Rapp Strategies Rundown – January 2020
What we’re reading, listening to and thinking about this month.
Todd R.: Florida is nice in the winter – it’s warm and there’s still plenty of oysters. I read “Rogue Lawyer” by John Grisham, and I can’t believe the Sebastian Rudd character has not been at the center of other Grisham novels. Maggie and I finished “Peaky Blinders” (at least until next season). Now I’m looking forward to “Better Call Saul” and “Billions.” I hadn’t listened to even one winning Grammy song prior to award night (I’m aging myself). And I’m counting down; only eleven more days until pitchers and catchers report.
Alyssa: I read Malcom Gladwell’s book, “Talking to Strangers,” which was an entertaining examination of miscommunication, both the intentional and unintentional varieties. Also, loving the creepy mystery series, “The Outsider” on HBO.
Todd S.: My wife and I are trying to find time to watch some of the Oscar contenders before the big awards night. We recently squeezed in “Joker” after our young sons’ bed time. “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” and “Jojo Rabbit” are up next if we can get our sons to bed early enough. Already, it feels like “Apollo 11” was a major snub for best documentary, and I’m stunned that Lupita Nyong’o was not nominated for “Us.” She’s brilliant.
Rich: I’m spending a lot of time reading about and listening to the impeachment trial. Kari and I are getting ready to go to Hawaii for a few weeks, and then to New York. I’ve been selecting books to take with me to Hawaii, including “The Battle of Midway.” I’ll probably see the movie while I’m there. We are also in the early stages of planning a kitchen refreshment of appliances and hardware.
Sarah: “Cheer” on Netflix. That’s it. That’s the post.
JK. Though it is an incredible docuseries and you should watch it – even if you don’t like cheerleading. I laughed, I cried, I had the sudden urge to learn how to do a roundoff back handspring. It’s a fascinating look at extremely underappreciated elite athletes, their lives and what motivates them. Bonus: you’ll finally understand half of the memes on the internet/get to be part of the shared obsession.
Anna: The “Little Women” movie exceeded my expectations, but Saoirse Ronan is a star and I had a feeling she’d play a great Jo Marsh. I was completely charmed listening to “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, with its quirky characters and poignant revelations about life during World War II. I also just finished “The Shadows We Hide” by one of my favorite local authors, Allen Eskens – a murder mystery that I gobbled up in three sittings.
Quentin: January was a month of commitments. A commitment to not drink alcohol for a month, another to start keep training for my first half marathon, and a third and final one to make a dent in my laundry list of must-watch TV. I came so close to fulfilling the last one until I stumbled upon “You” on Netflix. Disastrous ratings after premiering on one cable network almost ended this methodically masterful thriller that delivers equal parts literary love and premeditated murder.
On the news front, I’ve been paying close attention to the impeachment trial and the Iowa caucuses on February 3. Historically, the nation’s first nominating contest delivers three tickets to candidates based on a 15 percent viability threshold. I’m not usually one for predictions and the fluidity of the Democratic primary remains exactly that – fluid – but I’ll wager this year will be unlike any other caucus cycle in modern history.