August has been a whirlwind around here. With trips and visits from family and friends, it’s been a great month for pop culture consumption and enjoying time with friends and family. I hope you enjoy these last few days of summer before we get back into school mode – or election mode in my case! Here’s what’s been keeping me sane this month…
Reading
I really enjoy Marisha Pessl’s writing and her newest book Neverworld Wake was great! I didn’t realize until I was almost done that it was a YA book. I did notice it wasn’t quite as dark as her past two books and it was shorter but still a fantastic read. Lots of twists and turns which is the authors style.
I also finished Dan Pfeiffer’s Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter and Trump. I listen to and read/watch a lot about politics and so I had to take a break from this book for a bit and when I came back could only read a bit at a time. Lots of ranting about the current state of politics BUT a lot of hope and thought about how we got here and how we move through the current state of affairs we’re in. (Side note – if you read it and enjoy it make sure to listen to The Wilderness podcast…)
I also caught up with some comics lately! The new Nancy Drew series by Kelly Thompson (she wrote the Hawkeye series I gushed about earlier this year) is pretty awesome so far. I also am loving the new The Life of Captain Marvel by Margaret Stohl. Read it before the movie with Brie Larson comes out next year… I’m excited to start West Coast Avengers by Kelly Thompson too!
I’m on a cookbook binge right now and recently picked up Appetites, the final Anthony Bourdain cookbook. It’s so gorgeous and full of fantastic stories and his love of food. I really miss him. Another cookbook fan friend also recommended Eat a Little Better by Obama White House chef and food policy advisor Sam Kass. I can’t wait to dig into it!
Listening
Since adding Apple Music to my life my music is going down some different roads, which is nice. I’m really enjoying the new Chance the Rapper singles and listening to The Roots a lot after the concert last month. Obviously Aretha is on heavy rotation as well.
As for Podcasts – thanks to a road trip with my husband at the beginning of the month we finally listened to Caliphate which was fantastic (I think we have one ep left actually…) The Daily continues to be incredible, especially their work on family separation stories. I’m also enjoying The Wilderness – although similar to reading Dan Pfeiffer’s book, I need it in moderation.
Watching
I have found this summer I’m outside more and not watching as much TV at night which is a nice change. I have been binging Parks & Rec (when am I not?!) as a safe happy place from the news and chaos these days. A few weeks ago we watched Believer on HBO and it was fantastic. It’s the lead singer of Imagine Dragons and his fight for gay rights within the Mormon church (sorry, I meant The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). I thought it was really fascinating to learn more about the history and the work going on within the church.
I’m almost through this season of Orange is the New Black and I have no idea why I keep watching this show but I do. It’s OK. But, meh. I have a lot of my DVR and maybe when the weather turns and I need a break from campaign work I’ll get caught up. Or maybe those last 5 episodes of Westworld S2 will live on my DVR forever…
What are your summer pop culture obsessions?
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