The Quarantine List — Nugget staff picks

The Nugget staff and freelancers are sharing some of their favorite stories and activities to help Sisters pass through the Quarantine of 2020:

Katy Yoder, correspondent:

On the screen:

•?“Love is Blind”: Pure mind-numbing, sappy, unrealistic, but a great diversion with all kinds of twists and outcomes.

•?“Story of God” & “The Story of Us,” hosted by Morgan Freeman: Both are informative, insightful and thought-provoking. There’s a spiritual aspect, historical interest and Mr. Freeman’s relaxed, inquisitive leadership throughout each episode.

•?“Maya Angelou – And Still I Rise”: This stays on my favorite list and is a documentary that instills hope, appreciation for those who rise above extreme adversity and the freedom and joy found in eventual resiliency.

•?“Invisible Essence – The Little Prince”: Featuring a variety of creative, smart people who explore the deeper meaning found in a children’s book with adult-sized issues.

•?Reruns of “Modern Family.” Local news each morning and a Tuesday tradition of watching “This is Us.”

Puzzles:

Doing a super hard one we borrowed from a friend, with VW Buses in all colors and years. Just finished the edges and am figuring out how to go forward… probably finding similar colors and putting together each bus to eventually figure out where it belongs. After that it’s a puzzle from Paulina Springs with artwork by Charley Harper that I picked up a few weeks ago.

Books:

•?“An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States” by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz: Incredibly interesting insights into the “American Experience,” by indigenous people from the time of first-contact by European explorers and immigrants. This has given me a new perspective on our country’s story of growth and how it impacted the people who lived here first. Quite a departure from the history I was taught in school in the 1960s and ‘70’.

•?“Everyone Knows You Go Home” by Natalia Sylvester: A beautiful story about a young couple and the wife’s ability to communicate with her deceased father-in-law. It’s a journey of understanding, acceptance and overcoming childhood stories that block movement towards happiness and having a loving relationship.

Music:

Pandora: I’ve created a Gordon Lightfoot/Bob Seger station that focuses on great music and inspiring storytelling. When I’m working I play their Instrumental Folk station.

Ceili Cornelius, Correspondent

On the screen:

•?Any of the Harry Potter movies. Since I was young, those movies always serve as ‘comfort food.’ After being forced to return from London, the land of Harry Potter, I need them now more than ever.

•?“The Devil Wears Prada” — a fun, lighthearted movie that was an inspiration for me becoming a journalist. I never tire of watching the film to escape to the fashion world and what it’s like to be an outsider entering that world.

•?“Outlander”: A woman falls through time in the Highlands of Scotland… and from there on, the story contains mystical elements, romance, beautiful scenery, historical happenings and it is truly one of those stories that you can escape into entirely, falling through time with Claire.

Books:

•?“Today We Go Home,” by Kelli Estes: I discovered this book at the Sisters Festival of Books last year and completely fell in love with the story. The book follows two women characters, one in modern times in Seattle, Larkin Bennett, a returning veteran from Afghanistan, and Emily Wilson, a rebel soldier in the Civil War era.

•?The “Hunger Games” series and the “Harry Potter” series classic YA and beyond fantastical book series that you get ensconced in.

•?“Goodnight from London” by Jennifer Robson: This book follows a young journalist, Ruby Sutton, as she goes to London in the summer of 1940 getting her big break: the chance to report on the European war as a staff writer for Picture Weekly in London. The book has romance, suspense, and takes you back in time to London in World War II.

Podcasts: I only really listen to one — “The Health Code Podcast.” It is produced by “Sarah’s_day” and Sarah’s fiancé, Kurt Tilse. They both are health and fitness gurus and tailor their podcast to be about relationships, healthy eating, and how to live a healthy and fit lifestyle. I like this podcast because I relate to Sarah, and am passionate about health and fitness myself. I also enjoy watching Sarah’s YouTube channel — sarah’s_day for all things fitness, including filmed workouts, as well as healthy gluten free, dairy free and soy free recipes that she demonstrates.

Lisa May, Graphic Designer

On the screen:

•?“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” This 2005 movie based on a 1950 book written by C.S. Lewis abounds with Christian themes, but it can also be simply enjoyed for the great fantasy story that it is. It pits the hero, Aslan the lion, against the villain, the White Witch Jadis, and sweeps up a group of four British siblings into the battle. By the time you have met Mr. Tumnus the faun, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, the centaur and more fantastical creatures, you may find yourself crawling into the back of a magical wooden wardrobe to find your own passage to Narnia.

•?“Guardians of the Galaxy.” The best of the Marvel movies in my mind. Note the PG-13 rating — there is a bit of mature language here.

•?“Inside Out”: The perfect family film. The Disney/Pixar team has always had a knack for producing movies that appeal to kids while also engaging with parents on a more intellectual or sentimental level. They hit this one out of the park. Producers consulted with psychologists to assign animated characters to emotions and depict something of human personality and memory storage in the human brain. I kid you not, you will understand more of your own behavior and emotions after watching this movie and you will be left contemplating which cute little character dominates the control panel in your own brain. All this and your kids will laugh, too.

Books:

•?“The Holy Bible”: On a worldwide scale, this is the best-selling book of all time. Closer to home, the Bible has changed my life. When life was spinning out of control, I saturated myself in the Word of God and it humbled me and gave me a deeper understanding of the God who reveals Himself in its pages.

•?“Oh, the Places You’ll Go”: Because the author is Dr. Seuss, you might assume this is a children’s book, but then adults would be depriving themselves of Seussian wisdom. The book is marketed as a gift for graduates, but it is actually encouraging during all of life’s challenges, even for those of us that finished school decades ago.