Once a month, I share the best of what I’ve been reading, watching, and exploring. Enjoy!
Books
The Uncool by Cameron Crowe. I loved this book based on the real-life story behind the film Almost Famous. Crowe became a Rolling Stone journalist at fifteen, and his secret weapon wasn’t access or connections—it was that he was too young to know what questions you weren’t supposed to ask. Musicians who’d sworn off interviews would open up to him because he wasn’t performing sophistication—he was just genuinely curious. There’s something in that for all of us. (Fun fact: Crowe also wrote Fast Times at Ridgemont High, based on him going undercover at an actual high school and interviewing students. The range!)
Shows
The Beast in Me. (Netflix) Matthew Rhys plays a wealthy real estate heir who maybe murdered his wife. Claire Danes plays the author who moves in next door and gets a little too curious. It’s a cat-and-mouse thriller where you’re never quite sure who’s the cat.
Films
Good Will Hunting (1997). One of my top five favorite movies of all time. Caught it on the big screen recently, followed by a live Q&A with director Gus Van Sant and Stellan Skarsgård. Apparently the original script had action sequences—like the NSA chasing Will Hunting around—because Ben and Matt thought that’s what Hollywood wanted. Glad someone talked them out of it.
Finding Forrester (2000). It’s basically a sequel to Good Will Hunting. Same director, same DNA—reclusive genius, talented young outsider, unexpected mentorship. Not quite as good, but still a fun watch.
Hamnet (2025). Chloé Zhao directs Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in a story about a family in 16th-century England. Buckley doesn’t act so much as become whatever she’s feeling—there’s a rawness to her performance that’s hypnotic. Bring tissues. Bring the whole box.
Eternity (2025). An A24 rom-com where you die and have one week to choose where to spend eternity—and with whom. Great premise, mixed execution, but super cute overall. And sometimes that’s enough for a movie.
Fun thing to try
Spotify Page Match. Your Spotify Premium membership includes audiobooks, and they just added a feature that feels like magic: scan whatever page you’re on in a physical book, and it jumps you to that exact moment in the audiobook. Going for a run but mid-chapter? Scan the page, put in your earbuds, keep going. You can find it in the Spotify mobile app—just open the audiobook and tap the Page Match button.
Related
Bold
