Hi there lovely peoples, still having fun in self-isolation land? Finally able to sneak a little time for yourself, to relax, regroup and re-energise? Promised I’d round up and share a few books and Netflix/Foxtel marathons into your regroup box and. Thanks to friends and colleagues skilled in the art of escapism, here’s their top 5:
Book fix
Looking to fuel your apocalyptic fascination? After reading these dystopian novels, you’ll feel surprisingly reassured about life post-pandemic.
Station Eleven (Emily St John Mandel) – centres around Jeevan, one of the few survivors after mysterious flu quickly turns into a full-blown pandemic. This book is beautifully written.
The Hunger Games trilogy (Suzanne Collins) – focuses on a futuristic view of survival of the fittest. If you didn’t see the movies, grab these and cheer for Katniss.
Brave New World (Aldus Huxley) – published in 1932 – shares a future where citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarchy. Read it in the 70’s – scared the wits out of me!
1984 (George Orwell) – published in 1949 – depicts an imagined future, the year 1984, when the world has fallen victim to perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance, historical negationism and propaganda. The darkest of classics.
The Handmaids Tale (Margaret Atwood) – features a dystopian world that unfolds after a second American civil war, where a totalitarian society subjects fertile women, called ‘Handmaids’ into child-bearing slavery. I’ve been obsessed with the SBS series!
Series fix
Who doesn’t love a good marathon? This is an eclectic bunch with something for everyone, except the kiddies.
Ozark – centres on a married couple forced to relocate their family to the Ozarks following amoney-laundering scheme gone wrong. Darlene remains in my nightmares!
Mad Men – a classic about a womanising advertising executive, the plot tracks the people in his personal and professional lives, and as the series progresses, you’ll observe the changing moods and social mores of the US throughout the 1960s. Damn, I love you Don, you sexy beast!
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness – this “crazy true crime” documentary centres on Joe Exotic, grandiose big cat zoo owner (and country musician), convicted for trying to put a hit on animal rights activist Carole Baskin. Jaysus there’s a few cray-cray’s out there!
The English Game – set in the 1870s, football was once a sport for the wealthy British before a working-class star and his upper-class counterpart come together to change the Game forever. For a non-sporty girl, I loved this series.
Succession – centres on the fictional Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of a global media and hospitality empire who are fighting for control of the company amidst uncertainty about the health of the family’s patriarch. Gripping season finale – can’t wait for the next season!
I know you’ll have heaps more – why not drop them into the comments box below. Meanwhile, enjoy!
