Happy Friday, fellow humans. This is the first of what will be a weekly note where I share a couple things I’m loving right now — books, movies, music, podcasts. (Inspired by Dan Harris and all of you who ask me for my recommendations.)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

I didn’t discover Nick Cave until around 2000 (twenty years after he started performing), when his album No More Shall We Part came out — and I was hooked immediately (it’s still one of my favorite albums). He is like no one else. We see him every time he tours, and Wednesday’s San Francisco show (the last stop on his current U.S. tour) was electric. He was on fire and generously gave everything he had for 3 hours (as did the rest of the band, especially of course Warren Ellis). At 67, he’s not only still touring — he’s still creating new music that’s as moving and vital as anything he’s ever done. A friend joked that he’s like Dorian Gray — I honestly don’t think he’ll ever age. I just wonder what deal he made with the devil.

A little taste of the concert and the journey

Station Eleven

I really don't read a lot of science fiction or dystopian or post-apocalyptic books, but I'm fascinated by stories of humans finding their way through chaos. I believe I heard this book recommended on a history podcast about plagues and pestilence, and I decided to finally pick it up. I just finished it and recommend it. Station Eleven follows a group of characters before, during, and after a devastating pandemic wipes out most of the global population. Years later, a traveling symphony and theatre troupe brings music and Shakespeare to scattered settlements, reminding people what it means to be human. It’s haunting, beautifully written, and more about memory, art, and survival than it is about catastrophe.

Chickpea (!) Cheesecake

I was really curious about the cheesecake Sauce Stache made on his YouTube channel using chickpeas — and I have to say, I was very impressed. I made it, and it turned out amazing. I’m serving it for our spring gathering with friends this weekend. Check it out here: Sauce Stache’s Chickpea Cheesecake.

True Detective (Season 1)

We tend to wait for TV series to simmer before watching them, so we're late to the game with a lot of them — including True Detective. We just watched the first season with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and we loved it. Amazing performances, loved their chemistry (both the actors and the characters), and loved the 20+-year journey they take individually and as partners. The story follows two Louisiana detectives as they revisit a ritualistic murder case that haunted them for decades. Told through shifting timelines, it weaves together mystery, memory, and the weight of time, all against a haunting Southern Gothic backdrop.

Podcasts

I listen to mostly history and language podcasts, and I listen a lot — while I’m gardening, cooking, walking. Here are a few episodes I loved this week (yes, just this week):

• Did Plague Destroy the Roman Empire? (The Ancients)

• Barbarian Invaders: The Sacks of Rome (The Ancients)

• The Praetorian Guard: Rise to Power (The Ancients)

• Magna Carta 1225 (Gone Medieval)

• The History of Alcatraz (Dan Snow’s History Hit)

• The Siege of Vienna (Dan Snow’s History Hit)

• Germany After Hitler (Dan Snow’s History Hit)

What do you think? Have you heard / watched / read any of these? Subscribers can comment on this and all other posts. They also get daily inspiration, exclusive articles, recipes, cooking demos, resources, and recommendations. They also access special events, live Q&As, subscriber chats, and enjoy connections with like-minded community members. Join us!

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