Fall 2021 Starter Pack: books, tv shows and movies

“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

It is more than a century since the ascetic, gaunt and enigmatic detective, Sherlock Holmes, made his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet. From 1891, beginning with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the now legendary and pioneering Strand Magazine began serialising Arthur Conan Doyle’s matchless tales of detection, featuring the incomparable sleuth patiently assisted by his doggedly loyal and lovably pedantic friend and companion, Dr Watson.  

Goodreads Rating: 4.46 / 5

“The Strange Case of the Alchemist Daughter”, Theodora Goss

Based on some of literature’s horror and science fiction classics, this “tour de force of reclaiming the narrative, executed with impressive wit and insight” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) debut is the story of a remarkable group of women who come together to solve the mystery of a series of gruesome murders-and the bigger mystery of their own origins.

(so excited with this one!) 

Goodreads Rating: 3.81 / 5

“The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires”, Grady Hendrix

BPatricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia’s life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they’re more likely to discuss the FBI’s recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood. (more)

Goodreads Rating: 3.84 / 5

“The Thursday Murder Club”, Richard Osman

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. 

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?

Goodreads Rating: 3.97 / 5

“The Invisible Life of Addie Larue”, V.E. Schwab

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Goodreads Rating: 4.26 / 5

“Rebecca”, Daphne du Maurier

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives–presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

Goodreads Rating: 4.23 / 5

“Circe”, Madeline Miller

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child – not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power – the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. (more)

Goodreads Rating: 4.26 / 5

“Under the Whispering Door “, TJ Klune

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead. Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop’s owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.

But Wallace isn’t ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo’s help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life. When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

This is a new release! It’ll be published September 21 2021

Goodreads Rating: 4.42 / 5

The Goldfinch (2019)

A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In a rush of panic, he steals ‘The Goldfinch’, a painting that eventually draws him into a world of crime.

imdb score: 6.3 / 10

M/14

drama

Perfect movie for a rainy afternoon

The Goldfinch (1993)

A curious youngster moves to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.

imdb score: 6.9 / 10

PG

comedy, family, fantasy

Crimson Peak (2015)

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds – and remembers.

imdb score: 6.5 / 10

M/16

drama, horror, mystery

Coco (2017)

Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.

imdb score: 8.4 / 10

M/6

animation, adventure, family

One of my all time favorites 🙂

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Will Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.

imdb score: 8.3 / 10

M/12

drama, romance

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.

imdb score: 7.6 / 10

M/6

adventure, family, fantasy

THE CLASSIC <3

The Adam’s Family (1991)

Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.

imdb score: 6.9 / 10

M/12

comedy, fantasy

Practical Magic (1998)

Two witch sisters, raised by their eccentric aunts in a small town, face closed-minded prejudice and a curse which threatens to prevent them ever finding lasting love.

imdb score: 6.3 / 10

M/12

comedy, drama, fantasy

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Maverick teacher John Keating uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression.

imdb score: 8.1 / 10

M/12

drama

my forever love. can’t wait to rewatch it again