This week, we wanted to know how you were keeping yourself entertained with books, movies, and TV shows. We had plenty of responses! Check out some recommendations from your fellow volunteers below.
BOOKS
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
“A Gentleman in Moscow” addresses home-confinement with whimsy and grace. In 1917 the Bolsheviks sentence a playful aristocrat to house-arrest in a luxurious hotel across from the Kremlin, and adventures galore ensue. – submitted by Burt Michaels
Broken Glass by Alex Beam
Broken Glass by Alex Beam is an enjoyable read telling the story of the Mies/Edith Farnsworth relationship. Beam includes many details of the design and construction of the Farnsworth House that help fill in the details of the contrast in goals between an architectural vision and satisfying the perceived needs of a client. In the process, the story reveals much about the character and personalities of the two central people who gave us the Farnsworth House. – submitted by Jack Kremers
Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson – submitted by Amanda Lewis
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck – submitted by Jan Elson
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Scott Anderson – submitted by Jaime Villalobos
Chicago: A Biography by Dominic Pacyga – submitted by Rich Winship
Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang – submitted by Caroline Duda
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
A great, can’t put down read. – submitted by Bobbi Pinkert
Wilmington’s Lie by David Zucchino
Those who like history might find Wilmington’s Lie by David Zucchino worthwhile. – submitted by Dan Jares
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
An Oprah’s Book Club selection, The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton connects to the current film/book Just Mercy. – submitted by Dan Jares
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou – submitted by Marisol Kelly
The Night Tiger: A Novel by Yangsze Choo – submitted by Marisol Kelly
The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
It is the story of Hedy Lamar. Pretty good read! There is also a documentary on Netflix about her as well. – submitted by Amy Zimmerman
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe – submitted by Kathleen Hanley
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larsen – submitted by Kathleen Hanley
Dragonfly by Lelia Meacham – submitted by Allison Scaia
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee – submitted by Allison Scaia
Overstory by Richard Powers
A compelling story that weaves the lives of 9 people as they coalesce to fight against the damage done by clear-cutting our forests. Along the way, you learn utterly fascinating things about trees. – submitted by Dave Utech
This is Chance by Jon Mooallem
Just in time for our time of crisis, the author recounts the Anchorage earthquake of 1964, and the woman (Genie Chance) whose radio voice helped calm citizens and bring the city together over a period of three days. Also woven into the book is Anchorage’s community production of Wilder’s Our Town, with parallels to the disaster happening to the city. As a psychologist, I was especially struck by the sociological research that has shown time and again that in times of disaster most ordinary folks respond with altruism, not panic. – submitted by Dave Utech
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai – submitted by Jacki Heilbrunn
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb – submitted by Jacki Heilbrunn
The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here by Hope Jahren – submitted by Michelle Woods
The Nation City: Why Mayors Are Now Running the World by Rahm Emanuel
Of course, he favorably reviews many of his decisions about difficult subjects. But one major thesis is that the national governments in the U.S. and elsewhere have abrogated their roles in solving urban problems and Mayors must now do so. In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, you could also say Governors must lead, too. – submitted by Bill Lipsman
Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey Into the Heart of America by James and Deborah Fallows
The book is recommended by Rahm Emanuel in his book. The Fallows’ report on their visits to dozen of small and medium sized American cities over the past 5 years and what they have discovered has led to the rejuvenation of these places. Urban planning and design is a big factor in the rebirth of the cities and these physical changes set the stage for changes in education, housing, transportation, poverty, and environment protection. The Fallows are both veteran journalists who write for “The Atlantic” and other publications. – submitted by Bill Lipsman
Shell Game by Sara Paretsky
In one chapter, her detective, V.I. Warshawsky, takes her neighbor and niece on the Chicago Architecture Foundation (not CAC yet) walking tour. Paretsky’s novels are set in Chicago so there are many familiar location descriptions, U of C, Oriental Institute, etc. – submitted by Maurice Champagne
These Truths by Jill Lepore
It’s an up to date history of the US that tells a much more inclusive story. – submitted by Charles Gurian
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
The third volume of Hilary Mantel’s chronicle of Thomas Cromwell. It follows Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, telling the story of King Henry VIII and Cromwell, his closest advisor. This book is quite as good as the other two — it is stuffed with lots of filler — but losing yourself in Tudor England takes the mind away from social distancing and quarantine. – submitted by Ellen Shubart
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
A story of life in a makeshift slum area of Mumbai. It is non-fiction, but has a dramatic story line and intriguing characters. Highly recommended! – submitted by Susan Jacobson
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth – submitted by Susan Jacobson
Man’s 4th Best Hospital by Samuel Shem
A book that I read a few months ago without putting down and have referenced several times in the past few weeks is. Although written as a novel by a doctor, it is also a true story about our health care system that will make you laugh and cry. – submitted by Joan Stewart
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis.
A sci-fi classic from over 20 years ago. Young time-traveling historian finds herself accidentally sent back to England in 1348, as the Black Death erupts. – submitted by Cynthia Bates
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
In a post-pandemic, post-civilization world, a small troupe of Shakespearean actors travel the wilds of Canada, staging plays in exchange for food. – submitted by Cynthia Bates
The Women by T.C. Boyle
I visited Florida Southern College in February and took a 4 hour tour of the campus which has the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in one location. That prompted me to buy two books in the gift shop: The FLW Quarterly Summer 2001, Vol.12 No.3 and The Women about his 4 women. – submitted by Nancy Schwab
MOVIES
While You Were Sleeping…
Sandra Bullock is great in this romantic comedy. It’s a great Chicago movie: Sandra Bullock’s character Lucy works for the CTA and there’s great footage of the city all throughout. It’s my mom’s favorite movie and we’ve already watched it once during this time of isolation. – submitted by Michele Kuhn
TV SHOWS
The Office
No matter how many times I’ve seen each episode, they never get old. – submitted by Kelly Manteck
Unorthodox
I recommend the Netflix 4-part mini-series “Unorthodox,” based on a memoir by the protagonist. A young woman flees her Hassidic community to fulfill her dreams in, of all places, Berlin’s hipster-musical scene. You don’t have to be Jewish to love it. – submitted by Burt Michaels
The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes
I’d like to recommend a Netflix series called” The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes”. It’s wonderful for architecture geeks and “house porn” lovers in our community. Every episode features four jaw-dropping homes organized either by geography (for example homes in Portugal or Japan) or by setting (such as seaside, mountain, forest, etc.) The show is hosted by two Brits: an architect and an actress who provide interesting commentary and interview the architects who’ve designed the homes as well as the owners. This is the perfect show for the CAC community! – submitted by Emily Clott
Gilmore Girls
A TV show I am currently re-watching is the Gilmore Girls. The grandmother-mother-daughter relationships and that witty banter get me every time. – submitted by Amanda Lewis
The Chi
The character development, the mix of good and not so good aspects of humans, and the Chicago setting have made it pretty interesting. – submitted by Jan Elson
The Munsters – submitted by Sharon McDaniels
MacGyver – submitted by Sharon McDaniels
Modern Love – submitted by Rich Winship
Schitt’s Creek – submitted by Caroline Duda
Outlander – submitted by Amy Zimmerman
Killing Eve – submitted by Amy Zimmerman
Homeland – submitted by Kathleen Hanley
Mozart in the Jungle – submitted by Eileen Jacobs
Unbelievable (Netflix) – submitted by Joni Hirsch Blackman
Ozark (Netflix) – submitted by Joni Hirsch Blackman
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video) – submitted by Nancy Schwab
The ABC Murders (Prime Video)
An Agatha Christy mystery with John Malkovich as Poirot. – submitted by Maurice Champagne
Thanks, all, for your recommendations. I’ve read or watched a few, and these are fine suggestions for more. I’ll offer one more, having just finished The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. It’s a follow-on to The Handmaid’s Tale, and it’s just as engrossing and scary.
I just finished that book too!
What a literate group we have. If we ever had time and opportunity we could create a great book club.
Some of my recent reads:
1. John Szarkowski’s Photographs
2. Philip Jodidio’s Architecture:Art
3. Constructing Words: Photography and Architecture in the Modern Age, ed. Alona Pardo & Elias Redstone
4. Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class, Revisited
5. Richard Lloyd’s Neo-Bohemia: Art and Commerce in the postindustrial City. Includes a discussion of Wicker Park.
6. TONS of Art/Architecture glossy picture books!!
Check out Harvard Professor Edward Glaeser’s book, Triumph of the City, I learned about it (and later read it) while auditing the online edX course from HarvardX – CitiesX: The Past, Present and Future of Urban Life. While Prof. Glaeser has an obvious bias towards cities, he makes many interesting points.
Here are a few other books that were recommended from the course, as key for understanding the development of cities, and where they will go in the future. Many were written for a general audience, and provide a grounding in urban studies. You should recognize at least a few of these titles:
• The Streets Were Paved With Gold by Ken Auletta
• Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
• Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West by William Cronon
• Cities in Civilization by Peter Hall
• The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
• The Economy of Cities by Jane Jacobs
• Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States by Kenneth T. Jackson
• The Urban Transportation Problem by John R. Meyer, John F. Kain, and Martin Wohl
• Regional Advantage by Anna Lee Saxenian
Hello All,
Here is my full comment:
I am escaping by reading a carefully curated list of dystopian fiction ! (courtesy of The Guardian)
Severance, by local author Ling Ma (U of Chicago), an award-winning first novel. Mash-up of zombie apocalypse/late stage capitalism/decadent consumerism: Is this the end of the world or just another day at the office? Mostly set in NYC, and pitch perfect insight into Millennial ennui. Culprit is mysterious fungal infection “Shen Fever”. Brilliantly frightening.
The Domesday Book, sci-fi classic from over 20 years ago by Connie Willis. Young time-traveling historian finds herself accidentally sent back to England in 1348, as the Black Death erupts.
Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel. In a post-pandemic, post-civilization world, a small troupe of Shakespearean actors travel the wilds of Canada, as the narrative toggles between post pandemic and pre pandemic time frames, culprit is the Georgian ( the country, not the state) flu.
Some other excellent recommendations on the list which I have previously read:
The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai (another award-winning local author). Two parallel stories, one set in the 1980’s during the AIDs epidemic, the other with the aftermath unfolding in the present.
Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks. Gripping historical novel of a small English village during the Bubonic plague epidemic of 1665-1666.
The Power, by Naomi Alderman. Mysterious pandemic gives women the ability to inflict pain on men by their touch, ultimately inverting the political, economic, social and gendered power structures. (perhaps not really so dystopian? Actually very empowering)
The Plague, by Albert Camus, the granddaddy (grandmother?) of pandemic novels and an allegory of fascism.
And for those for whom there can never be Too Much Tudor, The Mirror and the Light, the 750 pg concluding volume of Hilary Mantel’s trilogy(1700 pgs total) about Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s henchman, concluding with his awful beheading. Unlike Anne with the skilled French swordsman, he got the second best executioner.
Cheers,
Cynthia