The rain has arrived and the Emmy’s have announced Ted Lasso the perfect show, Fall is here…

The September weather transition is always interesting, shorter but still warm (hot!) days and a few rainy forced indoor days to keep us on our toes. Here’s what got me through…

Reading

Huzzah – I finally hit my Goodreads goal for the year! I’m ahead of schedule and super excited that I finally hit this arbitrary milestone!

After reading and then stopping reading, I finally listened to Michelle Obama’s Becoming. It was interesting, but slow to start and she’s a calm steady reader of her book, which can be too soothing to really pay attention sometimes. I liked it, didn’t love it…

I had read good things about Intimacies by Katie Kitamura, it’s about a woman who is an interpreter at The Hague. It was an interesting way to learn about a world I know nothing about. It’s a short book but I kept getting distracted by pups – I think I might have liked it better if I was on vacation. I also read The Singers Gun by Emily St. John Mandel. I LOVED Station Eleven and so thought I’d try one of her older books. Again, this book takes you to a different world (a tiny island off Italy) and I really enjoyed the mystery. A quick weekend read.

I am now making my way through Liane Moriarty’s latest – Apples Never Fall and so far it’s as good as most of her other books (I hated Truly, Madly Guilty, thus the caveat). I’ll let you know next month what I thought, but I can already picture the limited series adaptation, not sure where Nicole Kidman will insert herself yet though…

Listening

Earlier this month I went on my first girls trip in almost two years and it was AWESOME. We went to Bend and saw John Legend and he did NOT disappoint! If you get a chance to see him in concert, do it! And if you get a chance to see any show at the Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend, also GO.

I finally discovered In God We Lust about the Jerry Fallwell Jr. sex scandal and it was FASCINATING. That lead me to The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill which I am still making my way through (the main subject’s voice is a LOT). Mars Hill is interesting since I was in Seattle at the height of this church and remember a coworker who fits perfectly into that category of young 20 something guy without direction that Driscoll LOVED to “take under his wing.” What’s also interesting (to me) about this podcast is that Christianity Today (a Christian magazine) is producing the podcast.

The Leslie Knope sized hole in my heart has been filled by the arrival of Parks and Recollection a rewatch/recap podcast of the show. I’ve only listened to the first episode so far but I LOVE IT and it will help me through LITERALLY any need for inspiration from Ron Swanson or Leslie.

Watching

I finished a lot of shows in September…

• Parts Unknown – I know this show came out YEARS ago but my husband and I wanted to savor them and then sort of forgot about them, and finally finished watching the series this summer and it was great. The closest we’ll get at this point is Stanley Tucci’s series, but man Bourdain’s voice was so important…
• Brooklyn 99 – Speaking of shows that stuck the landing, that was a nearly perfect finale. If you’ve loved the series (or forgot to watch it and need a fall binge) this was a great final season!
• Reservation Dogs – I loved this series! It was so hilarious and sweet and I liked how the final few episodes were focused on each kid individually. Plus it gave us the greatest rap song we didn’t know we needed.
• Nine Perfect Strangers – I remember enjoying the book but couldn’t quite remember how it ended. It was fine, a fun summer series of pretty people micro-dosing…
• LulaRich – If two podcasts about religion gone bad wasn’t enough – I needed a short docu-series to bring it home. Holy MLM meets mormons meets bad products and leadership. If you know anyone who’s ever sold direct sales or ever wonder why all your mom’s church friends sell stuff that no one really needs, this is the series that answers all of that for you…

I’m really enjoying Only Murders in the Building right now, and The Wonder Years is off to a strong start too. I need to finish The Other Two which has a GREAT religion episode I couldn’t stop laughing at. Ted Lasso continues to be perfect, even with that weird/fantastic Coach Beard episode. My husband and I are also really enjoying (that may not be the right word…) Impeachment: American Crime Story, I was in college during the Clinton sex scandal and really only caught some occasional headlines, so it’s interesting to watch.

What pop culture is getting you through the end of summer and transition to fall?

Finally the song of the summer has arrived! As always — thank you Lizzo!

 

How’s your August? It seems like we are either on vacation or tracking down clients who are on vacation. I hope that you’ve been able to take a break and check out for a bit, even if it’s just a weekend. Clearly everyone else is doing it, so you should too…Here’s what’s helping me get through heat waves and Hops games this month.

Listening

Besides Rumors on repeat, the “A ‘Code Red for Humanity‘” episode of The Daily was very helpful in understanding the UN Climate report. I also really appreciated the “Voices of the Unvaccinated” episode. It’s REALLY easy to talk trash about those who are unvaccinated, but stepping back to listen to why they aren’t was helpful for me. Locally I have been keeping an eye on Beat Check with The Oregonian – a weekly podcast on a hot topic. Earlier this month was an episode called “The Delta Variant Strikes Oregon” and it was very helpful in understanding what’s going on across the state.

Reading

I finally finished listening to A Promised Land which was great (and long). I learned a lot and am curious when Obama’s next volume will be finished and what timeframe it will cover (this one finishes in his second term). I am now listening to Michelle Obama’s Becoming. I had picked up the book to read a year ago but it was a little slow. The book is also slow on audio – mostly because Michelle’s voice is so calm and un-rushed, it’s sometimes too easy to pick up and put down…

I am 28 books through my 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge and should be finished in September. I really enjoyed Revival Season about a teenage girl in Texas who’s father is a Baptist pastor. They spend their summers traveling to big tent church revivals across the south. Things happen and dad might not be the miracle worker he claims to be… I then picked up Good Company, I read the authors previous book The Nest a couple of years ago and enjoyed it, but somehow liked Good Company even more. The author’s writing style – flashbacks, multiple points of view, rich people being rich – is enjoyable to me and perfect summer easy reading for that last summer vacation. I just wrapped up The Guncle which was a great summer read about a gay uncle who takes in his 9 & 6 year old niece & nephew for the summer after his sister in law passes away and his brother heads to rehab. It’s such a sweet book and makes me want to go hangout in a pool in Palm Springs.

Watching

Ted Lasso is a perfect show, and I had no idea that in the middle of August I was going to watch a perfect Christmas episode that will be added to the annual Christmas show list! However, I think the following episode may be my favorite…

The White Lotus was so over the top fantastic I couldn’t turn away. The sunset cruise and eulogy were hands down one of the funniest things I have ever watched, and Jennifer Coolidge is a gift we don’t deserve. When one group of rich white people wrap up, there’s always another group waiting in the wings, and this time it’s Nine Perfect Strangers. I read the book when it came out a couple of years ago and enjoyed it (it took a minute to get into it if you stalled). I am loving the casting, even if I think Nicole Kidman is an odd choice, Manny Jacinto was a brilliant choice…

I finished Atypical which stuck the landing as I knew it would! The second season of Never Have I Ever was just as great as the first and I am so happy that Brooklyn Nine-Nine is back and am hoping to savor these final ten episodes. If you haven’t had a chance, go watch Reservation Dogs (Hulu), you’re welcome.

What has kept you sane or distracted this summer?

Well my birthday month FLEW by didn’t it?

I hope you had a great July. Late summer nights are perfect for baseball games and reading outside (not usually together, but I did see someone reading at the Hops game a couple weeks ago…). And the HEAT means staying inside for some AC and catching up on TV. Here’s what’s kept me going in July…

Reading

I finally caught up on some comics this month. I finished Sex Criminals as it wrapped up the series earlier this year. It was a fun (and incredibly raunchy) series. Half way through the series the writers took a break from writing for a few months, so it feels like I’ve been reading this series for EVER, and I have, with a few gaps in there.

I listened to Elizabeth Warren’s Persist on audio and really appreciated how incredibly thoughtful she is about what it means to be a woman and a parent in our country. I am now blazing my way through Obama’s A Promised Land on audio and as always, really enjoying it.

I have enjoyed Geraldine DeRuiter’s Twitter feed for YEARS. I have been meaning to read her book and FINALLY snagged it from the library and it did not disappoint! All Over the Place is a wonderful and hilarious collection of stories from her life and travels. It’s fun that she lives in Seattle and travels to places I’ve been before. In one chapter she talks about going to Greenwich and I had to look at my photos during the chapter to see what she was talking about which was fun! If you like travel stories and poop jokes, this is for you!

I read The Other Black Girl over my birthday weekend at the coast. It is definitely The Devil Wears Prada meets Get Out, and I need to talk to someone about that ending.

As always, keep an eye on my Goodreads for more inspiration.

Listening

The Turning wrapped up this week and it was a crazy story about Mother Theresa and the Sisters of Charity. If you like cults and religious podcasts this one is for you.

I am sad that Akilah Hughes is leaving What a Day but I am proud that she is taking care of her mental health and stepping back from the grind of reporting the news every day. SELF CARE IS IMPORTANT.

This months Late Night Lit on Late Night with Seth Meyers the Podcast was great. I am curious to hear more about The Council of Animals…

My friends over at Dodge Movie Podcast did a fabulous deep dive on one of my favorite movies – Pitch Perfect this month! If you need a fun movie deep dive podcast – this is for you!

Watching

There is some GREAT television to watch right now, and then you throw the Olympics in – when are we supposed to sleep? I am really enjoying this season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Erika Jayne’s divorce storyline is more insane than I expected. On the other hand this season of RHONY is super boring, I’m disappointed.

The final season of Atypical is on Netflix and I am attempting to savor it. I also haven’t started the new season of Never Have I Ever, one thing at a time.

With my new snazzy iMac I got 3 months of Apple+ – just in time for Schmigadoon and Ted Lasso! Schmiagdoon is perfectly goofy and a great weekend watch. My husband didn’t watch Ted Lasso last year so we just finished a rewatch and will start Season 2 this weekend.

We’re also catching up on the final two seasons of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations which is still fantastic and makes me miss him a lot. CNN’s The History of the Sitcom will remind you that there is SO MUCH great television out there, and so much that I’ve missed over the years, mostly just because of my age.

What pop culture is getting you through the summer? Any great new beach read or bingeable series to recommend?