The Curator: thanks, I'll get to your recommendation in 5-7 business years
Why we humans resist (good) recommendations. Featuring Louise Penny and Schitt's Creek.
There’s been a Louise Penny renaissance lately, if not widely at least in my small corner of the internet. The first installment of her Inspector Gamache mystery series, Still Life, was published in 2005. 18 years ago. She has since published 18 total books in the series. This wonderful lady produced an entire BOOK PER YEAR for our reading enjoyment. And I’m just now hearing about her.
Granted, that might be my fault - was I paying attention? Did I surround myself with good readers? Was I wearing provocative clothing…
Regardless, once you start noticing something you see it everywhere. Still Life crept into my life and infiltrated at the highest level. First, in a book review by Jeremy over at
. Then a few book friends on Bookstagram. Then in the Friday thread comment section of . THEN an incoming text from my uncle on a random Tuesday morning suggesting Still Life wasn’t “curing cancer” but was worth the read.If that’s not a sign from the universe to read this book then perhaps the universe doesn’t give signs and I’m just silly but guess what I took it as a sign to finally pay attention to a strong recommendation.
There have been many, many times I’ve received objectively excellent recommendations, and each time I resist. I hold off on watching or reading the thing. I say I will, but in my heart, I’ve already forgotten the thing and returned to the original plan: make my own questionable decisions.
Could I be the only one? Surely not. So why WHY do we resist good recommendations so much? Recommendations from people we love and trust with our artistic lives. People with taste and good sense, people who know our tastes and senses and find time in their busy day to say hey friend enjoy this. What a gift to throw away on the winds of ego.
But perhaps it’s not just ego. The tagline for this publication is moody for a reason - we humans do not control our emotions, they control us. Reading or ingesting art is gravely tied to our moods - what we are doing or feeling or even the season of the year. We want romance during romantic holidays, we ask for drama and intrigue at the beach, we demand spooky at Halloween. Even a good recommendation at the wrong time slips through our brains like cookies into my mouth - I didn’t even realize they were there!
There are other possibilities. Perhaps we don’t truly trust the advice. Or we simply fail to overcome the inertia of change, and instead stick with what we know. But I like thinking that every good recommendation is just a mood change away from being taken up. Eventually, when the sun comes out and you venture to the beach on a bright Saturday, it will be just the right time to finally open up Still Life and discover your next favorite series.
FURTHER READING💻→
No readings this week, just a list of some wonderful things in my life I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for recommendations:
My Favorite Murder podcast
The Rewatchables podcast
The healing powers of Kacey Musgrave’s songwriting, voice, and lyricism.
The Conjuring movie franchise
Half the books on my bookshelf (Louise Penny included!)
My entire skincare routine
A therapist
This Substack ☺
REVIEWS📚→
Still Life by Louise Penny
Louise Penny is a master of mystery. A maven of murder. An expert of enigma. And my new favorite mystery writer.
[She also reminds me that success (wild, wide, untouchable success) can take time. You may publish 18 books before Natalie The Book Creep FINALLY notices you and writes about you on their Substack. Never give up!]
The plot: When elderly Ms. Jane Neal of Three Pines, a small close-knit rural town near Montreal, dies suspiciously in the woods, Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are called in to solve the case. Between mysterious living rooms, the physics of bows and arrows, and baffling interpersonal dynamics, Gamache deposits wisdom and skill upon the citizens of Three Pines (and us) to solve the case and return everything back to normal.
Like my uncle said, did this book cure cancer? No. Was it the most well-written or unique or inventive mystery? Also no. But was it genuinely just as good as everyone said it would be? Yes, and perhaps even more, as I was repeatedly told the series actually gets better as you go along.
I think many people love their problems. Gives them all sorts of excuses for not growing up and getting on with life.
So why was it so good? It hits all the basic requirements of a good cozy mystery - a colorful cast of citizens, a study on human nature, a neat resolution, and the restoration of order by closing. What really sets it apart is our intrepid inspector. Gamache might be one of the most interesting characters I have ever encountered. He is both thoughtful and strong-willed. He cares about others. He knows exactly what to do all the time until he doesn’t and asks for help (how novel!). He leaves nuggets of wisdom everywhere he goes. CHIEF INSPECTOR GAMACHE HAS HIS OWN WIKI PAGE!
I could not put Still Life down - I was done and adding the next three in the series to cart within two days of starting. If you love cozy mysteries and large casts of characters, I highly suggest you check it out - unless of course, you already have. Cheers!
Moodometer: For when you need cozy but also murder, intrigue, and characters you’d have dinner with.
Rating: I give this a 5 Murderous Stars
Schitt’s Creek Created by Dan and Eugene Levy
It took me a really long time to watch Schitt’s Creek. I slept on this rec for YEARS. I had friends pleading with me to give it another go. They were well into season six before I had a reckoning with Netflix and the pandemic, stuck at home with just the cat in need of some levity. After starting the first episode for the fourth time I finally made it past the credit roll and was officially in hearts.
Schitt’s Creek is a bit of a wild premise - a filthy rich family loses everything and moves into the only thing they have left - a motel in the town of Schitt’s Creek (the town which they own, a gag gift become gift horse). As the family adjusts to life running a seedy sad motel with only the designer clothes on their back, madcap situations ensue.
Of course, the town, without question, welcomes the Rose family into their weird, quirky lives. Of course, the family learns lessons about what really matters in life. They make friends and find lovers and find themselves. The fashion is markedly outrageous, with Moira and David in strong competition. Moira’s wigs deserve their own show. And it’s endlessly quotable.
For whatever emotion you need to express, there’s a Schitt’s Creek giphy for that. My entire family loves it and it truly got us through the dark parts of the pandemic. I saved the last episode for months, unable to face its ending. The amount of time I wasted NOT watching this glorious magnificent 80-episode ode to millennial vocal fry is time I will never get back. But then again, maybe it found me at just the right time.
Moodometer: For when you need silly rich people learning tough lessons dressed in designer crap but unable to afford coffee.
Rating: I give this a I Love That For You 5 Stars
READING 📖→
Eliza Clark’s new novel Penance. Her first novel Boy Parts has been making the rounds on BookstagramTok and has become somewhat of a symbol for black-comedy feminism. Penance is about three girls who set their friend on fire and the man who writes the book about it. As a true crime girly, this is so up my alley that I’m afraid to find an indictment of my own behavior in these pages… Penance is out on September 26.
BUYING💰→
Because I am easily influenced by pretty pictures, thanks to @paperplannerbliss on Instagram I bought myself a tiny baby tote bag to store all my book annotation supplies in. I’ve only annotated like one book in my life but any hobby that requires supplies reminiscent of back-to-school shopping is a hobby I plan to keep.
WATCHING 📽️→
If you want to have manic nightmares about f*cked up families and/or spiders give Cobweb a try. The kid who plays the MC is phenomenal and Janis Ian (sorry to Lizzy Caplan) really showed her range. Even though the story took a bit of a turn halfway, it was extremely well made. I also need the name of their interior set designer asap… Available for rent on Amazon now.
[I apologize in advance that many of my movie recommendations are scary as hell. My fiance Mark and I also review scary movies as like a fun little hobby. Cute right?].
NEW BOOKS 📚→
The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman - I have a love/love/hate relationship with Ms. Hoffman’s works. While I love the sweet gentleness of her stories in the Practical Magic series, it’s also that gentleness that’s moderately cringeworthy. I’d love to see if she can pull off this Nathaniel Hawthorne love story though. “An enchanting novel about love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and the enduring magic of books.”
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas - The Hacienda was a HIT in 2022 that I never got to, perhaps because it was compared to Mexican Gothic, a big disappointment for me. However, I’m such a sucker for anything described as gothic no matter how many times I’ve been burned, so I may try and snag this one from the library. “Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western.”
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray - While it may be on everyone’s books to watch out for lists, Murray’s new novel wasn’t on my radar until recently. I went to Barnes & Noble on my lunch the other day and picked it up off the shelf - it’s a hefty boy!! It’s also on the longlist for the Booker, plus I love family drama stories, so it sounds like a winner all around (if not slightly dark and depressing). “An irresistibly funny, wise, and thought-provoking tour de force about family, fortune, and the struggle to be a good person when the world is falling apart.”
BOOK NEWS 📰→
According to one Atlantic writer, e-books are an abomination. His argument includes not wanting to look “at books as computers after a long day of looking at computers as computers”, that bookiness (“the essence that makes someone feel like they are holding a book”) is eroded in e-book format, and that he’s jealous of the attention genre writers get (?). I mostly agree with his take, but the portableness of e-books will forever be appealing. It’s called balance, sweetie.
This is actually old news, but did you know TikTok started their own book awards in the UK & Ireland?? Because I sure didn’t. Awards include Best Book I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time and Best BookTok Revival (I love that Jane Eyre is on this list!). It doesn’t seem to be a stateside activity yet but I sure would love to join when it becomes one!
RESTACK OF THE WEEK ♻️→
I recently discovered Terrible at Titles and while she writes plenty of great things, my favorites are always the daily life of a bookseller ones. I think all book lovers have indulged in the fantasy of owning a bookshop - Kate allows us to live the funniest British version of that fantasy.
LET’S CHAT☺→
This week: leave a comment with the best recommendation you ever sat on for too long - the one you finally got around to and exclaimed, why didn’t I read/watch/listen to this earlier!
Or per ush, let me know what you’ve been reading in the comments. I’m always game for a good rec (or warning, grievances, etc. ). If you tell me your favorite TV show or movie lately, I’ll give you a book recommendation.
RESTACK OF THE WEEK ♻️→
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See you around the bookshelf!
Natalie
I finally watched Ted Lasso, and it was even better than everyone had told me! It was the perfect thing to binge watch while I got over a cold and just wanted to feel warm and happy.
The Hacienda and Vampires of El Norte are SO good!!! I did enjoy Mexican Gothic, but I think these are even better (the romances are 🔥)