Because it’s rainy and cold and has been for what feels like 17 years. If you’re looking for some good distractions, here’s what I’ve got.

Read

For fun: Where the Crawdads Sing. This book was such a pleasant escape. The storyline—a man is found murdered and the town blames a girl who lives in the marsh—didn’t sound especially appealing to me when I first came across it. But it kept lingering at the top of the New York Times bestsellers and so I caved. I’m so glad I did. I loved the characters and the gorgeous descriptions of the place and time, and I was lured into every one of the story’s twists and turns.

For your brain: Call Me American. I have to imagine that if every American read this memoir by a Somalian refugee we wouldn’t have a president who is slashing the number of refugees we admit each year. And we wouldn’t do things like put countries whose citizens desperately need a refuge—like Somalia—on banned lists. It’s a heartbreaking story of a man growing up amidst violence and famine, and always dreaming of a better life in America. Read it.

Listen

For fun: I’m so hooked on Over My Dead Body. From the same guys that produced Dirty John, this podcast is designed for binging. It’s the story of the murder of an attorney in Florida—how it happened, who did it, and why. It’s well done and I really wish they’d hurry up and put the rest of the episodes out because they’ve left me on a cliffhanger.

For your brain: I’ve long loved Donald Miller’s Building a Story Brand podcast. But I recently listened to an episode that might be my favorite. In it, Don (I can call him Don, right?) is interviewed by Andy Stanley about being a better leader. So, two incredible leaders just chit chatting about leadership. It’s amazing. It’s called How Story Can Make You a Better Leader.

Watch

For fun: Well, I’ve made a smooth transition to a 75-year-old woman this winter as I’m now a paying subscriber for PBS Masterpiece Theater. I have no regrets. I have become a Poldark fan on level with like Harry Potter fans. If there was a Poldark World, I’d visit. I keep making other people who have watched the show talk to me about it. I have a problem.

For your brain: Ok, honestly, my TV watching has been pretty much all for pleasure lately. I don’t think I can count watching the Fyre Festival documentary as educational. Although it did teach me a lot more about Ja Rule than I ever anticipated needing to know. So, I’ll try to watch something semi-intelligent soon to have a better answer here next time.