As we approach the end of the year, you might find yourself needing a list of recommendations for your downtime—whether it’s a brain food book, a novel to escape into another world, a podcast to challenge your thinking or make you laugh, or some addictive viewing that keeps you up way past your bedtime. Here’s what the DG team have loved this year.
What we’ve been watching
Severance – Apple TV
Severance is an American science fiction psychological thriller television series created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle. Watch on Apple TV
English Teacher – Disney+
Evan Marquez is an English teacher in Austin, Texas, who often finds himself at the intersection of the personal, professional and political aspects of working at a high school. (Sitcom)
My Brilliant Friend – SBS
The disappearance of her old friend Lila causes author Elena to look back on the early days of their friendship during the 1950s in Naples, when they were two drastically different girls at the top of their class.
The Day of the Jackal – Binge
An elite sniper, a master of disguise and a highly trained killer, the Jackal is an assassin, coldly carrying out hits for a fee. Following an attack on a high-profile and notorious politician, he’s offered his riskiest job yet, one that could pay him enough to leave this life for good.
We Were the Lucky Ones on Disney +
Based on Georgia Hunter’s New York Times bestselling novel, the television adaptation of “We Were the Lucky Ones” is a limited series inspired by the incredible true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of WWII. The series follows them across continents as they do everything in their power to survive, and to reunite. “We Were the Lucky Ones” demonstrates how in the face of the twentieth century’s darkest moment, the human spirit can endure and even thrive. The series is a tribute to the triumph of hope and love against all odds.
Landman on Paramount +
Deep in the heart of West Texas, roughnecks and wildcat billionaires try to get rich quick in the oil business as oil rigs begin to dominate the state. Crisis executive Tommy Norris tries to bring his company to the top during a fuelling boom.
What we’ve been reading
The Days of Abandonment – Elena Ferrante
A national bestseller for almost an entire year, The Days of Abandonment shocked and captivated its Italian public when first published. It is the gripping story of a woman’s descent into devastating emptiness after being abandoned by her husband with two young children to care for. When she finds herself literally trapped within the four walls of their high-rise apartment, she is forced to confront her ghosts, the potential loss of her own identity, and the possibility that life may never return to normal.
The Cost of Living – Deborah Levy
The Cost of Living explores the subtle erasure of women’s names, spaces, and stories in the modern everyday. In this “living autobiography” infused with warmth and humor, Deborah Levy critiques the roles that society assigns to us, and reflects on the politics of breaking with the usual gendered rituals. What does it cost a woman to unsettle old boundaries and collapse the social hierarchies that make her a minor character in a world not arranged to her advantage?
Beautiful World, Where Are You – Sally Rooney
Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend Eileen is getting over a break-up and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.
Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young – but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they worry about sex and friendship and the times they live in. Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
Man-made: How the bias of the past is being built into the future – Tracey Spicer
‘Mum, I want a robot slave.’
Broadcaster Tracey Spicer had an epiphany when her young son uttered these six words. Suddenly, her life’s work fighting inequality seemed futile. What’s the point in agitating to change the present, if bigotry is being embedded into our futures?
And so began a quest to uncover who was responsible and hold them to account. Who is the ultimate villain? Big Tech, whose titans refuse to spend money to fix the problem? The world’s politicians, who lack the will to legislate? Or should we all be walking into a hall of mirrors and taking a good, hard look at ourselves…?
This is a deeply researched, illuminating and gripping ride into an uncertain AI-fuelled future, culminating in a resounding call to action that will shake the tech sector to its foundations.
You Don’t Have to Have a Dream: Advice for the incrementally ambitious – Tim Minchin
‘Here’s my idea of romance: You will soon be dead. Life will sometimes seem long and tough and, God, it’s tiring. And you will sometimes be happy and sometimes sad. And then you’ll be old. And then you’ll be dead. There is only one sensible thing to do with this empty existence, and that is: fill it.’
Tim Minchin has a reputation for writing a good speech, and has been asked to do so on several occasions. Drawn from three of Tim’s most beloved university commencement addresses, You Don’t Have to Have a Dream offers his inimitable thoughts and advice on life, art, success, kindness, love, and thriving in a meaningless universe.
The Third Gilmore Girl: A memoir by Kelly Bishop
Come for the Gilmore Girls anecdotes, stay for the revealing truths about what it takes to build a lifelong career in and out of Hollywood” (The A.V. Club) in this candid and captivating memoir from award-winning and beloved actress Kelly Bishop, spanning her six decades in show business from A Chorus Line, Dirty Dancing, Gilmore Girls, and much more.
Pheasants Nest – Louise Milligan
Kate Delaney has made the biggest mistake of her life—she humiliated the wrong man on a girls’ night out, and now she’s living every woman’s worst nightmare. Brutalised, bound, and gagged in the back of a car, Kate doesn’t know where she’s being taken or if she’ll survive. As a journalist, she’s all too aware of the grim statistics surrounding missing women and the chilling realities behind the headlines. Desperately clinging to memories of her boyfriend Liam and her friends, Kate fights to stay sane while hoping the police will find her before it’s too late. Meanwhile, Liam grapples with shock and fear as detectives launch an urgent investigation, knowing that Kate’s chances of survival slip away with each passing hour.
Caledonia Road – Andrew O’Hagan
A biting portrait of British class, politics, and money told through five interconnected families and their rising―and declining―fortunes.
Campbell Flynn, art historian and biographer of Vermeer, always knew that when his life came crashing down, it would happen in public―yet he never imagined that a single year in London would expose so much. Entangled with a brilliant student, he begins to see trouble brewing for his family and friends. All his worlds collide―the art scene and academia, fashion and the English aristocracy, journalism and the internet―as dangerous forces enter his life and Caledonian Road gives up its secrets.
Andrew O’Hagan has written a social novel in the Victorian style, drawing a whole cast of characters into company with each other and revealing the inner energies of the way we live now.
All Fours – Miranda July
A semi famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country, from LA to New York. Twenty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, beds down in a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in a temporary reinvention that turns out to be the start of an entirely different journey.
Miranda July’s second novel confirms the brilliance of her unique approach to fiction. With July’s wry voice, perfect comic timing, unabashed curiosity about human intimacy, and palpable delight in pushing boundaries, All Fours tells the story of one woman’s quest for a new kind of freedom. Part absurd entertainment, part tender reinvention of the sexual, romantic, and domestic life of a forty-five-year-old female artist, All Fours transcends expectation while excavating our beliefs about life lived as a woman. Once again, July hijacks the familiar and turns it into something new and thrillingly, profoundly alive.
The Will of the Many – James Islington
The Catenan Republic—the Hierarchy—may rule the world, but they don’t know everything. I tell them my name is Vis Telimus, a lucky orphan accepted into their prestigious Academy, ready to cede my Will to the empire like everyone else. They believe me. But the truth is, I’ve been sent to solve a murder, uncover an ancient weapon, and expose secrets that could destroy the Republic. I will never surrender my Will to the empire that executed my family. To survive, I must climb the Academy’s ranks, make allies, and pretend I belong. Because if my true identity is revealed, they will kill me.
The Lies of Locke Lamora – Scott Lynch
An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.
Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity – Peter Attia
#1 New York Times Bestseller Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia challenges conventional medical approaches to aging, offering a science-based roadmap for living longer and better. Drawing on the latest research, Dr. Attia presents strategies for optimising nutrition, exercise, sleep, and emotional health to prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and type 2 diabetes. Rejecting mainstream medicine’s reactive approach, he advocates for proactive, personalised health interventions that extend both lifespan and quality of life. Readers will learn the importance of tailored nutrition, the role of exercise as a “pro-longevity drug,” and the need to prioritise emotional well-being. Aging, he argues, is not inevitable—by rethinking long-term health, we can make each decade better than the last.
Never split the difference – Chris Voss
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, a former FBI lead hostage negotiator, offers a proven approach to mastering high-stakes negotiations in any situation—whether in business, at home, or in daily life. Drawing on his experiences with criminals, terrorists, and kidnappers, Voss shares powerful techniques like tactical empathy, active listening, and calibrated questions to build trust, influence others, and transform conflict into collaboration. This international bestseller equips readers with the tools to defuse crises, spot deception, and achieve their goals, making it an essential guide to navigating difficult conversations and succeeding in both personal and professional negotiations.
What we’ve been listening to
The Mel Robbins Podcast
You can change your life and Mel Robbins will show you how. Mel Robbins is one of the world’s most widely booked and followed podcast hosts and authors. Every episode is packed with deeply relatable topics, tactical advice, hilarious screwups, compelling conversations, and the tools and inspiration you need to create a better life.
Tune in and buckle up – your life is about to change.
Anomalous with Em Rusciano
This is Anomalous – a love letter to the neurodivergent community and a roadmap for neurotypical people. Join Em Rusciano on a personal quest alongside a range of neurodivergent advocates and experts – from neuro-affirming psychologists, to politicians and dominant public voices leading change in the mental health advocacy and disability space. Anomalous is at the forefront of the neurodiversity movement, reframing the way Australians have traditionally understood ADHD and Autism.
Principle of Charity – Emile Sherman, Lloyd Vogelman
Principle of Charity is a podcast that injects curiosity and generosity into difficult conversations by bringing together two expert guests with opposing views on major social issues. The twist? Each guest must present the best, most generous version of their opponent’s argument, embodying the ancient principle of charity: to seek truth over victory and understand before rejecting. Hosted by Academy Award-winning producer Emile Sherman and psychologist Lloyd Vogelman, the show encourages open-minded dialogue, blending Emile’s curiosity with Lloyd’s experience in reconciliation and his belief in the power of changing minds.
Invisibilia
Unseeable forces control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. Invisibilia—Latin for invisible things—fuses narrative storytelling with science that will make you see your own life differently.
We hope this list broadens your horizons, transports you to blissful new worlds, and inspires you to relax and savor the slower pace of the holiday season.
