As we walk tentatively into a New Year, summer and awards season is guiding our culture consumption. Remi Wolf and Fred Again... are on repeat thanks to the state of the current festival circuit and the RUSSH editors are back to work with piles of book recommendations after a holiday period dedicated to summer reading. Below, find what the RUSSH editors are watching, reading and listening to in January 2023.
Olivia Repaci
Creative Studio and Campaign Manager
Watch… The Menu. I love mild horror, especially when it’s executed in a strangely comedic way. What I would describe as Black Mirror and American Horror Stories’ aloof cousin, The Menu doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Read… Milk Teeth by Jessica Andrews. The perfect summer read that I chose on a whim at the bookstore, this book was an easy pageturner that transported me to a world of lust, insecurity and self discovery. I especially liked the short and snappy chapters that leave you wanting more.
Listen… Flex & Froomes podcast. This daily podcast makes my drive to and from the office 100% more enjoyable; every commute is like a wine-fuelled gossip session with friends.
Mia Steiber
Digital Strategy Director
Watch… I’m making my way through the Awards Season flicks at the moment. Causeway and Aftersun are my underrated favourites, both A24 of course. I’m also very excited to be seeing Women Talking in a few weeks.
Read… Am I the only person not reading Spare right now? Instead I’ve just picked up a copy of Wild & Witchy by Allira Potter. It’s a deeply personal anecdotal anthology and guide to manifestation. Highly recommend.
Listen… My latest podcast obsession is Test Pilot – it’s all about the pilot episode of well known TV shows. Other than that – let’s be real, you’ll find me listening to the Lana Del Rey back catalogue until her new album drops in March.
Meg Nolan
Digital Operations Manager
Watch… I’ve been in Melbourne over the past couple of weeks which means tennis fever has officially taken over my screens. Now that the Australian Open is over I’ve resorted to tennis themed movies – King Richard, which follows the story of Serena and Venus Williams and is an absolute tear jerker, and Battle of the Sexes, which features Emma Stone as Billie Jean King.
Read… Some time in the past year I started screenshotting any book recommendations I came across on my socials and popping them in a folder in my phone for the next time I was in need of something to read. I looked at this folder the other day and 50% of the screenshots were of Colleen Hoover books, with It Ends With Us and It Starts With Us topping the list. I finally took the plunge and didn’t come up for air for a good 48 hours.
Definitely an emotional rollercoaster, but both books were easy, summer reads. The writing style lends itself to binge-reading sessions and if you’re a hopeless romantic like me you’ll find you struggle to put them down.
Listen… Remi Wolf is not new to the music scene by any means, but for some reason I’m only just discovering her. My music taste is very dependent on my mood, and Remi Wolf is the perfect upbeat, funky mix of sounds to match my summer mood.
Elyssa Kostopoulos
Content Director
Watch… Over the break, I was sucked into watching probably Netflix’s most confusing heist show, ever? Kaleidoscope can be watched in any order, (aside from the White episode that is the finale), which certainly wreaked havoc on my logical brain. But once I got past the stress of the ‘choose your own adventure’ element, I lapped the series up instantly. If you loved Money Heist, then this is for you.
Read… I’ve set myself a reading challenge for 2023 (keeping the details close in case I fumble half way through the year). Naturally, I had to start the year with a book that has been sitting on my shelf for far too long – The Ungrateful Refugee. Dina Nayeri presents the compelling reality of identity and gratitude in the face of immigration, combining her own experience with the stories of other refugees she met as an adult. Tenderness and reverence all wrapped in one.
Listen… I definitely didn’t secure tickets to Fred Again’s sold-out show in Sydney, but that hasn’t stopped me from listening to his boiler room set on repeat like the freak fangirl I am (definitely not the only one in this). It’s the closest I’ll get at this stage.
Jasmine Pirovic
Arts & Culture Editor
Watch... Like Mia, I'm slowly making my way through awards season movies. One that resonated this month was Emily the Criminal, starring Aubrey Plaza. Plaza plays a woman saddled with crippling student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record who turns to black market fraud to make ends meet. It has a thrilling and original plot, and Theo Rossi is deeply charismatic. I can't stop thinking about the nose stud Plaza wears either...what a throwback.
Read... I've been rereading Girl In A Band by Kim Gordon for all those music and art references I missed the first time around.
Listen... Rather than read Jennette McCurdy's memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died, I opted to hear the former actor narrate it herself in the audiobook. McCurdy navigates her harrowing upbringing with grace and wry humour in this heart-shattering story of domestic abuse and ultimately self-actualisation.
Jahlia Solomon
Digital Writer
Watch… I know I’m late to the party, but Ted Lasso is still on Apple TV and still funny. I love Juno Temple’s character and unlike many other shows of late, it leaves me feeling light. A great summer show.
Read… Don’t ask me why but I’m feeling nostalgic for quarantine. It’s probably because I was reading Carmen Maria Machado’s work of autobiographical essays In the Dream House around that time. Again, the work hits me hard with its honest words and genre-defying form. It’s piece of writing to start your year off with insight and profundity beyond. Would recommend.
Listen…To the sultry and sexy artist that is Jimmy Whoo and his songs Cruisin and Still Cruisin. They are played on repeat in my car and offer the perfect driving beat to think existential thoughts to.
