Renee's favourites

Books: After the Tampa by Abbas Nazari, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, and The Honey Bus by May Meredith.

After the Tampa was absolutely riveting. I was shocked to learn about the diabolical actions of the Australian government and inspired by the author and his family. The fact the family resettled in Christchurch gave it a close-to-home feel which made it even more special.

Eleanor Oliphant made me laugh, while somehow delicately handling topics of trauma and mental illness and The Honey Bus was a beautiful, easy-to-read memoir full of delightful bee allegory that never felt out of place. I understand better now how much difference one person can make in a child's life — and how crucial bees are!

TV shows: Sex Education (Netflix), Ted Lasso (Apple TV), and Creamerie (TVNZ)

Sex Education is funny, inclusive, topical, clever and important. It does a great job handling the nuances of relationships while always being entertaining with its bright cast of quirky, flawed, but loveable characters. Ted Lasso is probably going to be an all-time favourite show for me. It's a show about how kindness is cool and I love it. Creamerie is unique, dark, funny, a little bit sexy and NZ-made — I'm hanging out for the next instalment.

Movies: Mister Organ, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis (directed by Baz Luhrmann)

Mister Organ is NZ journalist David Farrier's latest doco. It starts with a weird story about car clamping outside an Auckland antique store and quickly spirals into something way more disturbing. Also somehow manages to be funny in places (thank goodness). A real mind-trip.

Black Panther hit me right in the feels. The real-life death of lead actor Chadwick Bosman left an indelible mark on this film and was handled incredibly well I felt, particularly in that his character also died of an illness — proving even superheroes are vulnerable. Kick-arse female characters are also the focus of the film: Queen Ramonda, General Okoye, Nakia and of course Princess Shuri each encapsulate a different facet of Girl Power and the result is a breath of fresh air for the super hero genre.

As well-known as the story of Elvis is, the movie still built up tension and had me hoping Elvis would find a different fate. What stood out most were the performances of Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker.

Songs: Running Up that Hill by Kate Bush, Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish, I AM WOMAN by Emmy Meli.

Running Up that Hill is just an objectively good song, but as a Stranger Things fan (and all the 80s nostalgia that comes with that) it took the song to a whole new emotional level for me. Happier Then Ever was a delightful surprise from Billie Eilish (whose music I've followed since before she really hit it big) combining her dulcet tones with a bit of rock 'n' roll. Annoys me that they only play one half of it on the radio though, as it's the combination that makes the song so great! I AM WOMAN has a lovely stripped back sound to it and lyrics that are both unapologetic and catchy — and invite the listener to join the singer in loving oneself.