Welcome to Touching Grass! Once a month, I’m going to share all of my favourites from the last few weeks. This is an extension to the little section at the end of my weekly newsletter, in which I list my top books, films, podcasts, TV shows, etc.
Basically, it's anything that’s saved me from doomscrolling and restored some life back into my soul.
Let’s get started
📺 TELEVISION
In December, all of my favourite shows came to an end at the same time. I said farewell to Drag Race UK, Bake Off and Taskmaster, all within the space of a week. Absolutely devastating. With that in mind, I binged a few great series to keep me from falling into a pit of despair.
Hilarious sitcom with only six episodes so far. Two daughters living at home with their mother, all three of whom are absolutely nuts, but must behave as normal as possible so their mam can woo a normie to help get them out of debt. Be prepared, if you hate cringe, this one’s not for you. Some of the scenes are on-par with Peep Show. Be warned.
Written by Taskmaster S1 darling Lucy Beaumont, Hullraisers is a heart-warming sitcom. I only watched this because I went to university in Hull and I was excited to see the under-appreciated city on my telly, but I ended up loving it so much. The characters are all hilarious and it’s pretty lighthearted, so I recommend this if you are missing Ghosts.
A US drama that tells of an alternative timeline whereby the Russians were first to land on the moon. This is a sci-fi show, yes, but it’s more of a human drama set against a sci-fi backdrop. There are four seasons, and I am only on number two, so I can’t confirm that it continues to be this good, but the last two episodes of season one, let me tell you, had me in a chokehold. I highly recommend this if you are looking for a big, chunky series to get into and you love space stuff like me.
🎥 FILM
Is this even a December round-up if it doesn’t mention Saltburn? I went to see it in the cinema last month, and then ended up re-watching it twice since it dropped on Prime in December. I have no regrets.
Saltburn is by no means a perfect film. This probably sounds wanky, but it’s allegoric. There are plotholes and other issues, but, for me, that doesn’t detract from what a masterpiece it is. I haven’t laughed that much at a film for a long time (maybe since The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent?). All of the main characters’ performances were fab, but Rosamund Pike had me rolling - fantastic comedic timing. All hail Elspeth.
I was a lesbian for a while, you know, but it was all a bit too wet for me in the end. Men are so lovely and dry. - Elspeth (Rosamund Pike) in Saltburn.
On New Year’s Eve, we decided to watch horror films and eat our weight in snacks. First up, we finally watched Pearl, the prequel to X - a slasher flick we both actually found a little underwhelming at the time. Pearl, however, was a really great watch. Mia Goth’s performance firmly establishes her as the Queen of Scream Queens in my eyes. I am really looking forward to the third and final instalment in this series, MaXXXine, which I believe is due out later this year.
On a high from Pearl, we went straight into this Argentinian horror. Where Evil Lurks is a very, very dark tale that lands somewhere in the middle of a ‘deadly virus’ piece and possession tale. Honestly, this film is gross. Objectively, it’s very good as I was scared shitless. But if you are squeamish or easily frightened, I wouldn’t go there.
📚 BOOKS
I ended 2023 with 54 books read, not quite my 67 target but still good innings for someone with a toddler, a business and two rescue dogs. In December, I read…
A recommendation from
, this tells the story of a woman who believes she is possessed by a demon and her slow descent into madness. I think what made this so engrossing for me was that the story was told from the protagonist’s point of view, so you felt as though you were on that journey with her as she began to question the world around her.Marketed as the next ‘Normal People’ I entered this with hesitance, as I am obviously a Sally Rooney stan. I did enjoy it, and I think if you’re into lit fic then it’s worth a read.
With the above in mind, I re-read one of my favourite books of all time. It’s still great. Better than Talking at Night. Rooney’s writing for a millenial audience is unparalleled, IMO.
A memoir from Amanda Brown, a doctor who has worked in some of the UK’s most famous prisons. There are some interesting stories here, and Amanda tells them without it feeling like she is using the lives of vulnerable people for her own content. You can tell she is really good at her job, although the writing is a bit stilted at times I don’t think that takes too much away from the memoir as a whole.
As a fan of both of Harrow’s previous novels (Ten Thousand Doors of January & Once and Future Witches), I was excited to pick this up with one of my birthday book vouchers. While it’s still a fun read, it’s probably the weakest of her third novels. It felt a little young adult-y to me, and the romance element took over the plot in a way that I didn’t love.
🎙️PODCAST EPISODES
If you’re not familiar with Off Menu, it’s a long-running podcast hosted by comedians Ed Gamble and James Acaster where celebrity guests come and share their dream meal. One of this year’s Christmas Special guests was Ross Noble, famed Geordie comedian and all-round good guy. This episode was hilarious from start to finish, with some absolutely bonkers tangents. I challenge you to listen without laughing out loud. It’s impossible.
The perfect antidote to the enforced familial socialising of the festive break, podcaster and illustrator Lily O’Farrell presents this interesting episode looking into different kinds of family dynamics and how to deal with problematic discussions at the dinner table.
IYKYK. Rehash is a podcast that aims to unearth some of the Internet’s forgotten obsessions, and this deep-dive into the Bye Sister scandal between beauty bloggers Tati Westbrook and James Charles was a fun throwback to a pre-pandemic world where our biggest worries were who was taking what haircare supplements. There are a few other Rehash episodes I enjoyed in December, including an interesting one about the time Kim Kardashian “broke the internet” and the racial implications of the infamous Paper Magazine cover shoot.
🎭
Hamilton at Palace Theatre, Manchester.
I’ve loved Hamilton for so long, so seeing it in this beautiful theatre was really a highlight of 2023 for me. I am hoping to go to the theatre a lot more in 2024 and 2025 so any recommendations are very appreciated.
Got any recommendations for me based on the above? Let me know in the comments below.