the heart strings. Inside Out 1 had me a MESS, and I wasn't as emotional with this one, but it was still so cute and once again a great movie with a great message for kids and adults.


Read:
  • The Keeper of Happy Endings, by Barbra Davis - This was my first novel of 2025, and what a way to kick it off. I borrowed a copy from my friend who said she had a very hard time getting into the book, “but would you like to borrow it?” haha. She said it did ultimately end up being great and she thought I would like it more than she did — which, was true! I thought it was a compelling mix of love story, finding joy and life and “your way through” hardships, a bit of finding one’s self, and a touch of magic as well. The setting and imagery Davis creates through her words are very easy to picture as you’re transported between not only different POVs, but also different countries and eras. The last ~100 pages were a PAGE TURNER. Definitely some “oh shieeet” moments that made me eager to see how the ending all came together. It does touch on horrors and realities that war can bring (not the main focus of the book, but it is in there) so check TW’s if you find that might stir something up for you.

  • Lessons In Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus - The story of Elizabeth Zott will rip your heart out and sew it back together. You will cry, you will laugh, you will likely shake your head and let out a deep exhale many many times, you will feel so so empowered, and you might even buy a No. 2 pencil. You will close this book thinking about how much change there has been in the last 100 years, in society but in the world as we know it too. You will also close this book thinking about how much remains the same, how much room there still is for change. You will be rooting for Zott. You will be rooting for Mad. You will be rooting for Six Thirty. You will be rooting for Harriet, Walter, Frask and the entire family tree. You will fall in love with them all and you will flip pages quickly. This is a 10/10 for me. Please pick up a copy. *TW -- there are intense moments involving SA which are key backstory building blocks and brought up a few times throughout the book, this is not the main focus of the story, however it is worth noting.

  • Britt Marie Was Here, by Fredrik Backman - This was a sweet sweet tale. If you have already read My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry, also by Fredrik Backman, then you have met Britt Marie before. This book shares part of her story. Set in a very small forgotten town, you will follow Britt Marie through her fresh start. If you want a feel good story that reminds you that there is community, friendship, and opportunity all around if you are open to finding it in places you wouldn't have assumed, pick up a copy of this book (or listen to it on Libby like I did, great narration).

  • The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah - It has been a long time since a book made me ugly cry, not just shed tears but full on sob. A good chunk of this book had me muttering “this fucking asshole,” “no!!!” and “god damnit.” I have never read 545 pages so fast in my life. Kristin Hannah takes you on a gutting, cinematic, jaw dropping, enraging, beautiful journey through The Great Alone with detailed storytelling that transports you through an unforgettable journey. You’ll reflect on how important community is; how decisions and risks, big or small, can change and shape your life over time and in a blink of an eye; and how love is unique to everyone, it’s incomparable. One persons experience will not be like another’s. Love might look like one thing to someone and something completely different to someone else, it will vary on so many factors — if it’s romantic, platonic, between parent and child, but also life experiences and lifestyle — it’s incomparable and should not be dismissed simply because it does not look like yours. *TW — please look up trigger warnings for this book as deals with some heavy topics.

  • After those books I tried and quit a few other novels and just couldn't get into anything. I think I was coming down from a book high, but I've finally bit into The Measure as well as The House in the Cerulean Sea, so I'll report back next month with what I think of those two!


Before I let you go, I wanted to take a moment to share a bookshop that I'd love for you to consider buying your next book from if you purchase your books online. The owner of Book Alley sadly lost his home in the Eaton fire, but his bookshop remains standing. A small way to support him while the community rebuilds is to purchase your books from his book store which is still standing in Pasadena. You can find the inventory at https://www.bookalley.com/. Thank you!


xx, Rose

106 views

Recent Posts

See All

Kommentare


DSCN0072_edited.jpg
  • Youtube

Thanks for subscribing!

bottom of page