7 Things I Loved in December

Books, Streaming, an Indulgence, Plus a Few of my Favorite Substacks

As much as I love reading other people’s year-end best-of lists, actually writing one feels daunting. How to distill twelve months of reading and watching into a single post? So instead of the best of 2024, I thought I’d share some of the books and other indulgences that brought me joy in December. I’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments.

Film: A Complete Unknown

My final in-theater movie of the year was A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic directed by James Mangold, adapted from Elijah Wald’s Dylan Goes Electric!

I loved every minute of this movie. We saw it at a packed theater in Redwood City, California on Sunday night; all the earlier shows that day in every nearby theater were sold out. Timothée Chalamet as Dylan was inspired. I just kind of sat back and let the music wash over me.

The movie features a lot of scenes with Joan Baez (played by Monica Barbaro). Back in 2016, I saw Baez speak at a small rally on the public square just across the street from the movie theater. She led us in song. We were tired and sad and trying to figure out what to do next, and she was a calm, inspiring voice for the moment. (Remember the women’s marches and rallies in the wake of the 2016 election? It almost seems like a different era.)

Book (Nonfiction): The Position of Spoons and Other Intimacies by Deborah Levy

I didn’t realize that Deborah Levy had a new book out until I happened upon The Position of Spoons and Other Intimacies in the essay section at Booksmith on Haight Street. In a starred review, Publisher’s Weekly calls it “A dazzling collection of musings on art, aging, psychoanalysis, celebrity car crashes, and more.”

Levy, On The Lover by Marguerite Duras:

I’m not convinced a book as incandescent as The Lover, more existential than feminist, would be published today. Not in Britain anyway. Questions would arise. Are the characters likable (not exactly), is it experimental or mainstream (neither), is it a novel or a novella? Fortunately for Duras, it didn’t matter to her readers. It sold a million copies in forty-three languages, won the Prix Goncourt and was made into a commercial film.

It has been many years since I read The Lover, though I’ve read other titles by Duras, including Writing, within the last five years. And I have to agree with Levy that a book such as The Lover might not be published today. When literature must pass a litmus test of propriety on various grounds, so much is lost. Levy’s chapter on Duras prompted me to buy The Lover, Wartime Notebooks, Practicalites, which contains a collection of autobiographical essays and notebook entries alongside her most famous work of fiction.

Book (Fiction)

Also found at The Booksmith: Users by Colin Winnette. I’m about halfway through this book, in which a young family man who works for a tech company begins receiving death threats—or what he thinks are death threats—which begin to derail his marriage and his mental health. Written with a sense of humor and a light touch, it’s a fun weekend read.

Throwback Spectacle: Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward (2002)

On family movie night, after rewatching The Fighter (2010, written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson, directed by David O. Russell, starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams), we watched the first match between Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward—all nine rounds. I understand why it is sometimes called the fight of the century.

Also, this is one of the many things that having a son has brought into my life: no one else on the planet could have convinced me to sit down and watch an hour-long boxing match (or attend a cage fight, for that matter). I’m glad I did.

Streaming: Better Things

The TV series Better Things, created by Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K., starring Adlon, may be the best thing on TV that I never knew existed (thanks to my sister-in-law for the recommendation). Adlon plays Pamela Fox, a thinly veiled version of herself, raising three challenging daughters while making a living as an actor. There’s nothing glamorous about the show. It’s a love letter to LA; a window into single motherhood (Fox’s self-important, freeloading ex isn’t a father in any sense of the word—he only shows up to ask for alimony); a glimpse into the daily life of a working actor.

Streaming: La Palma

I’m a total sucker for one very specific genre: Norwegian TV series in which two young rogue scientists notice a geological anomaly, warn their bosses about a coming tsunami, the boss doesn’t want to cause panic so does nothing, and in the midst of it all a nice if troubled Norwegian family of four must survive after being separated from one another, usually because the teenager acts erratically. (Like I said, it’s a very specific genre). No matter who plays the lead, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is always somewhere in the mix, usually drinking and dying heroically.

So of course I binged La Palma on Netflix. This is true treadmill fare. I love a show that keeps me on the treadmill for two hours at a stretch, where the shifting incline doesn’t bother me because I can just read the subtitles.

Indulgence: My Niece’s Creamy Mocha Jello Shots for Thanksgiving

A few years ago, my niece Simone began a tradition of brining jello shots to family gatherings. They always look pretty, are artfully presented (she works at a museum), and ramp up the fun on a long night of the usual wine and champagne.

These are bespoke jello shots, born of many hours of deliberation and care. This time they were some sort of creamy espresso jello shot, probably involving Kahlua, though I don’t ask questions about the recipe. It’s always nice to have something festive before heading into dry January.

Substacks for Creative People:

• My most exciting Substack discovery this month was

  Lloyd Cole
  , featuring a deep dive into his notebooks, “audio song evolution” through the cassette project, and randomly wonderful posts like My Italian Girlfriend. If you’re a Lloyd Cole fan, this newsletter will make you happy.

• All things film with Cole Haddon at

  5AM StoryTalk
  , including How to Survive the Future as an Artist, and Haddon’s copious notes featuring Hollywood photographs and film stills

• Rebecca Schoenkopf talking politics like nobody else over at

  Wonkette
  . No matter how dim things get, Wonkette makes me laugh out loud. This is the only Substack I regularly read aloud to my husband, who finds it equally truthful and hilarious. She was my go-to during election season.

• Hey Mrs. Solomon on Style
  . Mrs. Solomon is 50+, her style is fresh and edgy, never fussy, and she doesn’t accept free stuff from brands. I enjoyed her latest post, 19 Ageless, Non-Cringe Ways to Lean into Sexy—on Sylvie of Emily in Paris channeling Carine Roitfeld (Sylvie is antidote to Emily’s gaudy, so-not-French fashion disasters), JLo’s youthful urban ensembles, Nicole Kidman’s meh Babygirl costumes (“both too subdued and too showy”), and Mrs. Solomon’s fashion hard no’s (pencil skirts and four-inch heels). Her What I Wore All Week posts are especially fun.

• Patti Smith
  being Patti Smith, including saying goodbye to her last moments of being 77 in a knit hat. Did you know that even Patti Smith, while writing a book, sometimes thinks, “This isn’t happening, I’m never gonna do it”? But then something does happen and “I get clarity.” Smith talks quietly from a dark bedroom about life, music, writing, and people from her past. Her video posts are an ongoing brilliant treatise on creativity and kindness. And a reminder that the people we gravitate to are those who pair talent with humility. Smith’s Substack is pure light and joy, even when she’s melancholy, as she sometimes is. She has the gift of making you feel as though she’s speaking directly to you. It’s like being in the presence of the kindest friend.

That’s all for now. Wishing you a wonderful New Year. See you in 2025!

Thank you, as always, for reading this newsletter. In the comments, I’d love to hear what you read, watched, and loved in 2024.