January 2026

It took me awhile to get into the books I was reading at the start of the month, but got some good stuff in and delighted in some old favorite movies (finished up our annual rewatch of Lord of the Rings which continues to be delightful and rewarding) and discovered some new gems (The Testament of Ann Lee anyone?!?!?). Intentionally crafting my February reading with an eye towards love stories, not exclusively, which is lovely so far but more on that when February has ended!

Don’t Talk About Politics: How to Change 21st-Century Minds (2025), Sarah Stein Lubrano

I’ve been waiting to read this book for ages and for unknown reasons it took forever for my library to get their copy, but it’s great. An insightful and persuasive account of the ways we need to reorient ourselves if we want to change people’s minds—essentially, to be friends, widely and deeply. And that that friendship needs to ask something of us and those we’re friends with to really be transformative. A book that further pushes me to actually live out my commitment to community and friendship and the neighborhood—and to justice as love in the public sphere.

Women’s Hotel (2024), Daniel M. Lavery

Fun! A structurally kinda funky book, but with some truly delightful details, as one would expect from Daniel, longtime supreme ruler of truly delightful details.

Men at Arms (1993), Terry Pratchett

I’m pretty sure I read this one in my teenage discovery of Discworld and it is even better upon revisiting now. Love the Watch.

A Wind in the Door (1973), Madeleine L’Engle

This book slaps. A CHERUBIM? That they thought was a flock of dragons?!?!? The cosmic power of love to help us remember the radically interdependent nature of the universe from the tiniest parts of ourselves to the stars?

a fantastic sequel to A Wrinkle in Time. Another love unlocked.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978), Madeleine L’Engle

And Madeleine L’Engle does it again! so wild so weird so good.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Continues to be my favorite of the trilogy, by a smidge. Just a sucker for the hope-against-hope, impossible odds but we fight anyway stuff that this has in spades. Oh, and of course, Howard Shore’s incredible Rohan motif that is filled with yearning and longing for better days and the twinge of hope at the end that glory might be ahead.

Inside Out (2015)

This one’s grown on me quite a bit since my first viewing at my aunt and uncle’s house in the Bay Area, surrounded by largely disinterested cousins.

The Secret Agent (2025)

what a fun weird ride! not sure everything came together for me, but enjoyed the ride nonetheless

Pacific Rim (2013)

annual grieving ritual watch—love this big dumb movie.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

a rousing, stirring, perfect conclusion to the trilogy. the army of the dead stuff and prelude is some of my favorite sequences in the whole trilogy—and, of course, aragorn’s coronation and “my friends, you bow to no one” always makes me weep.

Robin Hood (1973)

continue to be delighted that this is one of the kids’ favorites.

Heated Rivalry (2025)

so gay! so sexy! so much yearning! and just top to bottom a thing clearly crafted with such love and care and devotion and passion and you can tell. incredible.

Anne of Green Gables (1985)

been ages since i last watched this and it’s fun! a very different side of canada than heated rivalry haha

Finding Nemo (2003)

a good time

Human (2025)

very sleepily watched this as part of our familial learn the history of the world project. lots of interesting stuff!

Bull Durham (1988)

what a weird little movie!

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

remains so good.

Call the Midwife, Season 6

what a great show! this season features the introduction of one of my all-time favorite characters in the show—Val Dyer—in a fantastic episode of the series. so, lots to love here.

The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)

WOW. theres so much here. obviously, lots of stuff i’m predisposed to love and damn did this deliver for me.

amanda seyfried is soooooo good. just an alltimer of a performance from her anchoring the film. the design—costumes, production design, etc, and the way that design juxtaposes with the choreography of the worship songs/musical numbers is just *chef’s kiss*

loved the sincere depiction of the shakers, just taking them and their spiritual experiences at their word and portraying them to us, the audience, without feeling the need to interpret or undermine or modernize, just letting the story and their experiences speak for themselves

the musical numbers are a big win! the way they, for me, captured the emotional reasons for conversion and otherwise depicted this transcendent, incredible, ecstatic spiritual experience, is truly remarkable. there’s a haunting quality too which is interesting but seems to be a part of ann lee’s spiritual worldview/landscape

definitely some mormon persecution trauma pulled up in one of the final scenes. so some particular religious heritage sympathy there

i want to sit down and here all about all the choreography and design choices and what’s going on there, such a richness that’s begging to be broken down and analyzed. ALSO love the inter titles and all the engravings/line drawings in the opening and closing credits. such cool design work there.

the eclipse/apocalypse scene? with the electric guitar? CMON! incredible. filled with delight.

also SO MUCH queer energy to these shakers (not just william and his ultimately forsaken lover/partner), but like the whole celibate project has a queerness to it that is quite compelling, and appropriately implicit throughout the film, but there nonetheless (especially within an ace/queer lens)

dug it. a movie for me for sure

ADDENDUM: i can’t stop thinking about this, now almost a month out from seeing it. AND gotta say, i was pretty sold once they showed the alternate, long, unwieldy title The Woman Clothed By the Sun With The Moon Beneath Her Feet. the film, it’s music, images, and ideas are rattling around and around my brain!

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

still repenting of my years of dislike towards this movie, which is actually weird and wonderful

Chicken Run (2000)

Wake Up Dead Man (2025)

showed this to cec and confirmed that it’s great. probably my favorite of the three, even if i would likely concede that knives out is a technically better, tighter, film (and also a fav, to be clear)

Relay (2024)

really pleasantly surprised by this little paranoid thriller! riz ahmed is great! put him in more things! let him be james bond!

the sorta movie that would’ve really hit on cable reruns, i think. hope it can find its people—if you liked Hell or High Water or last year’s Black Bag or even Eastwood’s Juror No. 2, i think you’d find things to appreciate here.