Weekly Roundup: “Better Than Fiction” and Our Series Finale

Here's what we're reading, recommending, and revisiting this week, in the final episode EVER of this podcast.Catherine's library find is Better Than Fiction: True Travel Tales from Great Fiction Writers, published in 2021 by The Lonely Planet. There's also a second volume of even more travel tales. Terri's random recommendation is all the ways you can keep up with us when we're no longer blabbing in your ears three times a week. Also mentioned: Bookmory and Authory.Terri's Substack, Too Old for Cool; any future TV chats will live hereCatherine's InstagramTerri on Twitter @mamatudeTerri's websiteThe podcast on Instagram and Twitter; subscribe to see if Terri follows through on her eight-year replay planIn the archives, we talked about a couple of specific episodes while recalling the many permutations of the podcast over the past dozen years: Parenting Investigations and Are You a Soggy Mom?.While we won't be publishing new episodes, our archives will remain available. Thank you for listening!

Each Wednesday, we've been discussing an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. We stay on the island for this entire episode, but jump between two timelines just to keep things interesting. To Terri's dismay, the love quadrangle of Sawyer/Kate/Jack/Juliet is back in action. Mentioned: Call the Midwife and a pertinent scene from The Princess Bride.We're wrapping up our recaps of Lost here, but we may not be quite done blathering about TV in general (and Lost in particular; Catherine can't stop watching now!). Keep an eye on our social media and Terri's Substack for updates.  We'll be back tomorrow with our final weekly roundup.

Each Tuesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property. Fittingly, for our last Tuesday episode, we're finishing season 3 of Shrinking. In a three-season arc of grief, forgiveness, and moving on, it turns out "moving on" is the least dynamic part of the story, as the season ends with the characters scattered around the globe.Still, we enjoy these characters and will come back to see how the creators handle season 4. We just won't be here to discuss it, because we're moving on from the podcast. We'll be back tomorrow to discuss Lost, though! Mentioned: Mike Nelson, the actor who plays Jimmy's patient Dan, on Facebook.

Here's what we're reading, recommending, and revisiting this week.Catherine's library find is a resource for kids who love history: Honest History, which has magazines, books, and a blog, all with fun facts and appealing illustrations.Terri's random recommendation is, first, to stay out of Twitter jail if you can. And second, we have some important news about this podcast to share.In the archives, we checked in on an episode from 2023, in which we asked what makes a young adult.Next week's lineup:Shrinking S3 E11, "And That's Our Time," on Tuesday, April 7Lost S5 E9, "Namaste," on Wednesday, April 8Weekly roundup on Thursday, April 9Until then (and anytime you're in need), the archives are available.

Each Wednesday, we discuss an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. This episode, telling the story of what Sawyer's been up to since the Oceanic Six took off, gives us another example of how things can be going just fine (in your kids' world, in your own life, and so on), and then it's all upended in a moment. Next week, we'll continue with season 5, episode 9, "Namaste." We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly roundup.

Each Tuesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property. Currently, that's Shrinking. Whoever the "bodyguard of sadness" was, they did a terrible job with this episode, because every one of Jimmy's friends and family members is leaving him: temporarily, permanently, metaphorically. It all required a great deal of face acting from Jason Segel.Next week, we'll finish season 3 with episode 12, "And That's Our Time." We'll be back tomorrow to discuss Lost.

Here's what we're reading, recommending, and revisiting this week.Catherine's library find is the joy of putting items on hold. It's like ordering yourself a gift: It will arrive at some undetermined future date (surprise!), you'll get something you know you want, and it's completely free.Terri's random recommendation is a handy piece of technology that she recently discovered: Mirroring her iPhone to her new Apple laptop.In the archives, we checked in on an episode from 2023 in which we recalled those rare good mom moments.Next week's lineup:Shrinking S3 E10, "The Bodyguard of Sadness," on Tuesday, April 7Lost S5 E8, "LaFleur," on Wednesday, April 8Weekly roundup on Thursday, April 9Until then (and anytime you're in need), the archives are available.

Each Wednesday, we discuss an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. This week, it's the tale of one John Locke, and how he journeys from the island to the North African desert, then to Los Angeles and finally back to the island, with a few side quests along the way. He's up, he's down; he's in a wheelchair, he's walking; he's dead, he's alive. It's a lot.Next week, we'll continue with season 5, episode 8, "LaFleur." We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly roundup.

Each Tuesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property. Currently, that's Shrinking. This time, Jimmy's dad (played by Jeff Daniels) arrives to give all the bad dads of Lost a real run for their money. While he doesn't actually murder anyone, he does contribute to the demise of Jimmy's fledgling relationship with Sofi, and show us that he won't have a problem breaking Alice's heart. Next week, we'll continue with Shrinking S3 E10, "The Bodyguard of Sadness." We'll be back tomorrow to discuss Lost.

Here's what we're reading, recommending, and revisiting this week.Catherine's library find is the misleadingly titled Yes, Ma'am: The Secret Lives of Royal Servants by Tom Quinn. It's not, in fact, about the servants, but about the people they serve, and who cares about them?Terri's random recommendation is a rather lukewarm one, more of a curiosity than a gung-ho endorsement: the new Scrubs season, which brings back all the actors from the show's original run (2001-2010). Mentioned: thirtysomething, Once and Again.In the archives, we checked in on an episode from 2023 that asked whether oversharing is bad parenting.Next week's lineup:Shrinking S3 E9, "Daddy Issues," on Tuesday, March 31Lost S5 E7, "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham," on Wednesday, April 1Weekly roundup on Thursday, April 2Until then (and anytime you're in need), the archives are available.