Media Rundown for 2/9

What I'm reading, watching and listening to

Emily in Paris

I’m watching Emily in Paris for a super secret project I’m working on. Research! When I’m looking to write something in a setting or time that I’ve never visited, or really even if I have, I like to get the perspective of different people in that setting/time. I wanted to see what it was like to be in Paris for the first time and I wanted it to be lighthearted. This fits the bill. It’s light and frothy and completely unrealistic but fun. I do have lingering questions though. What is the STD rate in Paris? And while you’re at it, what’s the lung cancer rate? Lots a smoking and gettin’ it on.

I made a Black in Paris study guide as well for my high school students who may be interested in Josephine Baker and the Black Literati who chose Paris for self-imposed exile in the 40’s and 50’s.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

I’m reading this one for research as well, or listening. I’ve linked to Libro.fm so you can continue to tell Amazon to leave you alone. It’s as light and frothy as Emily in Paris, but without all the gettin’ it on. This is firmly YA, but was beloved when it came out and has good pacing and a voice that keeps topics surface level. It’s a perfect contemporary escape.

Tuesday Night Music Club by Sheryl Crow

I’m older guys and I love listening to things that I listened to as a kid and this one is a no-skip banger from beginning to end. I can recite the lyrics to every song. I can play them on repeat. This was her debut and like debuts you can tell that time was put into getting every single song right and I’m sure several songs were left on the cutting room floor so that all you got where the choice bits. My faves?

Leaving Las Vegas

Can’t Cry Anymore

We Do What We Can - Ah, this one just stabs you in the heart.

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