Here's what we're reading, watching, and listening to this week

How we're spending our leisure time.

Everyone has a bit of quiet downtime once in a while. Whether you're sitting quietly at home or trying to relax on a plane or just giving your busy mind and hands a break, it's important to relax.

A good way to do that is to read a book, listen to some music or watch a movie or show. See what's caught our attention for the week of December 29.

Tom Westrick

My most listened-to song this week has been Blue Blades by Lily & Madeleine, because of the bleak wintery scene throughout the music video above. The music video was filmed at and inside Lake Michigan, and the negative temperatures this week have chilled me to the bone.

I also watched all the necessary Christmas specials, including watching the entire Santa Clause series. This was the first time I've seen *The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause*, which was an hour and a half of my life that I'm not getting back. Finally, I've been reading plenty of Black Panther stories in anticipation for the movie next month.

Ara Wagoner

Do not adjust your screen. This is how the episode looks.

I drift in and out on many, many, many TV shows, and whenever a new season drops on Netflix or Hulu, I start catching up. Season 4 of Steven Universe aired from August of 2016 to May of this year, and six months later, it has come to Hulu for our enjoyment. This season expanded the gem universe and our understanding of it quite a bit, but the episodes I'm most excited for are Mindful Education and the gems rescue mission to the zoo. These episodes serve up some important storylines, but they have even more important morals for us: it's okay to not be okay and no matter how important your mission, rushing doesn't help.

The animation style in Adventures in Light Distortion is also a spectacular way of both grappling with how to animate a ship moving faster than the speed to light and to help hammer home how out of balance Steven's life is at that moment.

Daniel Bader

I spent much of the week trying to detox from Netflix by listening to podcasts that I've missed over the past year. One series, by NPR's Embedded, expertly explores the businesses and close relationships of now-President Trump before he entered the White House. Going all the way back to the late 90's and early 2000's, the episodes touch on how The Apprentice got started and what his TV style then says about his governing style now, in addition to his relationships with municipal and state governments through stories about his growing golf course empire. Former aide, Steve Bannon, also gets an episode devoted to his pursuit of truth through the entertainment industry, while son-in-law Jared Kushner's family business goes through the microscope on another.

Like the best journalism, there is no agenda in this limited series — just the desire to tell the stories of these unique, divisive, and powerful people. I hope Embedded does more of them in the future.

Joe Maring

There are a lot of great Christmas movies to watch this time of year, but one of my all-time favorites has always been National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. This is a movie that's become a staple within my family, and so much so that our Christmas party was themed after it. That might sound a bit overkill, but then again, lines like "Is Rusty still in the Navy?" and "THE BLESSING" never get old.

After watching Christmas Vacation a couple hundred times, I ended up playing quite a bit of Wolfenstein The New Order. I honestly didn't know what to expect going into the game seeing as how it's now over three years old, but I've been having a load of fun with it. The story's surprisingly meaty, the gameplay's tight, and killing Nazis doesn't ever get old.

Harish Jonnalagadda

I picked up From a Certain Point of View last month, and it is absolutely incredible. The anthology celebrates the fortieth anniversary of Episode IV and recounts familiar scenes from the film, only this time from the viewpoint of the supporting characters.

Think of it as Vantage Point but with Bith, Jawas, Tusken Raiders, astromech droids, bounty hunters, and lightsabers. The 40 short stories are a delight to read, and offer a fresh take on iconic scenes from the movie.

Hayato Huseman

It's the holiday season, so of course, I've been watching the staples like A Christmas Story and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated version, not that awful live-action film with Jim Carrey). But it wouldn't have felt like a proper Christmas without a crackling fireplace while we were opening presents, so we also left Netflix's 4K fireplace videos on with a space heater close by.

I've been uncharacteristically social this week, between hosting and attending a few Christmas parties, and visiting my fiancée's family, so I haven't had much time to sit down and give my undivided attention to any new music. Instead, I've been longingly watching my friends' snaps and stories of The Dillinger Escape Plan playing some of their last shows ever, before disbanding at the end of the year. They're chaotic, sporadic, and aggressive metal ("mathcore" for those of you that like sub-genres) and one of my absolute favorite live bands. I'm gutted that I can't be there, but at least I'll always have their recorded music.

Russell Holly

You ever put something in your Amazon shopping cart, forget to remove it, and see it show up on your doorstep a couple days later because your partner wasn't paying attention to the cart when buying something else? So anyway, I got a ton of books right before Christmas that I wasn't planning on buying just yet. Top of the pile was Artemis by Andy Weir.

I knew from my interview with Weir a while back that he was planning something special for his next book, but I was unprepared for just how good Artemis was going to be. It's a terrific bit of classic science fiction, and if you're not sure you want to grab the hardcover like I did there's a stellar audiobook voiced by Rosario Dawson. Well worth the price of admission, no matter what kind of stories you are in to.

See at Amazon

Your turn

What are YOU reading, watching, or listening to this week? Let us know in the comments!

Update, December 29, 2017: This is a weekly series where we tell you what we're into, so check back every Friday or Saturday!