August 2026 Nonpareils: Circe, Bodkin and Mon Rovîa
📚 Reading
Circe by Madeline Miller
Huh. A book about a witch. How novel.
An in-depth reimagining of how Circe, a minor character in The Odyssey, became the witch of Aiaia, Circe might be the best book I’ve read this year so far. I remember I read it when it first came out, around 2019. Reading it now after having a son of my own hits totally different and I can see myself mirrored in the character to a far greater extent.
Get it on Bookshop.org
When Eating Out Is Political by Madeline Leung Coleman (New York Magazine)
As someone who likes to cook, eat and write, it’s no surprise that I am into food journalism. Food is a true universal - everyone must eat. Food is obviously tied to culture and this article is an in-depth exploration of the fact that what used to be covered under the broad umbrella of “Middle Eastern” has now become intensely political. Well worth the read.
🎧 Listening To
The Case of The Missing Hit - Reply All (podcast)
A wonderfully told story about the most mundane of things - a song getting stuck in your head, being unable to recall what the song is and the lengths you will go to in order to feed this obsessive need to figure out what this song is. Also, this podcast had me yelling in the car when Rob Sheffield made an appearance - “I fucking said Rob Sheffield would know! He’s a Talmudic scholar of all musical knowledge!”
No-one is with you in the car, Jemmy. You’re just yelling to yourself.
Crooked The Road - Mon Rovîa
I listened to this song on repeat while driving through the Smoky Mountains and now, it has made a home in a quiet little valley in my soul. Afro-Appalachian artist Janjay Lowe survived civil war in Liberia (his nom de plume is a reference to Liberian capital city Monrovia) and was adopted by an American family when he was seven. Lowe’s pensive vocals and folk-tinged melodies are the history of the South’s trauma and America’s original sin - sad, beautiful and worth spending some hours listening to.
🎦 Watching
The Odyssey
To his credit, my ex loved movies and he’s the one who introduced me to the concept of IMAX versus LIE-max about twenty years before anyone was really talking about it and as a result, I ended up seeing The Dark Knight - with scenes shot in IMAX - at 6:00am at a proper IMAX theater in King of Prussia, PA.
The theater in Palm Beach Gardens is a Lie-Max but the experience was bold, big and loud - as I’m sure Chris Nolan intended the film to be. I initially balked at casting Travis Scott as the bard but when it comes to Nolan, I should just trust the process. Fantastic film, amazing performances by Samantha Morton (“back to your disguises” is one of my top ten movie lines) and I am so glad I saw it in the theater as opposed to in my living room.
Bodkin (Netflix)
Cheery, American podcaster, unassuming producer and spiky journalist end up in a small village in Ireland to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three people during a Samhain festival and as is usually the case, things aren’t always what they seem. It’s funny, dark and clever which is basically my favorite genre of all things. Also, it makes me want to plan another trip to Ireland because it really is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been.
🍳 Dining
Palak paneer
I’m very reluctant to buy spinach these days because of the RFK of it all but every now and then, a girl needs a spicy pureed spinach curry. Add a handful of peas and top with pomegranate seeds and you’ve got something close to perfect.
Homemade palak paneer curry topped with sweet peas and fresh pomegranate seeds, served with basmati rice.
🤷🏽♀️ Misc.
Company Pants (Instagram)
Chris is a Canadian designer who shares his book recommendations online. I like his writing, his design work and his recommendations. God, I love people who enjoy something and share it with the world.
Grace Dent (Instagram)
Speaking of people who love things and share it with the world, Grace Dent is the restaurant critic for The Guardian and God, I love a smart, clever, funny and opinionated woman who loves to eat and writes things like:
“However, none of the jokes at Punk Royale is really playful: rather, they’re mostly big, clumsy sledgehammer thwacks. Such as when, for example, they turn off the lights, serve some substandard remoulade, and instruct you to lick it off the plate, while blasting Khia’s My Neck, My Back again and again as your soul dies.”
She’s English in the best way, writes cheeky little one line bios like, “Grace Dent firmly believes that if there’s no chutney, it’s not a real cheese board. She hears you prefer charcoal biscuits to Ritz crackers? Well, she hopes you enjoy charcoal crackers on your family’s tomb because your bloodline is weak and will not survive the winter” over photos from Allo Allo and I would love to share a fantastic meal with her.
