We’ve dipped into our Media Picks archives from earlier this year to see what friends, neighbors and a few famous people are reading, watching and listening to:

Reading

Bob Woodward

Riveted a sold-out crowd of 650-plus at the Library Foundation for Sarasota County annual luncheon on Feb. 10

“The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre. A great Cold War spy story with the highest stakes about secret sources, verification and betrayal. What is the ultimate loyalty and how do we find it?”

Renee DiPilato

Director, Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources

“Radium Girls by Kate Moore and A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell. History is one of my favorite topics. I especially enjoy learning more about lesser known people and events. These books highlight fascinating women and their stories, making them perfect reads for Women’s History Month [which was in March].”

Listening to

John Pizzarelli

His March 18 show at the Van Wezel was sadly canceled

“Yacht Rock Radio on SiriusXM or Casey Kasem’s top 40 from the ’70s. During the holidays I found myself driving to the store a lot and listening to Pablo Cruise, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan and anything else that was a hit while I was a teen. It’s crazy but it helps pass the time and keeps me awake during longer drives.”

Mandy Patinkin

Thrilled a full audience at the Van Wezel Feb. 16

“I’m listening to a guy run a treadmill in the gym; I’m not listening to anything else. I like the quiet, and I’m reading David McCullough’s 1776 with nothing in my ears but silence, so the proper answer is I’m listening to silence.”

Watching

Hannah Bagnall

Florida Studio Theatre Write a Play coordinator

“Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag. I binged both seasons in one day. It’s a beautiful meditation on grief, family relationships and redemption, while also subtly and hilariously acted. I love that it was expanded from a one-woman stage show, and that it is simultaneously totally ridiculous and eerily relatable.” 

Jon Thaxton

2020 Hero of History award winner

“Since I have not watched broadcast television since Nov. 22, 1980, the morning after the "Who Shot J.R.?" Dallas episode aired, my watching [almost every day] includes one new-release motion picture and at least one episode of the 1960s The Andy Griffith Show.”