Inspiration
Books, podcasts, series and movies for summer 2023
Be amazed with this personal overview of e-books, movies, documentaries, series and podcasts.
Iemke Imhof 's reading tip is "The Song of Stork and Dromedary" by Annet Daanje
This 656-page book is a masterpiece of Dutch literature. The novel seems to begin as a fictional biography about the nineteenth century English sisters, based on the Bronte sisters. By the last chapter, we are in this century. That last chapter is still tangentially related to the beginning.
The book is so ingeniously written, separate stories connected in a way; by the end you are completely lost as to what is true and what is fabrication. Annet Daanje is a mathematician, screenwriter and writer, who also debuted so beautifully with Remembered Soldier.
Over the summer, enjoy this wonderful book, which also won the 2023 Libris Literature Prize.
Brigitte Huisman's tips
Brigitte's movie tips for this summer are The Peanut Butter Falcon and Room.
The Peanut Butter Falcon is really my favorite movie! I've seen it 3 times now and second and third times I was still just as impressed as the first time. The movie is about a boy with down syndrome who escapes from his nursing home because he wants to become a professional wrestler. While on the road, he gets to know many different people and experiences a lot. I won't tell you more about it. Except that the movie touches you and makes you think, but definitely leaves you with a positive and happy feeling.I recommend everyone to watch it!
Room is a less light-hearted and upbeat film than The Peanut Butter Falcon, but also highly recommended! It is based on a true story about a girl who is kidnapped and locked in a barn. She gets a child from her kidnapper and that little boy grows up in the barn, so doesn't know the outside world at all. Until they start trying to escape. It shows the bizarre story of a kidnapping, how she tries to make the best choices for her son and the complicated process of picking up life again after being locked up for years. So incredibly moving and unimaginable. If you feel like depth and a good movie: this one is definitely recommended!
Although, actually I think you should be out and about in the summer, so you may also save them for fall or winter.
Merijn Veltkamp's tips
Merijn has a nice list of evolutionary topics
Book: The Dawn of Everything by D. Graeber and D. Wengrow
This international bestseller definitively dispenses with old restrictive myths that shortchange our worldview. History shows that inequality and discrimination need not be ingrained in a complex society. If we let go of this idea, we can design our current society with more inventiveness and vigor. It is high time for a new look at humanity.
Podcasts:
Kees van Biert's tips
For upcoming vacations, I'm going to listen to some podcasts back on the Terschelling beach:
On Course, the story of Damen Shipyards and I'm going to give attention to the as-yet-unlistened-to podcasts from Reliable Sources and The Language State. And for the reading moment, I put an old golden oldie in my bag: Willem Frederik Hermans, The Tears of the Acacias.
Niklas Kaiser's tips
Niklas has a nice list of (almost) classics
Books:
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari : A small history of the future
Podcasts:
Boekenstijn and the District | BNR
Movies:
The Fugitive (1993)
Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones put on a run in this breathless manhunt. Ford plays escaped convict Dr. Richard Kimble, a Chicago surgeon falsely accused of murdering his wife and determined to prove his innocence by putting the police on the trail of a one-armed man, the real killer.
Boiling Point (2021)
Even the best thrillers fail to set such a tense atmosphere as this steamy, bubbling and boiling nervous breakdown. This film consists of a single shot.
Documentary:
Our Planet II Filmed in 50 countries across all continents of the world, this documentary focuses on the diversity of habitats around the world.
Harm Tunteler's tips
Otmar's Sons by Peter Buwalda is ready for the vacations. The book has received many positive reviews. It is interesting that this is the first part of a trilogy, although the release dates of the other parts are not yet known. It is always nice to read a book by an author whose style I can appreciate.
Also waiting for me is Marketing in Transition, the book I received on the occasion of Professor Dr. P.S.H. (Peter) Leeflang's retirement from the University of Groningen. I enjoy reading about developments and changes in the field of marketing.
The tips of Joost de Vries
Especially for finance enthusiasts:
Documentary film: Skandal! Bringing Down Wirecard | Official Netflix Website
Docuseries: MADOFF: The Monster of Wall Street | Official Netflix website
Documentary: Fugitive: The Curious Case of Carlos Ghosn | Netflix Official Website
Series: Eat the Rich: The GameStop Saga | Official Netflix website
Movie: Watch The Dropout | Full episodes | Disney+ (disneyplus.com)
Series: Succession | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
Book: Liberalism and its downsides by Francis Fukuyama
Caspar van der Geest's tips
A classic. And therefore highly recommended: The century of my father by Geert Mak.
The tips of Jelmer Haites
Book: Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Series: Lupin on Netflix, for fans, season 3 will come online in early October 2023.
Bart Kroon's tips
To have some reference in these times of polarization and how we meant it in the democratic sense, Our Constitution by Wim Voermans.
To properly understand the "voice" of the citizen, Pieter Omtzigt's book, A New Social Contract by Pieter Omtzigt, is relevant .
The wonder of how models shape our society Marc Jacobs & Ronald Meester: helps everyone gain a better understanding of what models do and don't tell you, and how to use them wisely. From earthquake to zoonosis by Marc Jacobs & Ronald Meester.
Because you also want to read a nice book this Dutch classic Zomerhuis met zwembad by Herman Koch.
And finally, this American classic The Runaway Jury by John Grisham.
Jef van Meirhaeghe's tips.
New book: The laws of human nature by Robert Greene
This one I would love to read again:
Think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill
Limitless, Four agreement by Jim Kwik
From what is, to what if by Rob Hopkins
Podcasts:
The 7 of Time
The Aionauts of Time
Movie: Interstellar (I watch this one at every opportunity 😉)
Series: The Mandalorian, a live-action series set in the Star Wars universe on the streaming platform Disney+.
News: DW News on YouTube
Margo Blikman's tips
This summer I am going to delve further into the Middle Ages, via the book The Normans by Levi Roach.
I also got a very nice book by Jan Brokken, The Camp Painters. And then if I have any time left, I'm going to read Landlines by Raynor Winn.
And then summer will be over again, I'm afraid.
Daan Steenbergen's tips
In the next few weeks I hope to have time to start in The Name of the Wind, written by Patrick Rothfuss, one of the better fantasy writers.
Ed Flohr's tips
As for books, for the sun vacation I can recommend some old-fashioned spy books, which came out long ago, but can take us right back to the good old days of the Gulf War, when right and wrong were not as absolute as they are today, and Realpolitik a good thing.
Frederick Forsyth wrote a book about the actions of Saddam and his Canadian friend Gerald Bull to build a super cannon: The Fist of God. Fiction mixed with fact.
And the unsurpassed John leCarre wrote The Night Manager about Jonathan, the night manager of a Swiss hotel who becomes acquainted with an important arms dealer. Easy read, fine pastime.
For the more ambitious among us, who might go on a retreat in a nice quiet place, larded with yoga, oat milk and deep conversations about the future of the world, I can recommend Du musst dein Leben ändern by Peter Sloterdijk, about choices in life. To be read in German, though. "Die einzige Tatsache von universaler ethischer Bedeutung in der aktuellen Welt ist die allgegenwärtig wachsende Einsicht, dass es so nicht weitergehen kann... ". I guarantee it will keep you busy for a few weeks.
And further on Netflix, the documentary Echo in the Canyon, about the music scene in the second half of the 1960s in Los Angeles. Many well-known and up-and-coming musicians lived and worked in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles at the time (including my favorite, Neil Young). Jakob Dylan, the son of, talks to these artists and plays their music. This is childhood sentiment for the strong and very strong among us, but also fun for anyone who likes good music.
Of course, there are always people who want to develop business even while on vacation. If so, BNR News Radio's podcast Among Curators might be of interest.