At the end of the day, after the kids have been fed three well-balanced meals (Jk, I’m feeding toddlers), 1.5 million snacks, bathed, entertained with toys and random household items (TV remote, empty milk jug, a box of ziplock bags, a grey marker, and one empty Amazon box) serenaded by the Frozen 2 playlist on Spotify, dragged on various and sundry errands, and finally tucked into their beds after a rigorous bedtime routine that includes toothbrush sword fighting, one more trip to the potty, 46 books, a handful of questions about dogs, and more water please – my husband and I crash on the couch to unwind in front of the TV. It’s an unspoken “hey…missed you, but let’s be quiet for a bit, together.”
Here’s the thing though. We don’t always agree on what to watch. I’m sure all other married couples magically share the same taste in the Netflix selection, but we do not. We do compromise on occasion. Tye watched both seasons of YOU with me. We both enjoy Ray Donovan, and I am being a good sport with Breaking Bad. But it’s a hard pass from Tye on This Is Us (his commentary often includes, “Of course he relapsed. Of course she has dementia. Of course someone is crying…again). His narration dulls my emotional catharsis. But I have my limits too. Honestly I’d rather let Edward Scissorhands massage my feet or snort baby formula than watch The Last Kingdom with my husband. Seriously, it is that bad.
So on nights when he needs to get his British historical fiction fix (there are three seasons…), I’ll boot up my Kindle and escape for a bit. I’ve devoured a handful of good-reads over the last few months, and want to share them JUST in case there is anyone else out there who isn’t keen on ALL of their partner’s preferences on the tube.
Fair warning though: I’m not going to woo Joe Goldberg in a bookstore with my literary preferences. And that’s okay. I don’t want to be stalked to death and end up in a box anyway. These days, I prefer my books to be entertaining and not require a spiritual deep dive or a vat of hyper-analyzing. After all, I spend my days with two toddlers, and regularly have to explain what the color five smells like. And for the record, I DID major in English so I’ve done my time with the classics.
Feast on these titles, my friends, and escape from Saxon stories with me…
Rumor has it that season four of The Last Kingdom is drawing nigh, so I’ll be in the market for new books. Have a favorite – or favorites? Share them with me PLEASE.
Adrianne Buckley 