5-4-3-2-1: New Years, zombie flicks, & a fun calendar

#6 in my culture-roundup-meets-personal-diary series.

Hi friends,

I hope you’ve all recovered from your holiday season colds by now (if you never got sick, consider yourself lucky). I went to Budapest to spend time with my partner’s family (where I promptly came down with the flu) and then to Paris (where I finished recovering with help from my mom’s vegetable soup and chocolate chip cookies). Anyway, I’m now back in the UK, and today’s newsletter comes from Bath.

Here’s the first 5-4-3-2-1 of 2023!

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5 things I’m looking forward to in 2023:

(1) Breaking Point, a Netflix tennis docu-series, produced by the same company who created Drive to Survive (the show that got me obsessed with Formula 1–which you should also watch if you haven’t). Box-to-Box Films is good at constructing narratives that are fun and easy to follow for people new to the sport (and they play up the drama, for better or worse). I’m obsessed with the trailer, and it comes out Jan 17!

(2) Billie Eilish Live at the O2 in cinemas on Jan 27. Basically, I get to relive the Billie concert I went to with my parents in June, which was my highlight of 2022!

(3) The start of a new F1 season. Yes, I had to include it. This means Mercedes will have a new car, which means a new shot at winning the championship, or at least a few wins for Lewis. Pre-season testing begins Feb 23, and the first race is March 5!

(4) A film music gala at Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. I decided that I wanted more live music in my life this year, and I thought this would be a fun way to experience a live orchestra (plus have an excuse to dress up). The concert I’m going to is in May, but there are so many good ones on the RAH calendar.

(5) Silverborn: the Mystery of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, Book 4), by Jessica Townsend. This is one of my favorite fantasy book series–think Harry Potter x His Dark Materials–but written by an Australian author who isn’t transphobic. These books are fun, magical, easy reads, and bring me back to the days when I stayed up late as a kid to finish my HP books. Book 4 has a release date for Oct. 2023.

4 great gift ideas I wanted to share for Christmas but didn’t:

So, I was going to post these before Christmas, but it felt disingenuous. I didn’t really do gifts this year, a lot of us are struggling financially (#costoflivingcrisis), and it just felt kind of gross to push the capitalist ‘must buy stuff for loved ones’ narrative this Christmas. Still, I came up with a fab list of gift ideas (if I may say so myself), and I want to share them because they’re good for any occasion. If you’re feeling stale with gift ideas, and you have a friend’s birthday coming up and want to surprise them, here are my ideas.

(1) Witchy shit! Obviously this rec is for a specific audience, but my fave shop in the UK is Blackmoon Botanica (Edinburgh). The owner, Brooke, makes handmade candles (Black Cat is my favorite scent), does audio-recorded natal chart readings (I did this and it was incredible!), and even offers the occasional retreat or class. I would also recommend Tarn & Moon, who make hand-blended teas in Yorkshire with a witchy twist; Cunning Folk, an independent magazine ‘covering magic, mythology, folklore, and the occult’; Little Red Tarot (UK), which mostly sells indie tarot decks (they also have a self-directed tarot course online, which I’ve done!); and books by Juliet Diaz, an indigenous Taino Cubana who pushes back on the wellness industry and is an outspoken activist (I loved Witchery: Embrace the Witch Within, but I’d love to read her new book, The Altar Within: A Radical Devotional Guide to Liberate the Divine Self).

(2) Subscriptions to content creators. Many writers on Substack have a paid-for option (I don’t yet, thanks for asking!). I’d recommend Jessica Defino’s The Unpublishable for someone who wants to take a critical look at the beauty industry and reassess their personal relationship to beauty and beauty culture. Writers might like a subscription to In Writing by Hattie Criswell or Story Club by George Saunders. Do any of your fave podcasts or shops have a Patreon? I’m a Patreon to Blackmoon Botanica (mentioned above) for only a few pounds a month, and she gives us weekly astrology audios (and more!). Alternatively, a subscription to a media site or magazine, like the New Yorker, NYT, NYT cooking, might also be nice for someone sick of hitting the paywall!

(3) Books, duh. But have you ever considered regifting books that are already on your shelves? Why not wrap a book you’ve already got at home and personalize it with a letter to your recipient on the inside cover saying why you loved it and why you wanted to pass it on to them? There’s something so personal about sharing an experience through the same material object (anyone remember Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?). For independent bookstores doing good things and worth giving your money to (imho), I recommend Bluestockings (NYC), Housman’s (London), Juno Books (Sheffield), and Lighthouse Books (Edinburgh). There are also lots of independent bookstores offering subscriptions, memberships, and book club events these days (these will obviously be specific to your location, but I recommend googling those phrases with your city!). For example, Mr B’s Book Emporium in Bath has a bibliotherapist who will handpick a monthly book to match your tastes. Bluestockings offer different memberships (from $5/month), and Juno Books has monthly in-person and online book clubs, where tickets cover the book and event.

(4) Tickets to a show. I’m not necessarily talking West End or Broadway (although, go for it, if that’s your budget or if you can find last minute deals). I mean, what about your local drag show, a dance or ballet production (doesn’t have to be the biggest professional company in town– check out the smaller companies, too!), a concert (even if you don’t know the bands or orchestra), or even a night out at your local indie cinema? Some of my favorite gifts have been experiences at the theatre with a friend or my family.

3 Korean zombie films I watched instead of holiday films:

I wanted to watch holiday films nonstop this year to get in the spirit, only to remember that holiday films suck and make me grumpy because they’re so bad. Also, sorry, but Glass Onion also sucked and my mom and I gave up after 40 minutes. Instead we turned to zombie flicks, and I’m now currently super into Korean cinema (especially zombie films). I see you looking at me like wtf Rachel, but TRUST ME on this one! If you can’t watch gore or violence, give these a miss, but otherwise I highly recommend all of these without hesitation.

(1) #Alive (2020). This was the first one we watched, and I cried and cried and cried at the end. This film really only has two characters and follows a guy trapped in his apartment when the zombie apocalypse breaks out. For me, Alive was about what the title says: what it means to be alive. About the will to live. About the human spirit. (Content note for suicide).

(2) Train to Busan (2016). Okay, Alive made me cry, but Train to Busan made me BAWL, you guys. Yes, it’s a zombie movie, but it’s really about a dad trying to mend his relationship with his young daughter. It’s about selfishness, selflessness, sacrifice, and above all, love. 11/10, highly recommend.

(3) All of Us Are Dead (2022). This one’s a series and was recommended both by my mom and one of my good friends (hi, M!). I’m now on Ep 8 of 12, and I can say it’s in my Top 3 shows of the year (might actually be taking the top spot full stop). It’s about another zombie apocalypse but follows high school kids who are trapped in their school. Again, it’s about zombies and survival, sure, but it’s really a coming-of-age story with commentary on the schooling system and adolescence. Can’t recommend it enough!

2 internet observations about holiday trends:

(1) The new take on New Years seems to be writing ‘in/out’ lists (i.e., what’s in, what’s out for the new year), rather than writing a list of resolutions. When did this become the Thing? I don’t have any particular hot take on in/out lists, I’m more just confused about when this happened and where was I…? (Also, omg, I just Googled this, and I’m not the only one who has noticed this trend!)

(2) Aspen seems to be the place to be this season. Has Aspen always been the Spot? My feeds have been inundated with celebrities skiing there the last few weeks, somehow looking simultaneously bundled and glam (I’ve never managed these two things at the same time). The photo barage is making me question if I want to go, even though I hate the cold and have no interest in skiing. (I don’t want to go, but damn social media has power.)

1 recommendation for the new year:

(1) Have a ‘fun things only’ calendar. I have mixed feelings on all things ‘New Year,’ because I think there can be unnecessary pressure on reflecting on your life, making resolutions, and so on, as well as feelings of guilt or shame that come with feeling like you didn’t achieve what you wanted the previous year. However, there was one thing I did last year that I’m taking into this year, which made a difference to my life and might to yours, too: get yourself a paper calendar (maybe something cute from Etsy), hang it on your wall, and only put things you’re looking forward to on it. No doctor appointments, no payment due dates, no meetings. Just the good stuff. Film and book releases you’re excited about. Vacation days. Concerts you’re going to. The F1 Grand Prix weekends (okay maybe that’s just me).

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So, who’s doing the new Yoga with Adriene this month? 

Thanks to my friends and family who have been generous with me this year/looked after me when in need, and to everyone who has encouraged my writing! I’m still full-time pet sitting around the UK while I contemplate my next steps post academia. Should I write about the experience?

x Rach