Towards an Ideal Vacation House: DVD Shelves & Book Shelves

You know, for when you’re tired of being a glamorous water skiier

Vacation rentals can be weird. It’s probably kinder to imagine that they’re reflective only of the owner’s attempt to do their best to create a recognizable facsimile of hominess away from home, but we’re among friends here: let’s call weird things weird. That strangeness can be harnessed into serendipity, and that’s what we’re talking about in the next two issues. This week, I’ll share my picks for ideal vacation rental bookshelves and DVD shelves, and Dame Margaret will share hers in our next issue. Enjoy, and let us know what your picks would be!

My notions of what makes an ideal set of entertainment options in a vacation house are heavily influenced by the books and magazines my late grandmother kept at her little shoebox of a beach house down the shore. She refreshed her in-home library on a yearly-ish basis with a mishmash of paperbacks and New Yorker back issues picked up at various library book sales, and I don’t know if it was the salt air or the sun-bleached covers or the way a turned page would occasionally deposit a little heap of sand in my lap, but these were always the most enticing reading matter in the world to me. 

Vacation Reading Shelf

For my money, the best vacation reading is either a super-absorbing, plot-or-research-dense brick that I’d never be able to commit to at home, or a collection of perfect little story-or-info nuggets. Pick it up, read for 15 minutes, put it down, return when you feel like it, or don’t! Move on to another buffet of a book and come back to it later! It’s vacation, do what you want! You can buy copies of any of these titles from our handy Bookshop.org shelf! Dame Margaret will be back to share her picks in our next issue. 

All-of-a-Kind Family, by Sydney Taylor -- I know I’ve recommended these books many (many) times previously. They’re a perfect addition to my perfect vacation reading shelf because they’re episodic, each chapter providing a choice glimpse into New York Jewish life in the early 1900s, and lovable characters. Best of all, this is the first in a series, so once you’re totally committed to being an imaginary part of Ella, Sarah, Henny, Charlotte, and Gertie’s adventures, you can keep going with the other titles in the series. 

Life Stories: Profiles From The New Yorker -- An anthology of profiles is all my joy, and this one is full of bangers: Ricky Jay, Richard Pryor, Katharine White, Heloise, and 24 more. Pick & choose who you get to know, lather, rinse, repeat. 

A Field Guide To The Flora & Fauna of Wherever You Are -- Roger Tory Peterson was the king of this genre when I was growing up, so I’ve linked to him here, but I’m sure there are many wonderful contemporary field guide writers & illustrators out there. Feel free to send me your favorite suggestions! A corollary to the field guide is the hints & tips genre (what we now call lifehacks so dudes will attempt them). Heloise (who is coincidentally profiled in the New Yorker anthology mentioned above) is the queen of this genre, going back decades and approximately a zillion books. You can dive into books like this wherever you want -- turn to any page, learn something new, get on with your day, or keep on reading. 

Snacking Cakes -- Low-stakes deliciousness is always welcome, and a treat you take an hour to make and then can enjoy & share (or not) for days afterwards is one of the best everyday luxuries in this world. Yossi Arefi’s first cookbook is a perfect little gem, full of enticing and manageable recipes for novice and expert home bakers alike. For vacationers who want more of a challenge, Benjamina Ebuehi’s New Way To Cake is full of the wonderful flavor combinations that made her such a great contestant on the Great British Bake-Off. And if vacation is strictly a no-cooking, no-baking situation for you, it’s lovely just to flip through the pages.

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Vacation DVD Shelf

Too many options! Let’s narrow things down a bit!

This is distinct from whatever streaming or cable options you may have. Let’s assume they aren’t available and your viewing options are limited to selections from the DVD shelf, with a twist: the DVD shelf is a Shelf Of Requirement. Whatever movie or tv show is best-suited to your mood will leap out at you when you need them. Sure, there will be plenty of weird “It was $4 at Target!” options, but they’ll sort of fade into the background as you approach the shelf and the day’s best option will -- impossibly, we know it’s impossible, but somehow it keeps happening? -- sort of elbow its way into your field of vision, acting like a magnet aimed at your outstretched hand. 

Enchanted April: a perfect movie about being on vacation. Four English ladies rent an Italian villa, with unexpected results for them abroad and at home, starring Miranda Richardson, Dame Joan Plowright, Josie Lawrence, and Polly Walker. It’s basically about a life-changing early 20th century AirBnB. Pairs beautifully with A Room With A View (my apologies, the trailer is not at all good to my 2021 eyes, but it’ll do).

The Fast & The Furious series (that video is a compilation of all of the films!): You gotta have a strong capital-A Action! Movie!! option available, and I think everyone deserves to enjoy the pure, frequently nonsensical-bordering-on-unhinged joys and heartbreaks of The Toretto Family Saga. Fast 9 is out in the US on June 25, so if you start now, you can be ready for it opening weekend. If you’re already fully caught up with F&F, your magical vacation DVD shelf will serve up some classic Jackie Chan options like Super Cop (he teams up with Michelle Yeoh!) or Drunken Master.

Lord of the Rings: this is required by law. You may reasonably think of this trilogy as a Christmas viewing experience, but having rewatched them several times in quar, I can confirm they are films for all seasons. Extended Director’s Cuts or bust! 

Something you’ve been meaning to watch for ages & just haven’t found the time to invest in. Lately, I’ve been hankering for a deep dive into Mike Leigh’s movies. I’ve seen three or four over the years and always intend to watch more. What better time to finally watch Mr. Turner and Vera Drake? 

Finally, let’s say you wake up one morning and the weather is too dreary or oppressive to go out. You want to watch something engaging and fun and really well-made like Dirty Dancing, Creed, Fantastic Mr. Fox, or Bright Star (ok, that last one isn’t fun, it’s 100% a crying movie, but in a good way, I think). I love a splashy, effects-laden MCU or Bond movie. At the same time, the solid, mid-budget classic is the type of movie I most fervently wish we’d see a long-term renaissance of. They seem to have mostly become the province of streaming services -- I’m thinking of movies like To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Plan B, The Half of It, Palm Springs, The Lovebirds -- but I continue to hold out hope that there’s a place for these smaller pictures in our movie theatres in years to come. 

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