Perks of November

Our favorites in St. Louis - what we have read, seen, tasted and tried out in November

Holidays are coming - time for great food and movies. We collected a few of what we liked very much during November, and now are sharing it with you. Pick whichever you want to try out from our list. 

1. [SERIES] Narcos

We heard great reviews about this series, and in this November, we finally gave a chance to it. It was worth it, Narcos is truly addictive. In this Netflix-made series, we followed the story and rise of Pablo Escobar and how cocaine tore apart Columbia. The episodes are very dense, packed with tension and action, narration flows smoothly.  Authenticity was important to the makers, giving the series an unusual, but fascinating documentary edge. 

2. [BOOK] The call of the wild by Jack London

I have a literature project - I try to read as many classic American novels as possible during our stay here. I've recently finished "The call of the wild" - without a question this novel had the greatest impact on me. 

For some reason, this book is labeled as child story, and I remember it was on my list of suggested readings at 6th grade, although there is nothing childlike in it. It is a winter story, and a hard story about life and how it is worth to live, disguised in a faith of a great dog, Buck. The book tells a lot about love, but this is just not the usual sugar-coated dog-man Lessie-like adventure. The lines will reach down to your soul and get it moved. A great exercise for holidays to find passion, solidarity and the beauty of hardship. 

(If you like audiobooks, you can download it here for free.)

3. [FOOD] Poutine

This is actually a French-Canadian course and it tastes divine. French fries comes with fontina cheese and peppered white gravy. It's one of those foods that you starve for during cold and dark evenings. It's super fulfilling and super tasty as well. 

4. [MOVIE] Sing Street

I can boldly state, Sing Street was the surprise of the month for us. If you like coming of age movies, this film is definitely a must for you. If you like great music or anything about the making of it, then this film is a must for you. The storyline is a little bit Wes Andersonish, without the Wes Anderson trademarks (or maybe, only the innocent craziness of coming of age movies can reach the level the Wes Anderson genre). It's set in the sad reality of the 1980's Ireland and follows a couple of students forming a band. A perfect holiday movie :) (If you are not an Irish-accent expert, download subtitle.)

5. [EXCURSION] The Lincoln Presidential Museum

We've visited Springfield, IL during Black Friday. Springfield is the town of Lincoln, this is where he had been living for almost two decades before became a President in 1860. If you ever visit the States and are nearby (e. g. in Chicago), don't miss this great place. Falling for Lincoln is guaranteed (although I might be an easy target, I admit). The museum is super interactive, a little Disneyesque, you are walking amongst the real-size built-up scenes of Lincoln's life. By the time you leave, you will have a much deeper understanding of the civil war, of the great difficulty to set the slaves free, of the past and present of America's racial tensions, of Lincoln's ethical compass and motivation. 

And that's our list. Enjoy as much of it as you can. Happy Holidays!