16 things to do in March!

Movies! TV! Books! PI DAY!

Hiiiii. I had originally written this email last week because I thought I would be in Mexico today, but wow is the universe wild. My senior corgi Scout got sick enough that she had to be hospiralized, so I flew home early. An ultrasound showed us that she had a large mass on her liver and we had to say goodbye. I can’t write much more than that about it right now, but here’s the newsletter I had already written for y’all.

MARCH IS VERY SOON, which means I’ve got a roundup of things to look forward to. Mark your calendars!!!

Saturday, March 1: Join the GRETAGRAM Discord server!

• Yes, this is a shameless plug. But the Discord server is a great space with 350+ nerds from across the country and all over the world! Discussion groups are broken into topic – fiber arts, books (by genre, of course!), video games, recipes, everything! (And if there’s a missing topic, holler at me and we’ll add it!)

Sunday, March 2: Watch the Academy Awards

• Like the Super Bowl, an Oscars viewing party is an excellent excuse for indulgent foods! Make Ina Garten’s amazing spinach and artichoke dip! Homemade hamburger helper! Warm 7-layer skillet dip!

Tuesday, March 4: Read Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and and The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

• Emily St. John Mandel calls Charlotte “a wildly talented writer,” which is the only thing I need to know about Wild Dark Shore to read it.

• As for The River Has Roots, I can tell you it is phenomenal! Many of you probably know Amal’s work from her co-authorship of the novel This is How You Lose the Time War, which is arguably one of the best books ever. Once you read her, you will want to be sure to read everything she writes.

Friday, March 6: Watch Deli Boys on Hulu

• This series about two brothers who learn about their father’s criminal business entanglements only after he dies looks like the perfect combination of crime thriller and comedy.

Friday, March 7: Go to the movie theater

• Two movies are out today that are enticing: Mickey 17, the new sci-fi comedy from Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, and In the Lost Lands, a film based on a short story by none other than George R. R. Martin himself.

Tuesday, March 11: Take your pick of a lot of new novels!

• This may be a completely unnecessary theory, but here it is: March 11 is the official beginning of 2025 reading. Yes, many great books have already come out. But Winter is Hard, and with the first hint of spring comes a slew of new books, all of which look excellent:

  • `The Jackal’s Mistress, Chris Bohjalian

  • Luminous, Silvia Park

  • Liquid: A Love Story, Mariam Rahmani

  • The Antidote, Karen Russell

  • Goddess Complex, Sanjena Sathian

Thursday, March 13: Watch Long Bright River on Peacock

• This gritty Philadelphia-based cop series starring Amanda Seyfried is an adaptation of Liz Moore’s 2020 novel.

Friday, March 14: Celebrate Pi Day and mark the blood worm moon lunar eclipse!!!!!!!!!!

• Today’s the day, y’all! Eat pizza! Make a pie! EAT ROUND FOODS!!! Plus, what better way to mark the passage of time than with a gorgeous-ass full blood moon? Get your witchiness on, y’all.

Saturday, March 15: Avoid downtown Chicago at all costs

• AM I KIDDING??? I don’t know! It’s St. Pat’s weekend, which is one of the rowdiest times in the nation’s third largest city. Which means I will be staying home!!!

Thursday, March 20: Watch The Residence on Netflix (and celebrate Equinox!!!!!)

• The Residence is a closed-door murder mystery that takes place at the White House starring Uzo Aduba, and I can’t wait to check it out.

• March 20 also marks the spring equinox, the exact midpoint between the darkest day and the lightest day of the year. For most of us, that means we’ll finally see 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. It’s the ultimate symbol of equanimity, and a great sign that we’re on our way to brighter days ahead.

Friday, March 21: Listen to the new album from Japanese Breakfast

• The title of this album says it all: For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women).

Saturday, March 22: Learn to embroider!

• My wonderful friend Shannon is leading a pay-what-you-can Zoom workshop to teach people how to embroider. She’s an amazing community builder, and I guarantee you will have a wonderful time!

Tuesday, March 24: Read Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Kristen Arnett and Our Beautiful Boys by Sameer Pandya

• Kristen Arnett is THE BEST, and I can’t wait to read Sameer’s second novel. (His first book, Members Only, was a Nerdette Book Club pick back in August of 2020.)

Sunday, March 30: Join GRETAGRAM book club!

• This month, we’re reading Leyna Krow’s Sinkhole, and Other Inexplicable Voids: Stories. The discussion is at noon CT. If you think you might want to participate, email me and I’ll send you a calendar invite with the link!

All right, that’s it for this week. Take care, y’all!

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