Curated & Saved #16

Romance across time, Sondheim’s last act, and thoughts on originality and storytelling.

Jun 06, 2025

Welcome to Curated & Saved, a personal collection of things I’m loving right now.

Currently Consuming

📖Reading: The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley
I added Bradley’s time-travel novel to my TBR after she read a hilarious excerpt at the ESEA Summer Party a few years back and I’ve been meaning to read it ever since! Set in the near future Britain, a young British-Cambodian civil servant is recruited by a mysterious new government agency to act as a ‘The Bridge’ assisting ‘expats’ from across history to test is time-travel is feasible. Tasked to look after Commander Graham Gore (a Victorian naval officer who perished during an ill-fated 1845 Arctic expedition), the novel follows the two as she attempts to help Gore acclimatise to the 21st Century. All too soon a more sinister plot unfurls, as does their evolving relationship.
Even though this was high on my TBR list, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But Bradley finds a natural inherent humour in the absurdity of explaining modern life to a time-traveller from the 1800s and I found myself genuinely laughing out loud. I’m still not totally convinced the romance element was necessary in the novel, but I can’t deny how hard I fell for The Bridge and Gore’s story and Bradley’s lyrical prose (I may have teared up at a few of the passages). Many reviews call this genre-defying, but I do think it’s a fantastic addition to the Light-Sci-Fi-time-bending-Doctor-Who-esque cannon.

📚 In Progress: Moderation, Elaine Castello1, The Fragile Threads of Power, V.E. Schwab

🎶Listening to: Take Me Back, Haim // Now What, Orla Gartland // The Hearse, Lydia Night

🎭 Watching: Here We Are, National Theatre

When a friend calls in a favor to see Sondheim’s final, posthumously released musical, you don’t say no. Created in collaboration with book writer David Ives and completed after his death in 2021, Here We Are follows a mismatched group of rich friends who gather together for brunch. As the day unfolds, the characters find themselves trapped in increasingly mysterious and surreal circumstances, culminating in a dinner party which they can’t seem to leave.
We got to the interval of the show and I described this show as an experimental literary novel - no plot, just vibes. On further research this is unsurprising considering Sondheim was inspired by two films by surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel which explore themes of societal conventions, capitalism, and the bourgeoisie. Less musical, and more play with musical accompanying the absurd action, its actually Ive’s book and Sondheim’s lyricism that really stands out here. Standouts from the all-star cast have to be Denis O’Hare and Tracie Bennett who play a range of bizarre characters and arguably have the most challenging vocal moments to contend with.

📱Scrolling through: Taylor Swift buying back her masters
So kind of Ms. Swift to release her letter just as I scheduled last week’s Substack post! I for one am mostly glad I can listen to the OG version of Better Than Revenge without feeling too guilty. I’m also probably one of the few who isn’t a Reputation stan, so the news that she hasn’t even recorded this album doesn’t really bother me that much. I am however keen to hear the Debut TV with her 30+ year old voice! Anyway I hope some of you enjoyed Taylor Swift Independence Day as much as I did.

🚨News alert: Wicked: For Good Trailer

Our favourite witches are back for round two! After my initial scepticism of splitting the musical in half, I am SO excited for the second instalment of Wicked. I will be seated and sobbing in November!

The Backlist

Our Narrative Prison, Eliane Glaser, Aeon2

I don’t think I ever really tire of reading or watching the hero’s journey. A tale as old as time itself as I’ve been delving back into writing fiction I’ve been finding the traditional structures helpful to dust off the ol’ creative joints.

That being said this essay did give me some pause. Glaser makes the argument that this dominant, especially in Hollywood’s storytelling offers the illusion of change whilst reinforcing conformity and capitalist values. The thought here is to rethink this ‘narrative trap’ to ensure more authentic and transformative storytelling.

It’s a valid argument, but I’d also agree a balance is still needed. We gravitate towards these old narratives for a reason and I’m not quite ready to give it up just yet.

The Long Form

Does originality exist anymore? Mina Le

Sort of in a similar vein, Mina Le questions the epidemic of unoriginality in our current media. Delving into ideas around our love of nostalgia (both collective and personal), as well as the prevalence of moodboarding as part of the creative process, and whether originality is ‘cool’ again.

The Wishlist

‘The Prep’ Set, Merit Beauty

I’m on a mission to figure out my dream complextion mix. I’ve found myself using less and less make up day to day as I get older. I think it’s partly not wanting to wear make up whilst dealing with various skin issues (psoriasis and eczema) but I’m also feeling more at peace with how my face look without it. That doesn’t mean I’m not oppossed to having fun with make up but essentially I want that no-make-up-make-up look if I’m just popping to the shops or out for a walk.
Merit have been popping up on my feeds more and more, and I think it might be time to invest. Their prep set feels like a good starting point with a mix of skincare and their viral complextion stick.

Thanks for checking out this week’s Curated & Saved! I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you’ve got any hidden gems to share.

Thoroughly Modern Millennial

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