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?

While Oregon has been in the midst of an insane heat wave this past week, it’s been a good time to enjoy a cold beverage, a LOT of water, stay inside and enjoy some pop culture. Here’s a few things that kept me cool and relaxed over the past month…

Reading

I finished Project Hail Mary at the very end of May – and it was a very fun read. If you liked The Martian you’ll also enjoy this science fiction.

I picked up The Vanishing Half from the library after all the rave reviews and I have to say – it did not disappoint! I’ve heard that Brit Bennett’s first book The Mothers is even better, so I may have to add that to my never ending list.

I decided that I really wanted to LISTEN to Obama’s memoir A Promised Land instead of read it, which was an excellent choice. AND I got it on audio from the library which was great, but came with a 3 week time limit on a 30 hour book. SO I am now half way through (up to part 4!) and waiting for it on hold again (just 5 weeks to go!)

I am now listening to Persist by Elizabeth Warren. She spend the first 20% of the book talking about childcare in America. While I knew a lot about the issues of childcare, she really really really gets into the details of why it’s such a crisis in this country. It’ll make you angry and maybe have some hope…

I picked up The Final Revival of Opal & Nev after some fantastic reviews and I really enjoyed it! It’s a work of fiction told in a journalist/interview style which I enjoyed. I had a hard time getting through the “editors notes” at the beginning, but once you get into the story, it’s GREAT. It’s a fictional “Behind the Music” kind of story about a 70’s duo and the journalists life is a bit more intertwined than is probably ethical.

Listening

In an effort to get through Obama’s book I haven’t listened to as many podcasts lately, but I have been keeping up on What a Day and I’m looking forward to getting back into The Turning: The Sisters Who Left, about a nun who left the Missionaries of Charity – Mother Theresa’s order. It’s WILD. I also ALWAYS love Late Night Lit from Seth Meyers podcast!

Watching

My list of shows never ends, but this month I finished two shows that couldn’t be more different. The season finale (and this season) of The Handmaids Tale wasn’t quite what I expected. I am curious what they will do with The Testaments spinoff since the series handled some plot points different. To say that I “enjoyed” the season is not the right word, but it moved in a direction that I am curious to continue watching, even though I think it could have easily wrapped up with this season.

I also finished the finale season of Younger which is a fun series that I enjoyed binging this winter and am glad to see wrap up. The final season was not nearly as great as the rest of the series, but it was still nice to wrap it up and make sure that Liza ended up where she belongs.

I continue to LOVE this season of Top Chef in Portland. The Tillamook creamery episode was super fun since we just visited the creamery this spring! My two favorites didn’t make it (Sara & Jamie) but I am excited to see how it ends. And I am LOVING the Oregon love!

My husband and I are huge Anthony Bourdain fans and would record Parts Unknown and binge on occasion. When he passed away 3 years ago we had most of Season 11 on our DVR and couldn’t bring ourselves to watch it, and then there was a 12th season that’s been sitting at the end of our DVR list for longer than anything else. The heat dome was the perfect time to remind us of this mans genius.

How did you survive the Heat Dome? What pop culture has kept you sane on road trips and family vacations so far this summer?