I’m a national correspondent covering the American South. I spend a lot of time driving around the region, so I keep a running soundtrack of musical theater and upbeat songs. When I’m at home, I’m looking for ways to escape the pace of the news cycle.

Here are five things I’ve been listening to, reading and watching →

My first concert at the Ryman Auditorium — the “mother church of country music,” as they say — featured Brandy Clark. It was the first time it clicked for me that she was responsible for so much of the songwriting I enjoyed (most notably, some of Kacey Musgraves’s hits), and I’ve enjoyed listening to the songs she performs on her own.

The (true!) story of a British intelligence operation where fake invasion plans were planted on a corpse disguised as a World War II pilot is wild enough — but then five West End actors decided to put on a musical. It’s one of my favorites: from the rousing “Useful” duet to the catchy “Making a Man” to its aptly named “A Glitzy Finale.”

Confession: I’ve never seen “The Notebook,” the 2004 romance, in its entirety. But I have had one song from the musical adaptation on repeat: “My Days,” performed by Joy Woods. The song, which builds to a powerful crescendo by the time she resolves to follow her heart and joy, resonates with me.

In an effort to stare less at screens, I’m trying to learn how to crochet. And while I’ve got a crafty friend on speed dial, I’ve found myself pulling up how-to videos on YouTube, where I can watch adorable round animals and blanket squares being stitched. (The screen time doesn’t count if it’s educational, right?)

I read this S.E. Hinton book in middle school and, to be honest, it didn’t stick with me. But after getting hooked on the Broadway adaptation (are you sensing a trend?), I revisited it. I like contrasting the two different ways of telling the same story — the theatrical and the written — and I have a different appreciation for it now.

Here are some more favorites:

• What’s in Our Queue? Museo Anahuacalli and More
  
• What’s in Our Queue? Chucho Valdés and More