What to Read and What to Watch

What to Read and What to Watch

     The Beacon would like to provide a forum for recommendations, reviews, and such of what to read and what to stream on Netflix, Prime, and the like. Play performances and other entertainment announcements and reviews will also be in this section starting next issue.

     Nobody likes to slog through a bad book or find themselves in what I call the show-hole; endlessly trying to find something decent to stream on a lazy afternoon or evening. Send your recommendations to [email protected]

     So, I will kick things off: the best book I have read lately is The Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.  It is not a spy novel as you might expect, but rather a fascinating tale of what it might have been like to be a lesser member of the nobility after the Russian Revolution. This particular gentleman in Moscow was confined for no crime but for being in the nobility, and placed on house arrest for life at a luxury hotel right across the street from the Bolshoi ballet. He used to summer there in his private quarters before the Revolution, but this time his digs have been significantly reduced. During much of the story, he’s an employee of the hotel. The characters are fascinating, the history is well-threaded into the story, and the author paints a picture of some of what was lost and gained in the Revolution. The book is often funny and surprising. It’s one of the best books I have ever read.  

Streaming: As a history buff,  I loved the segmented story of the life and public service of President   Theodore Roosevelt. He was a fascinating man and one we don’t hear that much about.  It’s streaming on Prime.

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