Friday Lunch Special: Twisters, Big Newsletter Thoughts & TBR
It’s a little bit of everything!
Twisters in 4DX
On Tuesday, just after a big rainstorm, I joined 5 friends in a dark theater, seated in seats that more closely resemble Lay-Z-Boys, to watch a 4DX showing of Twisters and OF COURSE it did not disappoint. The 4DX experience was what you might expect from a Big Hollywood Blockbuster Rollercoaster Film™: tons of lightning, wind whipping about, misters pouring to simulate rain, shrieks from audience members. And when Glen Powell appeared with his white t-shirt, dripping wet on the screen, there were audible gasps from the audience. We all wanted to be that cowboy hat. Just like that, the whole audience was a part of the Glenaissance (thank you to Bruce Layman of AWWD for this phrase). The movie itself is all heart and a delightful call back that feels like you’re in on the joke. If you are a fan of the original Twister, and it painted a portion of your childhood, then I think you’ll be happy with this fraternal twin film.
Big Newsletter Thoughts
A couple of days ago I took to Instagram and, for the first time, I talked openly about the fact that you can pay to subscribe to this newsletter and what that means to me. In the past I had said it off the cuff, nonchalant, like a cool girl. “You can pay to subscribe or whatever” or “Like and subscribe, lol” or something that said I’m cool, I don’t need you to pay for this. And while my heart is still desperate to keep as much of this on the free side of things, or the paid subscription optional side of things, this attitude of nonchalance and whateverness isn’t how I feel about this space. So I decided this week that I’d be honest to anyone who would listen.
To me this newsletter is the hallowed halls of every version of me. It is a place where I can process pop culture and think about it critically and ecstatically. It’s a place where I can be a fan. It’s a place where I can talk about creative process. It’s a place where I give out book recommendation after book recommendation and then weeks later receive emails about how great those recs are. This is my favorite place that I show up on the internet. It’s a space I care about deeply and think about all the time. And I have so many ideas for this newsletter, so many things I want to do. If I had it my way, I’d be a full time writer and that’s what I’m working towards. Every single paid subscriber gets me closer to that goal. That’s what I should have been saying this whole time. I promise I’ll keep saying it. I promise I won’t quell my enthusiasm for this thing anymore.
With that being said, if you’re interested in becoming a paid subscriber, I’d love that. I’ll place the subscription box below this. There are different options: you can subscribe for $8 a month, $88 a month, or there are name your own price options for founding members. A big thank you to Laura, Serena, Gabe, Jim, Emma, Katie, Mason, Shawn, Kathleen, Carrie, Alex, Emily, Becca, Sam, Brooke, Allison, and Anda for upgrading their subscriptions!
To Be Read
Here’s whats on my list for the next couple of weeks.
Soft Core by Brittany Newell
(I was blessed with an ARC of this one, but it comes out in February 2025 and you can pre-order it here if you want!)
Water, Wood and Wild Things by Hannah Kirshner
My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The Houseguest: And Other Stories by Amparo Dávila
Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit by Nadine Sander-Green
That’s all for this week! See you next week where I’ll be answering a reader submitted question on surviving an apocalypse. It’s fun, I promise!
Thank you for your support. It means the world to me that you’d continue to extend the invite into your internet living room. The newsletter means a lot to me and I am consistently thrilled to learn that it means something to other people. Let’s say you love my work and you want to support me! The best way to do that is by becoming a paid subscriber of this newsletter :)
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1) the ongoing battle between my love of Glenn and my deep-seated childhood fear of tornadoes is Battling. Glenn might win because of the cowboy hat. The cowboy hat might get me to see this movie.
2) been thinking DEEPLY about subscription vs patronage since you mentioned it. The idea of in any way pushing for paying for my newsletter has always been deeply uncomfortable because so much I see about pay walling newsletters or even just increasing reach is about ✨providing a service✨which I have no interest in doing! The service I provide is court jester with occasional deep insight! (This jester would like to be able to afford the occasional beer).
Love to you ✨💖
Twisters has become my whole personality.