What we’re reading, listening to and thinking about this month.

Todd R.: Our Christmas Eve movie pick was "When Harry Met Sally…," and even the kids were impressed with the dialogue. On Christmas night, we watched "A Simple Favor," which was quite good. Now we're diving into “The Wire” for our binge show. I'm also about to start the "Believed" podcast from Michigan Radio and NPR on the Larry Nassar assaults.

Todd S.: As a new movie focuses on the life of Freddie Mercury and the music of Queen, I’m going to explore the group’s early live performances, including “Live at the Rainbow Theater ’74” and “A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith ‘75.” Should make the commuting to work more fun.

Sarah: My December was dominated by the (bad?) Netflix Christmas movies I’ve come to love. Of note were “The Princess Switch,” “The Spirit of Christmas” and “The Holiday Calendar.” So much cheesy goodness. I received “Homebody” by Joanna Gaines and spent much of the holiday flipping through the gorgeous photographs and dreaming of decorating my next space.

Aaron: This December, I enjoyed reading Francesc Miralles’ “Love in Lowercase,” a story about an eccentric, language-loving bachelor and the cat that opens his eyes to life’s little pleasures. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel “Wabi-Sabi” in the new year.

Anna: My favorite read from the month was Eowyn Ivey’s “To The Bright Edge of the World,” a delicate and yet sweeping saga of a man’s journey into the Alaskan wilderness in 1885 and his wife’s equally captivating story as an emerging photographer. I also enjoyed the splendid “Les Misérables” at the Orpheum and the timeless “Beauty and the Beast” live in concert with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Andrea: This month has been spent watching a series on Netflix called “Chef’s Table,” an extremely well-done documentary series featuring high-ranking chefs around the world and how they’re changing the culinary world. Unlike other food shows, this series takes you beyond the kitchen and into the heart of the chefs and their individual and powerful stories. It’s both intimate and inspiring…even if you’re not into cooking.