Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post about five things that caught my attention this week.
1) We celebrated the 4th of July with a small gathering at our apartment with family. From our balcony we can see the Macy's 4th of July fireworks show over the East River, and they did a wonderful job this year. It really seems like things are returning to normal.
2) I made a new recipe this week- Spaghetti al Limone with Shrimp. It's a great dish to make on a hot summer day when you don't want to turn the oven on. It's from the New York Times, and the lemon really brightens up the dish. I also liked the addition of fresh tarragon. This one is definitely a keeper.
3) When I opened my pint of Van Leeuwen vanilla ice cream, I found this quip on the lid- "Less reading. More eating." What kind of blasphemy is this? I was not amused.
4) I started watching HBO Max's new limited series, Mare of Easttown. Kate Winslet stars as Mare, the only female detective on the police force of the small town of Easttown, Pennsylvania. When a teenager girl is found dead, she is teamed up with a male detective from another department. Mare has been unable to solve the disappearance of another teenage girl months ago, and that girl's mother is understandably frustrated with Mare. Everyone is town is related to everyone else, and Mare's complicated home life adds to her stress. There are some excellent performances from Winslet, Evan Peters (as her new partner), Julianne Nicholson as her best friend, and Jean Smart as her mother. The show is getting darker now, and there seems to be more than one suspect. This show sucks you in.
5) I read two very different books this week. First up is Fed Up!, Colin Lancaster's memoir about the pandemic year as seen through his lens as a hedge fund macro trader. If you are a dedicated CBNC fan, you'll get so much out this. I really learned a lot, and found Lancaster's observations and analysis of the our economy fascinating. My full review is here.
Elyssa Friedland's novel, Last Summer at the Golden Hotel, is a must-read for everyone missing The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The Goldman and Weingold families have owned and operated the Golden Hotel in the Catskills for over 60 years. It was the crown jewel of the Catskill resorts in its heyday, but tastes have changed, and now they are one of the only old-time resorts left standing. The place is run-down, reservations have declined, and when a hedge fund (they keep creeping up here) offers to buy the land to build a casino, the families have to get together to decide what to do. There's three generations of Goldmans and Weingolds, all with their own problems, desires, and secrets to contend with. It's a perfect summer read for the porch, pool or beach. I so enjoyed it.
I hope you all had a happy 4th of July and that summer is off to a good start.
That shrimp pasta recipe looks really good! I make a shrimp and orzo dish with lots of garlic and lemon, which is very refreshing (and easy).
ReplyDeleteWe loved Mare of Easttown and hope the writer will come up with something for a 2nd season. Kate Winslet is outstanding!