commonplace book, spring to summer edition
A seasonal curation of media I consumed: articles, books, films, series and everything in-between.
Reads📰
Guardian’s “Is Dua Lipa the best literary interviewer” by Joel Snape
While the article title might verge on clickbait, the author makes a good point about why Dua Lipa’s interviews resonate so well. You don’t have to take their word for it, just watch one of her interviews, and you’ll see her work her magic. Of course, it’s fair to wonder whether she truly stands behind every question she asks, but it quickly becomes clear that she knows the details, background, and even the smallest nuances of the books she discusses, allowing her to pose thoughtful and insightful questions. And I think that’s very very cool.
Beyond all of that, perhaps Dua Lipa is a good interviewer because she reads the books the way authors hope they’ll be read: diving into their characters and worlds for the sheer joy of the experience. It’s obvious she reads thoughtfully and deeply, bringing her to an understanding of each work that naturally leads her to want to know more. Listen to enough of her interviews, and her enthusiasm is so infectious that it’s difficult not to want to read more, or read more broadly, or just read better. All of that, and she also wrote Houdini. Time to step it up, Fallon.
Inside The Booker Prize Judging Room: “What 154 Books Taught Me About Translation, Taste & Trust” by Max Porter
I love getting a behind-the-scenes look, and in this article, Max Porter gives a nice glimpse into how the International Booker Prize is chosen. I really appreciate how he talks about the importance of translation for expanding literary horizons, but also talking honestly about subjectivity, because it obviously plays a part. Still, the main focus is simple: finding books that resonate universally and stand the test of time.
The Sunk Cost Fallacy of your Career by Emily J. Smith
The question of career, work, and similar topics has been on my mind ever since I finished uni. Of course, we live in a time where changing careers and pivoting is not just common but almost expected. Still, the feeling of sunk cost fallacy is always there. I really loved this essay, because it takes it apart from different angles, taking into consideration different factors.
But the idea that all of us have to consistently climb a very specific path in one specific direction just because we have already clocked time is simply not true. If you’ve built skills and experience in a particular field, that experience cannot be taken from you. If we have the means, the perceived risk of taking a career break to pursue something else is much higher than the actual risk.
Book recs📚
All spring, I’ve been on a verge of a reading slump, always saving myself with a book that then felt too good.
Have I talked about East of Eden by John Steinbeck? Of course I did, I mentioned it in one of the last editions, but that was definitely the highlight of my spring reading. Everything just felt right about it.
I also read Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin and I loved the writing, the way the story unfolds in layers, the vivid descriptions of a life, of relationships, of the landscapes of everyday life. It’s a little bit of everything, but very rich, spanning themes of desire, marriage, motherhood, feminist politics, and even psychoanalysis.
The last book which is just very much high up with my all time favourites is Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. As I’m writing this, it’s been about three days since I finished it, so I still need time to reflect on it. But it was one hell of a book.
Watched📺
My series and film consumption has been all over the place these past couple of months, with the number of movies slowly declining as the weather gets warmer. I absolutely loved the new Bridget Jones film. It felt like the perfect continuation of her story. Sequels can often feel unnecessary or cheap, but this one just worked exactly how I expected Bridget to go on.
Becoming Led Zeppelin was a great biopic and the cinema experience made it even better. It had that Barbie-like vibe: people of all ages coming together, the atmosphere buzzing, a great meeting spot.
The Sleepers is a gripping HBO miniseries a friend recommended, and I ended up watching it with my parents, we were all completely hooked.
Wes Anderson’s new film, The Phoenician Scheme, might not be my all-time favourite of his, but it was very very funny and I loved laughing in the cinema again.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (2025 dir. Michael Morris)
The Apprentice (2024, dir. Ali Abbas)
Becoming Led Zeppelin (2025, dir. Bernard MacMahon)
The Sleepers (2019, Bez vědomí, dir. Ivan Zachariáš)
Last of Us (Season 2) (2025, various directors)
The Phoenician Scheme (2025, dir. Wes Anderson)
Misc🪷
Chlebíček is a great newsletter for my Czech-speaking readers. It unpacks culture while also offering great recommendations for books, films, and series.
I’m also obsessed with Olivia Dean’s 2023 album, Messy.
My current work requires a lot of creativity, which, unfortunately, can be quite limited. As much as I’d love to be someone who never gets mentally tired, I often hit a wall where the ideas just stop flowing. That’s probably why I’ve become obsessed with Sudoku again. It’s the perfect mental break, whether I need to step away from a specific topic or just give my brain a little breather.
My favourite sports, unfortunately, are all endurance-based and my knees aren’t what they used to be. As a bit of a break, I’ve been trying to incorporate more swimming and yoga into my routine. It’s something I really enjoy, and it’s been bringing me a lot of joy lately, especially swimming in lakes.
What have you enjoyed this season, what has grappled you?
What were your favourites - films, series, music, art, books?
What are you looking forward to?
~ K.
