This article was written for Greystone.Net by Jessica Levco, a freelance healthcare writer and event strategist.

At last year’s Healthcare Interactive Conference (HCIC), Piedmont CMO Douwe Bergsma shared a few of his favorite books with his Masterclass attendees. It turned out to be one of the most popular posts from the entire event. 

We’re not sure our list will be as admired as his, but either way, we had a lot of fun putting it together. Here’s a look at what the Greystone team is reading and watching:

Books

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post 

If you like strong, intelligent, and caring women, this book is for you. It unfurls the story of Marjorie Post, heiress to the Post cereal and General Foods fortunes, as she becomes a savvy businesswoman, a Russian ambassador’s wife and partner, a philanthropist and more. It’s a fascinating read about an extraordinary woman with a deep and rich history that spans decades and continents. Kathy Divis

100 Years of Solitude
I found myself laughing out loud, crying and on the edge of my seat as the story of this family unfolds over a century. Through his eyes we see how life unfolds for the Bundia family and changes with children, family conflicts, war, tragedy, technology, mysticism and medicine. Mike Schneider

Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen

It’s a very good read on one of (if not the most) influential guitarists of all time. Eric Crews

Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See

This journalist embeds herself in the art world, working as a gallery assistant, selling pieces at Art Basel and interviewing many collectors and artists. She’s asking the question that a lot of us have when we look at modern art: “What are people seeing that I’m not?” Jessica LevcoA Mind-Bending Journey among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See

I Must Betray You
Set in Romania during the last months of dictator Nicolai Ceausescu's reign, this tense story of people on both sides of the fight resonated with me, mostly because of my trip to Romania fifteen years prior to the time of this book. Sara Foster

The Other Einstein 

This is a work of historical fiction that draws on real events, suggesting that Einstein’s wife — herself a talented physicist — may have been more involved in his work than history acknowledges.” Laura Clemons

11/22/63

Most people know Stephen King for his horror books, but this historical novel re-imagines the Kennedy assassination from the eyes of time traveler. Jake Epping goes back in time to try and stop the assassination and falls in love, sees the main players from a different light and finds himself in a big dilemma. Mike Schneider

The Years of Lyndon Johnson (the 4-part series)

If you wake up one day and think, ‘Oh, I should read a biography about LBJ,’ Robert Caro’s got you covered. When I was reading these books several years ago, I called in sick to work because I literally could not put Master of the Senate down. Robert and his wife moved to LBJ’s hometown in Texas for several years, just so they could better understand the world that shaped him. I’m on the edge, waiting for the fifth and final book to come out. PS: Kathy, if I take a mysterious leave of absence at some point, you’ll know why. Jessica Levco

The Night She Disappeared 

A mystery with twisted, unsettling characters, where multiple suspects seem guilty, but you really don’t know what happened until the very end. Laura Clemons

Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans 

A journalist travels around the world and explores how children are raised in different cultures. And guess what? They’re a lot more helpful! She gives practical, action-oriented advice that’s easy-to-remember and to follow. Because of this book, my four-year-old is now helping me cook, do laundry and wipes off the table after dinner. He also edited this blog for me. Kidding. Give him another year. Jessica Levco

Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting the Perfect Funeral by Gayden Metcalf and Charlotte Hays.
I was born and raised in Mississippi and have lived in the South all my life. This book rang so true. It's hilarious and brought back lots of memories. Nobody puts on a good funeral like Southern church ladies! Sara Foster

Atmosphere 

Recent historical fiction – set in the 1980s NASA space race – telling the story of astronomer Joan Goodwin who takes a chance to train to become one of the first women in spaceflight. Kathy Divis

South of Broad 
If you ever have the opportunity to visit Charleston and you enjoy the historical aspects of the buildings, culture and Southern life, this book is for you. Pat Conroy illustrates a time in history when life was simple and, yet, in a place like Charleston, could get very complicated as you work through the hierarchy and structure of Charleston society. This book was like a beautiful, complicated painting. Sidebar: He was a family friend of my dad’s best friend and came to visit my small Ohio town a few times. Mike Schneider

We'll Prescribe You a Cat
This charming, delightful story really hit home for me, a life-long cat lover. It’s set in Kyoto, Japan, where the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul prescribes a cat for the treatment of people who are struggling with various issues in their lives. It sounds crazy, but it works. Sara Foster

The Maid
It was captivating, charming, and heart-warming and a compelling take on the classic whodunit. Toni Klein

Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials
After visiting Salem and seeing this in a shop, I picked it up because I wanted to learn more about the real stories behind the witch trials. The book focuses on six women and shows how fear and suspicion turned ordinary lives upside down during that time. Farrah Hunt Thompson

TV Shows

Ponies

If you loved Homeland and The Americans and you’re looking for your next Russian-American spy fix that’s laugh-out-loud and suspenseful, this is for you. And if you miss Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, check out The Beast In Me. The plotline and their chemistry is electrifying. I could watch them both watch paint dry and be entertained. Jessica Levco

Stranger Things

It made me smile to see the writers portray kids growing up in the ’80s, reimagined through a fun sci-fi lens of monsters and the Upside Down. Laura Clemons

Alien: Earth

A nice addition to the Alien franchise. Just hope they come out with a season two. Eric Crews

All Creatures Great and Small

This series, adopted from the series of books by James Herriot, is the ultimate feel good show, blending family, love of animals and humor seamlessly into each episode. Melinda McDonald

The Pitt

Having spent my entire adult life in healthcare, this might be the first medical drama that I find to be a near realistic depiction of life for frontline healthcare workers. It’s a frank and scary look at the challenges facing American healthcare workers. Kathy Divis, Sara Foster, Melinda McDonald

Will Trent

Many scenes are filmed in and around Tucker, Georgia, where I live, and near the Greystone.Net office. Like many fans of the show, I love Betty the chihuahua! Sara Foster

Movies

Hamnet
This movie is a mostly fictional tale about the family of William Shakespeare. I loved that it did not focus on Shakespeare himself, as much as it focused on the family dynamics of life in the English countryside in the late 16th century. It's a relatively simple film that tells a huge and important story about how the things that happen in our lives shape us and how we all deal with life’s hurdles in different ways. Mike Schneider

Becoming Led Zeppelin

A movie about Led Zeppelin…enough said. But it does look at all of the building blocks behind the group’s success. Eric Crews

The Zone of Interest

Nominated for Best Picture in 2024, this explores the life from the imagined perspective of a German family on the rise during the rule of Hitler. It does not make light of how a family likely lived and what they saw as "normal" to support their leader and their government. They had an ideal life with a beautiful house, a place to fish, servants and they were "doing the right thing." When I saw it at the theater, the audience sat stunned in silence at the end and could barely move. Mike Schneider

My Old Ass

Aubrey Plaza plays the older version of a young woman who, during a mushroom trip on her last summer before college, somehow gets to have a conversation with her future self. She shares this message with her younger self: appreciate what you have right now, and be careful around a guy named Chad. Jessica Levco

My Dog Skip 

Willie Morris wrote the book, and he is one of my favorite authors. Melinda McDonald

Bad Shabbos

This is a funny, chaotic comedy centered on a family’s Shabbat dinner that gets turned upside down when a body (yes, a body) ends up where it shouldn’t be. Even if you’ve never attended a Shabbat dinner, you’ll still feel like you have a seat at this table. Jessica Levco

Song Sung Blue

If you find yourself singing along to “Sweet Caroline” when it comes on the radio, you might like this film. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson were outstanding as a Wisconsin couple trying to make ends meet while performing in a late 1980s Neal Diamond cover band. This is a semi-true story about their lives and tragedies and paints a picture of the era. Mike Schneider