Tess Shebaylo

Relevant to my post about my projects at the house being done, here’s a list of audiobooks and movies that I listened to and watched during the last month or so while I was working on the dining room.

1. Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain, on Librivox. Mark Twain visits Europe and the Middle East, and hilarity ensues. 4.5 stars.
2. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling, on Audible. Fluffy, enjoyable. I think I would have gotten more of the jokes if I watched more television. 3 stars.
3. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell, on Librivox. A classic, about a fairly naive, very dependable girl who gets overlooked in favor of the louder, flashier types. Obviously I love it. 3 stars.
4. Wives & Daughters, the 1999 BBC miniseries, on Netflix. I watched this about 5 years ago, but couldn’t remember much about it, hence reading the book and re-watching the miniseries now. Very agreeable, but I like North & South better. 3 stars.
5. My Antonia by Willa Cather, on Librivox. So stark and beautiful, but not all disjointed and laborious like Hemingway. I love a good character study, and this is an excellent one. 4 stars.
6. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather, on Librivox. Very similar to My Antonia, but not quite as good, I think. 3 stars.
7. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner, on Audible. A meandering, self-centered, unfocused thing. Amusing all the same. 3 stars.
8. A Good Woman, on Netflix. Based on Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde, which I read in February and adored. I enjoyed this and thought it was visually very nice, but Lord Darlington wasn’t nearly roguish enough and Helen Hunt was not believable as a powerful seductress. 3 stars.
9. What Would Jesus Buy?, on Netflix. This documentary follows the performance artists / consumerism protesters Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping around on their monthlong tour. Intriguing, funny, convicting. 4 stars.
10. Outsourced, on Netflix. Regular office guy travels to India to train some new recruits, has quarter-life crisis, lets go, enjoys himself. I loved it. 4 stars.
11. My Brilliant Career, on Netflix. Bratty poor girl from the Australian bush gets to go stay with rich family where she continues being bratty and inconsistent, which apparently dudes find irresistible. It has been popping up in my Netflix recommendations for years though, so I’m glad I finally put it to rest. Plus, Sam Neill! Seriously, Sam Neill. Trust me. 2 stars.
12. Ken Burns’ America: The Shakers. All about the Shakers and their beliefs, their communities, and the stuff they created. Fascinating. 3.5 stars.
13. Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter, on PBS.org. This documentary really dissects how the famous designer couple worked together. 3 stars.

Now go read and watch some things, and recommend them to me.