Greetings. We’ve made it to the last month of the year. I gather not many people will be sorry to see 2020 go. Next year has got to be better, right? I guess December will be quieter this year — no real parties or public gatherings. We plan to stay in town during the holidays though I might try to travel to California in January to visit my parents again. We will see.
I hope everyone has a lovely month despite everything, and maybe the holiday lights and carols (and vaccine news) will bring forth some holiday spirit. I hope so. So far the past couple weeks here have been pretty somber and also mild … and it actually might reach 50F degrees a few days this week, which is sort of unheard of for this time of year. See the pink sunset.
As for book news, it looks like Penguin Random House has agreed to buy Simon & Schuster, consolidating the publishing industry even further, which many say is really bad news for readers, authors, and small presses by reducing competition and editorial diversity in the marketplace. Uh-oh PRH is already a behemoth, and making it more so feels like it’d have a monopoly over ideas and books, hmm. Quite a few organizations oppose the merger, but I’m not sure anything can or will be done to stop it.
Meanwhile, it’s also been announced that BookExpo and BookCon have been “retired” and will be no more. Whoa, the big U.S. trade show always seemed to be a lot of fun, though I only went once. The pandemic threw a wrench into it this past year … and now it’s been cancelled for good? I guess virtual events have really changed the outlook for book tours in the future.
As for books coming out in December, I’m not sure there’s a lot I’m looking to pick up. But Jane Smiley has a new novel — “Perestroika in Paris,” apparently it’s an animal feel-good story about a horse in France, which might please animal freaks (like me).
Then there’s a debut novel by Irish writer Michelle Gallen called “Big Girl, Small Town,” which has been shortlisted for the Costa Book Award, and is said to be an “irreverent portrait of small-town Northern Ireland” about a young woman on the autism spectrum working at a chip shop, whose life’s perspective is upended by the death of her granny. Hmm.
Lastly I’m looking a bit at Homeira Qaderi’s Afghan memoir called “Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother’s Letter to Her Son,” which seems to be a heartbreaker about terrible circumstances endured under the Taliban. Grrrr… I’m sure it’s more than enough to rile your skin.
As for what’s coming to the screen this month, there’s plenty due out … especially new movie adaptations of books, which is what we like! First off there’s the film version of “Nomadland,” starring Frances McDormand, (due out Dec. 4), which is based on the 2017 nonfiction book by Jessica Bruder about the phenomenon of transient older Americans traveling the country in vans and RVs in search of employment. It’s sure to be a troubling but hopeful tale about resilient people who deserve better. Who could be better than McDormand for the role?
I also like the looks of the six-part BBC miniseries “A Suitable Boy” (due out Dec. 7 on Acorn TV) adapted from Vikram Seth’s sprawling 1993 novel, which is set amid the cultural upheaval of 1950s India, and follows four families over 18 months, centering on Mrs. Rupa Mehra’s efforts to arrange the marriage of her younger daughter to a “suitable boy.”
It’s directed by Mira Nair who also directed the movie “The Namesake,” which was based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s memorable 2003 novel. Woohoo, “A Suitable Boy” is a period drama.
Then there’s the movie “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (due out Dec. 18 on Netflix) based on the 1982 play by August Wilson. Viola Davis stars as Ma Rainey, who was a blues singer (in fact the “Mother of the Blues”) … who recorded and performed during the 1920s and until 1935.
Ma was close friends with singer Bessie Smith, though this movie is more about her band and horn player who is played by Chadwick Boseman in his last role. Ugh I’m so sad he passed away this year — what a terrible loss. Still we can retain the memory of him through this and his other films.
Though if it’s spooky and dark you’re looking for then you might gravitate toward the TV miniseries “The Stand” (due out Dec. 17) based on Stephen King’s 1978 post-apocalyptic novel. Apparently in this story, the fate of mankind rests upon Mother Abagail (Whoopi Goldberg) and a handful of survivors … who face bad guy — the Dark Man — Randall Flagg played by actor Alexander Skarsgard. Gosh he was bad in “Big Little Lies” too.
The only good news is that you can face the end of the world with Greg Kinnear who is in this as a survivor. He’s usually a sweetie so if Kinnear’s there, I have a feeling there’s hope.
But if he’s not enough for you, then there’s George Clooney in “The Midnight Sky” (due out Dec. 23 on Netflix) based on the 2016 post-apocalyptic novel “Good Morning, Midnight” by Lily Brooks-Dalton … about a lonely scientist in the Arctic who’s racing against time to warn a crew of astronauts from returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe. Uh-oh I hate when that happens.
Clooney is looking pretty cold in this … but must figure out a way to get a message to Felicity Jones who’s one of the astronauts. (Last time I checked she was RBG, but alas that was another movie.) I’m game for this Arctic get-the-message-out kind of journey.
Another big movie I need to see is “News of the World” (due out Dec. 25) based on the 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles. Oh yeah! I liked this western story about a Civil War vet who agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her relatives … all the way from north Texas down south 400 miles. Oh it’s quite the journey, dangerous too.
Yep Tom Hanks plays the Captain (who else) and Paul Greengrass of Jason Bourne-fame directs. Oh it should be big. This kind of post-Civil War-era journey hasn’t been done perhaps since “Cold Mountain” and we know how that turned out. Get the popcorn going.
The only other TV series I should mention is Bryan Cranston’s new intense legal thriller “Your Honor” on Showtime starting Dec. 6. Set in New Orleans, it’s about a judge, whose world changes when his son is involved in a hit-and-run that embroils an organized crime family. Whoa you don’t want to mess. It appears Cranston finds himself in another stressful situation — as if “Breaking Bad” wasn’t hard enough — in order to save his son.
If that doesn’t get you, then check out “The Dissident” — a documentary film (due out Dec. 18) about the 2018 disappearance and murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, which is said to be truly scary and disturbing. Will his death ever see justice?
Meanwhile in new music for this month there’s new albums by Shawn Mendes (“Wonder”) and Paul McCartney (“McCartney III”), but perhaps what we really could use is some new holiday music … so I’ll pick Canadian singer/songwriter Jenn Grant’s new album “Forever on Christmas Eve,” which has some traditional classics on it.
That’s all for now. What about you — which new releases are you looking forward to this month?
Unfortunately the pandemic is getting worse again. It really had almost gone away here during the summer.
The Stand looks very good and I will give it a try. It has been decades since I read the book. I have been thinking of giving it a reread.
Hi Brian: sorry about the Covid cases where you are. Hope they can get it back down. The Stand looks like one of King’s bigger books. I’m hoping the TV series is a bit better than the Under the Dome series was. I’m not sure we’ll watch The Stand. Hmm. You can vet it for us. ha. Enjoy your week.
Have a delightful December
Hey thanks Shelleyrae. You too! I’ll be stopping by your site soon to see what’s happening there. Enjoy your week & month.
December, at last! I will be very happy to have 2020 behind us. Things are pretty bad here in FL and our governor continues to do nothing. Thankfully, the island does have a mask mandate. But we are back to grocery shopping/pharmacies only, when they open at 7 AM. Ugh.
I read Nomadland a few years ago and it seems to be a book that has stuck with me. Would like to see the film… Frances McDormand was the perfect casting choice.
A Suitable Boy was a favorite, too… another series I look forward to watching.
Reading has been problematic. I’ve abandoned so many books lately… hope something catches my interest soon.
Take care, Susan.
Hi JoAnn, your island sounds like the smartest part of FLA. I hope you find a book or audio soon that sweeps you up …. though I totally understand about a reading slump as the days are busy now with many distractions. Some of these movie based on novels I hope are good (& it seems like you’ve read these ones so that’s even better). Enjoy your month & have lovely holidays.
That is an excellent line up, Susan! I love Jane Smiley and will get her new one. Also quite interested in the Ma Rainey movie. I hope the CA surge will have died down some by January. It is quite alarming right now, though I read an article last night that claims the majority of cases and deaths in L A County is among the Latino population. If so, that still sucks.
I meant to read A Suitable Boy this year but have not so far. News of the World is one of my most loved books. I wonder how the adaptation will be.
Hi Judy. Great to hear from you & I hope the Covid cases there will go down by the time in January I’m supposed to fly to LAX. Gulp. I actually have been missing SoCal (especially in wintertime) and family so I still hope to be able to go if lockdowns don’t worsen etc. We will see.
Yeah I think A Suitable Boy looks like a good read – and I enjoyed News of the World and the movie trailer looks pretty good too! Let’s hope these shows turn out to be good. Have a lovely December there.
So far I haven’t seen a lot of 2021 releases to get excited about but I’m still working my way through the remarkable crop of 2020’s books. It really has been a stellar literary year.
I’ve never seen Frances McDormand in anything in which she wasn’t absolutely excellent so that’s something to look forward to and the new Bryan Cranston series sounds like it might be worthwhile. Likewise the Tom Hanks vehicle. He’s always fun to watch.
Happy December. Stay safe.
Thanks Dorothy. Yeah I have a lot of 2020 novels still left that I want to read. There’s been some good ones to pursue! I’m sure I’ll be working on 2020 titles into 2021. And yeah some of these shows/movies look like they’ll keep us busy this month … if we can get them. We’re still watching Season 4 of the Crown … it’s been good. Enjoy your week.
My girl friends from high school just decided to read News of the World. None of us knew the movie was coming out soon! And I am looking forward to watching Suitable Boy.
Hi Helen: News of the World is a pretty short book so I suspect you’ll get thru it before the movie comes out. It’s pretty good. I hope Suitable Boy will also be fun to watch if I can find it here in Canada. Cheers.
I am looking forward to the new adaptation for The Stand! I do hope it’s going to be good.
I am quite getting into the festive spirit. Maybe it’s because my tree is up and still standing, maybe because school closed yesterday. Whoop whoop!
I don’t have anything planned reading/watching wise for December. I’ll just take it as it comes!
Hey Mareli — I hope The Stand will be better than the Under the Dome TV series. Hmm it looks to have quite a large cast.
I think I need to start playing some holiday tunes & get our tree so I can into the spirit. You’re way ahead of the game which is good. I think no set plans for reading in Dec. is probably best. Just go with the flow. & Enjoy your month!
Susan,
December is sure to disappoint many of us who are trying to be safe. I hope whatever you do it makes you happy this Christmas.
I hadn’t heard about S&S being acquired by PRH – not a good things as you have stated. I need to watch out for Nomadland, I love Frances McD.
Take care and happy reading.
Thanks Diane. I agree Frances McD is pretty great so I have high hopes about Nomadland. We will see what December brings this year. Should be pretty quiet here. Stay safe there. I think S & S was bought for $2 billion. Uh-oh, PRH has taken over the world of books.
I just let my husband know about The Stand. We don’t have cable or real tv, so I’m not sure how we might watch it.
I’m very interested in Suitable Boy and News of the World.
I was saddened to hear about BookExpo and the takeover (is that the right word?) of S&S.
I’ve just added Perestroika in Paris to my library list.
Hi Deb, yeah I think I might need Perestroika in Paris too … supposed to be a good animal story – I could use something lighter these days. And I was really surprised to hear about the end of BookExpo! That stunned me. Maybe it’ll be back in a couple years. I think The Stand is on CBS all Access which apparently is a streaming service– I’m not sure we get that either. But I think I’m more interested to see if I can find Suitable Boy & News of the World to watch. Hmm. Enjoy your week!
I saw a review of Suitable Boy this morning in the paper and the reviewer was quite disappointed with it. Darn.
Ohh too bad. I had high hopes! I’m not sure yet where I can find it to watch it … but still plan to look for it. thx for passing along the info.
The holidays are definitely different and there is a touch of strangeness all around. I took off to do some stocking stuffer shopping and as I got there, I was like, we are in a new stay at home order what the heck am I thinking? Turned around and ordered some stuff online but it’s not the same. Stores are open with only 25% capacity so the lines to get in are pretty bad and I refuse to wait in line to shop.
My son’s new job at Starbuck’s lasted two days. He didn’t like the noisiness of the place. Plus, a number of people who claimed to be COVID+ and without masks kept coming in! Gave his notice, walked down the street and got a job at William Sonoma as a merchandiser/floor associate. Much more his thing.
Right now it’s 68 degrees but sunny and beautiful. After work I just want to finish my book and watch The Crown but I have been a little distracted.
Did you get your decorations up? We only put up some but the lights on the tree make for some cheery evenings.
Hi Ti, glad you did your shopping online — it makes more sense these days. I think I’m going to get our tree early next week and start the Christmas carols going & decorations. So far it’s been hard to get into the spirit … just can’t get past the Covid spread & ongoing politics by #45 & Co. I hope your son will be able to stay well & safe at his work. The days are passing so quickly. take care!
Hi Susan, It’s been a while. I just finished Mexican Gothic, which I liked a great deal. I’m reading Pretty Things now and the pages are flying by. Next, in my lineup will be The Girl with the Louding Voice, and that ends my reading year–my reading pace picked up over the last three or four prior years. I substituted the Wolf Hall trilogy in the name of quantity, and will have read about six books overall on the “Amazon top of the year’s” lists. Movie-wise, it’s been great for movies this year despite them running just on streaming. I have 34 movies rated 3.5* or higher out of 58 thus far. I’m looking forward to Ammonite, Nomadland, Ma Rainey’s…, and The Midnight Sky. Do you know where I can see Nomadland and News of the World? Because I don’t think they’ll be on Netflix. Frances McDormand, Viola Davis, and George Clooney are getting Oscar buzz for their roles, as is the late Chadwick Boseman. Wonder Woman 84 (WW84) will also be out this Dec. 25 in theaters and HBO Max concurrently. Things to look forward to. 🙂
Hi Carmen: so Great to hear from you. Your reading really sounds on a roll this year, so congrats! And I too want to read The Girl with the Louding Voice soon — so I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it. My new freelance review gig (which so far has been memoir reading) is taking away from my personal reading so we will see if I can ever get back to some beloved fiction.
I’m sort of waiting to hear Where we can watch Nomadland (now at the London Film Fest) and News of the World but so far Nomadland is not on Netflix or Prime – ugh! Keep in touch on the movies you see. Many good ones upcoming which will be nice. Lately we are liking Season 4 of The Crown and the law show Good Fight (for a light something.) Our minds seem to need lightness right now. Cheers.
I found out yesterday that News of the World will show in theaters this Dec. and go in January to streaming on the usual VOD channels–Google Play, Apple, etc. I assume that Nomadland will do the same. I saw amazing reactions to Wonder Woman 1984 from press screening, though they said it was on the longish side. I’ll let you know what I watch and like out there. Keep it up with your review gig. Maybe you can provide a link where we can access the material? Just a thought so we don’t miss it if it’s out there. 😛
Thanks Carmen, that’s a good idea about linking the review material. Yes I will consider doing that — for whenever it’s supposed to run. And good to know about News of the World and Nomadland – I will likely wait to see those in January. And Wonder Woman 1984. I hear Warner Bros will release all its movies next year simultaneously in theaters & on streaming …. wonder if others will follow. Enjoy your week.
Nice weather where you are at. We aren’t getting above 40 right now. super cold but at least it’s sunny. Lots of great movies and TV shows coming up. The Stand is one I’m looking forward to. I remember watching the old one from the 90s! Still love it so I’m really interested in how this one is going to turn out. Those Skarsgard boys are always the creepers in Stephen King adaptations. lol.
Nomadland got some great reviews this year and made Time Magazines top 10 for movies this year. Looking forward to that one as well.
Holidays will be pretty tight this year as well. Our anniversary is next weekend and we’re ordering fancy takeout and walking around town to see some lights. But hey it’s better than nothing and I gotta look at the positives! Glad there is some good news on the vaccine front. Enjoy your week!
Hi Heather — it seems hard to have an anniversary or fun occasion anywhere away right now … but celebrate as much as you can. I like your idea of fancy takeout & seeing the lights. You had a December wedding, wow.
I think Nomadland might not start streaming till January but I’m keen to see it. And good to know about The Stand … I had forgotten the 1990s version of it. The new one looks a bit hokey but maybe not … you can vet it for us.
We’ve had a weird warm streak here … and today is to be 55 degrees, crazy! We have a bike ride planned. Enjoy your week there.
First, that sunset picture is gorgeous!
I feel like there’s never much great released in December or even November (in terms of books). Movies on the other hand can be awesome this time of year. I’m really looking forward to both News of the World and Nomadland. Nomadland I’ll be especially interested in seeing how they focused in because the book covered so many different people and places. Should be good.
Hope you’re able to make it to CA in January. This year it’s hard to know what will happen from month to month, but hopefully the end of all this madness is at least in sight!
Hi Susie, thanks, great to hear from you! I agree the vaccine news gives me big hope — though now with the lockdowns in Calif. and the quarantine … I wonder if my January trip to visit my parents will be delayed till Feb. Hmm.
The movies do look pretty awesome. I hope the streaming of News of the World and Nomadland will happen soon! I wish you very happy holidays and a break from your work … I really enjoyed your book podcast with Sarah recently and will look forward to more.
Yes, we made it to the end of 2020, didn’t we? We will have a very quiet Christmas, which is actually fine with me. I’m enjoying the slower pace of this holiday season, although I’m really miss my daughter and my brothers (and their families). I hope you get to see you folks next month, but be safe! I’m so concerned about my SoCal family members and hope they stay well.
I read Nomadland with my book group and am curious to see how the movie adaptation turns out. It’s bound to be a bleak film, but I love Frances McDormand, so I won’t miss it. I’m not sure about The Stand, though. I read (and loved) the book many, many years ago, but none of the TV adaptations of SK’s books have captured the essence of the stories. Movies such as The Shining, The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me (The body) were all outstanding, but the made-for-tv movies have been disappointing. Midnight Sky looks good, though, as does News of the World. I hadn’t heard about Your Honor, but I’ll add it to my list. Thanks so much for bringing all of this to my attention. We are always looking for something new to watch. Just finished The Undoing, which was very good.
Have a peaceful holiday and take good care.
Thanks Lesley, yeah it’s weird without the family get-togethers — we will miss that. I agree that the made-for-TV King adaptations or series haven’t been as good as some of the movies. I will likely miss The Stand but try to see or find Nomadland. Some critics are saying it’s one of the best of the year. Hmm. We are also now watching The Undoing …. the first two episodes are like non-stop action drama. They pack a lot in! It’s enjoyable in a crazy way. I hope your holidays are happy & peaceful too. Stay well.
So much to absorb in this post! Book Expo gone?! That is wild. Combined with the Simon & Schuster news it doesn’t feel like it bodes well for publishing.
I’m mostly reading backlist and thrillers this month, but I tried Big Girl and stalled out on it. I think literary fiction is just not my head space right now.
I’d love to acknowledge that we’ve passed the worst of 2020, but now we’ve got states suing each other to overturn an election. I’m so ready for this idiocy to end.
Hi Catherine: my husband tells me the world has changed … which seems to mean we’re in for this kind of idiocy & danger for the rest of our lives. Gulp. Even when Biden gets in – a lot of this kind of stuff won’t go away and idiot actions from crazy politicians will likely continue, UGH. Still I can’t wait till Biden gets in. Hmm. I wish we could be cheerier. It’s best to go with readable fiction at this point in the year. And I hope you are enjoying your new home. Happy holidays.
I have A Suitable Boy on my shelf but haven’t read it yet. Sounds like I’d better get on it – the mini-series looks like it’ll be good!
Sad about BookExpo! I’m glad I got to go once, several years ago.
Have a great holiday!
Hey thanks Rachel. Yeah I should go back & read A Suitable Boy … it does look like a good TV series. And I was really surprised to hear about BookExpo … too bad!! Maybe someday it will be back …. Enjoy your holidays too!