The April Round-up

Everything I have been reading, watching and doing: Panic Years, Baby Reindeer and singing like Madonna

The Monthly Round-up is a bit of Ctrl Create with casual updates and passionate recommendations I’d bring up over a coffee walk with my girlfriends.

I am not the most consistent person on Earth with my writing, but who can blame me right now? Spring in Prague is something else entirely: the air, the sky, the light - as if not quite real and almost beyond.

Reading | I just finished The Panic Years by Nell Frizzell

Nell’s Substack

I am going to write a whole lot more about my Panic Years as I am in the midst of it but for now just going to say that I absolutely loved the book. Nell’s vulnerability is touching. It however did open up a flood of thoughts. I was always afraid of infertility. I don’t know where the fear came from, I never tried to get pregnant, in fact, quite the opposite, but at some point of my life most of my intrusive thoughts were about infertility. I imagined trying to get pregnant, I imagined hormons and the pills and the egg transfers. At the age of 26 I did an AMH test, and the result somewhat calmed me. I also found out that Czech national insurance covers up to four rounds of IVF (a round of applaud), I hope I will never have to use it but it’s a good thing to know.

Fertility is such a difficult feminist issue because our biology hasn't caught up with our politics. - Nell Frizzell

Another interesting read on the topic Maybe I’m not ready to be a mum yet about Ons Jabeur. I am not a professional athlete by any means, but we are all asking the same questions, right?

Watching | My boyfriend and I just finished Baby Reindeer and I I have to say it was a hell of a ride. This dark comedy-drama thriller, created and starring Richard Gadd, is based on his own experiences of being stalked (and more). The series delves into the intense and unsettling obsession a woman develops for Gadd's character, reflecting the impact it has on his life and forcing him to confront deep-seated trauma. I haven’t felt that much sadness and rage, all at once, in a long time. It’s a difficult watch yet wildly entertaining and that makes for great television.

Anyone But You I watched all by myself as a sort of self care ritual. It revolves around the relationship between Bea and Ben, who, after a tumultuous first date, end up pretending to be a couple at a friend's wedding in Australia. It’s a simple truly feel-good romcom with stunning views and gorgeous Sydney Sweeney. What else do you need?

Listening to | Pippa Vosper | Why Sweden is Good for the Soul (I am most certainly stealing the title for my next week’s Swedish newsletter)

In Haste

is one of my favourite newsletters and literary podcasts, and this episode was absolutely brilliant. I bought Weyward by Emilia Hart straight away. I am now in the middle of the book and waiting for a rainy day to finish it.

“I wanna sing like Madonna, I wanna dance like a queen” by Sebastian Schub is not fully out yet but already lives in my head rent free. The lyrics and the melody are old-school in the best possible meaning of the word. I’ve been waiting for a whole month now for the song to come out and can not wait any longer.

Doing | morning pages, a lot of pilates (MWH), some pottery, and a lot (and I mean A LOT of cards). In March, we went to Turkey on a little family vacation where I introduced Fredrik to the Fool, a Russian card game, and we haven’t stopped playing since; I even had to buy a new card deck.

Eating | Friends from Sweden visited us last week and we went to Levitate, a fancy restaurant with set menus, where I ate possibly the best ice cream of my life. And I don’t say it light heartedly, I’ve eaten a lot of ice creams.

Thinking about | going back to school, what to do with my life and the next Bridget Jones movie. I should probably read the book in the meantime.

Lots of love,

Alena