What to Watch January 2020

New year, new shows! I've listed my shows to watch for as well as complete listings for what's new on various streaming services. It can be hard to keep track of it all, but with a little list in your life it's all doable.

And away we go!

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You're going to grow to care about this character and the life-changing journey she's on. It's a little rough around the edges at the start, but stick with it.

Queenie has a lot of issues, with men, with family, and with how she's willing to let herself be treated. I didn't have the exact issues or have them to the degree Queenie did when I was young and single, but man oh man did I make some bad dating choices, and it was often down to not knowing my own self worth or to immediately walk away from obvious BS. She has the additional challenge of dealing with racist attitudes, even from men who are trying to win her over. Her story really resonated for me, as I'm sure it will for a lot of women.

The 10 Best TV Shows of 2019

TV seems to just keep getting better and better, and 2019 was a doozy of a year for viewers. Several great new programs arrived on the scene, but it was also a killer year for new seasons of some existing shows. We even got two new streaming services that both offered must-see programs out of the gate from Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus.

I've compiled a list of my 10 top shows of the year. In a sign of the times, the overwhelming majority of them came from a premium service like HBO or a streaming service.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The way Elizabeth Strout writes can knock you sideways. The characters feel achingly real, and the little details about their lives are insightful and beautifully phrased. For instance:

"And any unpleasantness that may have occurred back in his home, any uneasiness at the way his wife often left their bed to wander through their home in the night’s dark hours—all this receded like a shoreline as he walked through the safety of his pharmacy."

It "receded like a shoreline." You can almost feel that emotion, touch it, see it. What a simple yet stunning use of simile. I don't know what sorcery this is, but we'll call it a gift. One the author has, one she shares with us.

Everyone's a Critic by Jennifer Weiner

This quick, light read dishes out a revenge fantasy from an author sick of feeling disparaged or ignored by literary critics. 

You can tell Jennifer Weiner has had it up to here as you read Everyone's a Critic. All the unlikable traits heaped on an increasingly unfortunate critic, Laurel, lets you know Weiner is pissed. The bladder-infection-from-Hell the critic suffers tells you Weiner is ready to BURN IT DOWN. 

What to Watch December 2019

Holidays are here, and it's time to make your list and check it twice ... your December viewing list, that is. Santa will take care of the gifties, but I've got you covered on what to watch.

My personal picks for new shows and movies dropping on streaming services in December are below, along with links to full listings of what's coming to each streaming service. I've also compiled a list of links to a slew of holiday viewing guides you can find here, that includes everything from Hallmark Christmas movies to where to watch classics like It's a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story.

And away we go!