12-07-2025 MY FAVES: feel good films, great love affairs, and my spotify wrapped

 books of the week

pardon my confusion from last week. i didn't even crack open the masterpiece that is belle du seigneur. mind you, i only grazed the tip of this 900-something page iceberg. the long sentences full of detailed descriptions, so vivid, it transported me back to high school, reading books of the romantic or russian greats. 

i'm at 39/40 books for my goodreads 2025 reading challenge, and i fear this one won't be finished until next year. it's okay. i don't mind a slow burn.

movies of the week

not quite a movie, but a great way to unwind on a monday was watching martha stewart holiday on the plex channel. we got decor ideas (martha's preaching the same stuff she preached our mom back in the day so it's not news). we also got great xmas eve seafood dinners featuring chef eric ripert, and a whole episode with hannukah hunks.

this week begins our annual "rewatch every christmas classic we love" era, and i made chocolate chip cookies for sib and boyfriend (betty crocker mix + add a spoonful of ground coffee), and we watched the classic polar express. i have a problem where i tear up for everything remotely beautiful, so sometimes the santa scenes get me choked up. don't ever send me videos of viral wedding moments - i cry to that too. hell, i might tear up for your kid's christmas reception!?

saturday night boyfriend wanted to watch freakier friday - i am wary of reboots and sequels. no matter how nostalgic i get, i fear it tarnishes the beauty of a classic and original film. but i gotta say, i was highly impressed - the movie was captivating and humorous enough that i enjoyed it! it falls under the category of "of course it's not the original, but i didn't hate it" category, alongside mamma mia 2. hopefully the devil wears prada 2 will be right there as well. this movie had the nostalgia, wasn't obnoxious, and it was overall cute with a good plot.

music of the week

happy spotify wrapped week to those who celebrate! as annoyed i am by the ai generated shit in the wrapped, i always like to try and beat my record of how much music i listened to (perhaps some undiagnosed adhd or something? i can't sit in silence ever). 

if you don't follow me on insta or you want to see my stat's again, here i am to dissect my "sublime" music taste. sib said it looked "aesthetic". 

beside these stats, here's some more spotify stats:

681 genres, 

242 albums - one direction up all night #1

9241 artists,

18,137 songs.

here's top 5 xmas songs of the week, that aren't just your typical michael bublés and mariahs, but still loved classics:

what are you doing new year's eve - the carpenters

o come, o come, emmanuel - enya

buon natale - nat king cole, anthony hamilton

o little town of bethlehem - the brian setzer orchestra

christmas, why can't i find you? - the pretty reckless