Act Four: How a critic picks vacation reading

Being a critic is fun. But it means you can't do the same things that other people do to relax.   Alyssa Rosenberg on culture and politics   (Tor) As a critic, I have one of the most pleasurable jobs possible. Even if I don’t always like every television episode I watch (see today’s review of “Santa Clarita Diet” in the feed below for an example), every movie I see or every book I read, I still get to watch, read and listen to things for a living. The one downside of the job is that it means even when I’m watching or reading something I don’t intend to write about, some little analytic switch in my brain gets flipped on. The switch may be on a dimmer, it may not be at full power, but the machinery is definitely engaged. As a result, reading and watching things aren’t quite as relaxing for me as it might be for someone who doesn’t do those things professionally. At home, I have other alternatives. I do yoga, and I run and I cook a lot, so much in fact that I’m temporarily banned from baking at home and I have to bring any baked goods I can’t stop myself from making to work or fob them off on guests. But when I go on vacation, which is where I am right now, I don’t exactly bring my pots and pans with me (though I do have a yoga app on my phone). Instead, I try to load up on reading that it’s too late for me to possibly review, or that’s off my beat. For my plane rides this time, I’m hoping to finally get to Emma Cline’s “The Girls,” my friend Charlie Jane Anders’s “All the Birds in the Sky,” Alexander Chee’s “The Queen of the Night,” the last book in Cixin Liu’s “The Three-Body Problem” trilogy, and Nicholas Carlson’s “Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo,” and also to dive into Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. I don’t want to turn off my brain, but my hope when I pick vacation reading is always that these books will help my head function a little bit differently. When I get back in a couple of weeks, I’ll let you know whether it worked. ADVERTISEMENT   Act Four while I’m away Betsy Phillips and Sonny Bunch will keep Act Four warm while I'm in Vietnam. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ is disgusting, and not in a good way Pushing up against boundaries doesn't always take a series to meaningful places. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   If you love cultural criticism, you have to see ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ A new movie gives us James Baldwin on Sidney Poitier and Gary Cooper. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ‘Powerless’ could expand the stories we tell about superheroes, but it’s not quite there yet It's nice to see a superhero show that isn't grim and gritty. But "Powerless" needs to get beyond generic motivational speeches. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   Companies are opposing Trump as a branding tactic. They’re not revolutionaries. When a company promises to take you a long way, baby, what they're really taking for a ride are your dollars. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Today's WorldView What's most important from where the world meets Washington, plus the day's most essential reads and interesting ideas. Sign Up »         Share Act Four:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Act Four. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071