Hi all,

I’m here again with my monthly round-up of (most of) the things I read, watched, listened to, and ate last month.

January is over (Thank god). The month was mostly a blur of class, internship, friends’ birthdays, and a trip to New York, but I tried to lean into winter’s hibernation when I could. I’m looking forward to February in hopes that it will feel slightly less chaotic, though who is to say. I’ll be dog-sitting at my parents’ house in the suburbs while they’re in Mexico for a week, which, though far from Mexico, still feels like a bit of an escape. It also feels impossible not to acknowledge the chaos and cruelty being inflicted by our government right now. I have nothing new to say about it, just that I hope you’re taking care of yourself and your community right now.

Reading

Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-Zǐ, translated by Lin King

The winner of the National Book Award for translated literature in 2024. Set in 1938 and disguised as a re-discovered Japanese text, Taiwan Travelogue follows the Japanese novelist Aoyama Chizuko as she travels to Taiwan at the invitation of the Japanese government currently ruling the island. Chizuko is not interested in attending the formal Japanese banquets she’s invited to but rather wants to experience “real’ Taiwan through the eyes and food of its locals. She is assigned a young, female interpreter — Chizuru — who arranges for Chizuko to do just that, and as they travel around the island eating feasts of Taiwanese food, Chizuko becomes enraptured by her mysterious interpreter. Though never explicitly sapphic, it is clear that Chizuko is infatuated with Chizuru, while Chizuru is intent on keeping her at arm’s length— Why? This novel is, I think, about the limits of our ability to understand each other — particularly when painful colonial histories stand between us. Still, Shuāng-Zǐ seems to be saying there is beauty in trying to understand, even when we get it wrong, even when heartbreak is the result. This book picked up for me in the second half, and though I loved reading about Taiwan’s cuisine, I did find myself losing interest during some of the particularly lengthy descriptions of food. Nevertheless, I loved the story of these two women’s friendship and Shuāng-Zǐ’s commentary on colonialism. I’d recommend it if you’re looking to read about food, other cultures, and the deep, sometimes confusing nature of female friendships.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

I love Jane Austen. I once got into a fight with my friend’s ex-boyfriend after he told me he thought Pride and Prejudice was “boring.” I simply can’t relate. (There’s some sexism in his statement too, but I’ll save that diatribe for another time). Persuasion is Austen’s last completed novel, and I read it like a little kid reads the seventh Harry Potter book. Twenty-­seven and unmarried, Anne Elliot is teetering on the edge of becoming an old maid (gasp). 8 years prior, she broke off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth at the persuasion (!) of her dear family friend Lady Russell due to Wentworth’s lack of title or rank. When they meet again as adults, we are plunged into a classic will-they-or-won’t-they tale filled with humor, yearning, and love. I could not get enough. Jane Austen walked so Sally Rooney could run!

Be Ready When the Lucky Happens by Ina Garten

An utterly delightful memoir made even more fun by listening to the audiobook narrated by Ina herself. I am not a devotee to Ina’s recipes, but I was genuinely inspired while listening to her story, and this made for the perfect winter listen when feeling down in the dumps.

Watching/Listening

Isabel Allende on Julia Louis Dreyfus’ Wiser Than Me

My friend Selina recommended this podcast episode and it had me weeping in my car on my way to class at 7:30 am. Highly recommend. (You can fast-forward through the intro).

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Peacock

My latest Housewives franchise to enter. If you’d told me three years ago that I would be a fan of four housewives franchises (and counting), I would not have believed you. Shout out to my friend

Sopranos, Max

We decided to use January’s hibernation time as an opportunity to finally start the Sopranos, and it’s as good as everyone says. We’re in the second season now —I’m dying to know why Carmela is always in pantsuits, and yes I have a crush on Michael Imperioli.

The Room Next Door, dir. Pedro Almodóvar

Based on the novel What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez, The Room Next Door follows two old friends, Ingrid and Martha, grappling with Martha’s terminal cancer diagnosis and her decision to end her life on her terms. The plot sounds potentially depressing but it’s actually quite sweet and weird and even hopeful at times. It’s not a perfect movie, but how could you not enjoy watching Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton on your screen for 2 hours?

Clockwatchers, dir. Jill Sprecher

Toni Colette, Lisa Kudrow, Parker Posey, and Alanna Ubach play temps at a credit company where their only relief from the nightmare of ‘90s office culture is each other. When someone in the office starts stealing things, the female temps are the first to be blamed and the girls’ friendships are put to the test. Funny, moving, irreverent, and with a truly stacked cast — watch it tonight.

Blue Velvet, dir. David Lynch

RIP David Lynch. What a weird and wonderful man. Isabella Rossellini is stunning in this and I too would fall in love with a young Laura Dern if I were Kyle Maclachlan.

Eating

Tabachoy

Had a mother-daughter dinner date at Tabachoy, a Filipino restaurant in Philly. I’ve been a few times, and the chicken wings, pork sisig, and ube soft serve remain my favorites on the menu.

Passion fruit, coconut, and tequila cake

Happy 30th birthday to Mitchell, friend and clown extraordinaire. I made a layer cake with a vanilla sponge soaked with tequila and coconut milk, filled with passionfruit curd and whipped cream, and topped with passionfruit buttercream. The recipe is from Natascha Pickowicz’s More Than Cake, one of my favorite cookbooks.

Cheesecake

I am not typically the hugest fan of cheesecake (too dense, too sweet), but this citrusy recipe from Alison Roman changed my mind. I topped it with some candied kumquats and it was light and fresh, perfect for winter.

On my radar:

• I recently bought a copy of Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad, one of

  Martha
  ’s favorite books last year, and I’m planning to read that next.

• I have a hold at my library on Scaffolding by Laura Elkin, placed after reading this review from

  Kate Jones
  ’s newsletter.

• My parents gave my brother and me gift cards to Pietramala in Philly, a plant-based restaurant, and we’re going this weekend with our respective partners.

Thank you, as always, for reading. I’d love to hear from you:

✨ What was your favorite read, watch, or listen in January? Do you have any thoughts on the books, movies, or TV shows I consumed this month?