This list is always a bit of a challenge – I get stuck in my podcasting ways and don’t branch out. I get a TON of suggestions on podcasts to listen to but finding the time, along with my increased audiobook consumption this past year has been a struggle. Okay, enough excuses – in no particular order, here’s what kept my ear holes happy this year…

1. What a Day – Every morning while getting ready for the day, making my smoothie and heading to my workout, I guarantee I am listening to WAD. I am sad that Akilah Hughes left the show, but am proud of her for standing up for her mental health. (Side note, her audiobook is great!) This podcast has kept me sane and given me helpful insights into national issues from the insurrection to unionizations and of course the latest on COVID. 
2. OPB Politics Now – Locally I love having this podcast each week keep me up to date on what’s going on in Salem and with our state elected officials. I do my best to stay on top of this, but the weekly recaps are always so helpful. Honorable Mention to Think Out Loud also by OPB for their daily podcast which I listen to at least one or two stories a week. 
3. Late Night Lit – When your favorite late night host (Seth Meyers) is a voracious reader (and fun fact – big comic book fan like me!) and then starts a monthly podcast about reading? SOLD! Each month one of the producers talks to authors and share great book recommendations. If you are a book nerd like me, add this to your list!
4. The Turning – Spoiler alert: Mother Theresa was maybe not that great a person. I mean sure she’s a saint, but this podcast was a fascinating look into The Sisters of Charity order that she founded, and the nuns who left. It’s fascinating if you’re a big fan of religion gone wrong (like me.)
5. In God We Lust – Having attended a Christian college I understood some of the rules/regulations that Liberty University has. Which was why it was an even MORE bonkers story about Jerry Fallwell Jr. and his wife …and the pool boy. Oh and don’t forget the Trump of it all. This shorter (6 eps) podcast would be a great holiday binge. 
6. Parks and Recollection – I am loving this deep dive into each episode of Parks & Rec, my favorite TV show of all time. The behind the scenes stories and trivia have been super fun! 
7. Offline – I have always appreciated Jon Favreau’s interview and conversational podcast style. While I stopped listening to Pod Save America a while back, Offline is a great conversation about how to handle issues in the real world. If you like Jason Kander’s Majority 54 you need to add this to your list. 
8. Foo Fighters – Yes, I also listen to music! We bought tickets to see the Foo Fighters next summer and I am VERY excited! Although a variety of music makes its way through our house, we will always rock Foo. AND if you missed it – The Hannukah Sessions on YouTube are fantastic! 
9. The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill – Yes you ARE seeing a trend in my podcast tendencies. We lived in the Puget Sound region when Mars Hill was becoming THE mega church in town. We had friends who attended, and as I listened to the podcast I kept thinking of one colleague who was a young recent college grad, single and working in a bookstore, that went to Mars Hill and was clearly the target demographic. 
10. Lake Street Dive – I really should listen to my brothers music recommendations more than I do. Both brothers (and my dad) have great music taste (well no, the youngest likes country…) but when earlier this year my brother mentioned Lake Street Dive, I added them into HEAVY rotation this year. I’m sorry it took me so long.

What podcasts kept you moving on dog walks? What music kept you company while cooking? 

Over the River and Through the Woods… that’s right, I’m heading off to see the in-laws for Thanksgiving and incase you too need some pop culture inspiration to break up the football, chasing dogs around the farm, and seeing your 98 year old grandpa for the first time in 3 years (thanks vaccines & boosters!), I am HERE for you!

Reading

As you well know, I read in the summer when I can be outside, and when I travel. Thanks to my first flight since January of 2020 I picked up White Ivy at the library. I’d heard about the book since it came out and had been meaning to grab it. It was the perfect kind of travel book for me. Good juicy fiction with the right amount of chaos thrown in. I don’t want to spoil anything, just read it and we can discuss when you’re done.

I am currently listening to Cultish on audiobook. It’s really interesting if you’ve watched any of the recent cult documentaries, or are concerned that my workout routine is cult-ish. Hopefully I’ll have a full review next month. I picked up a few audiobooks for our road trip so hopefully next month I have some additional memoir recommendations and a book or two. You can always keep track on Goodreads.

Watching

Daylight saving time puts me into a funk and what can fix that funk? ALL the Real Housewives. This season of Salt Lake is finally getting bonkers with Jen Shah running from the law (OMG the van ride where they’re still figuring all the news out was so crazy!) and to top it off? Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. I started this over the weekend for something to have on in the background while on my iPad and it is too good to not watch the hot drama unfold. Excited to re-binge it with my MIL this week.

With the Diana docuseries on CNN wrapping up (loved it) and the end of Impeachment: American Crime Story it was time for a new drama and we have finally started the second season of The Morning Show. It’s off to a good start and I am curious how it will continue to unfold. I’m not totally thrilled with a Covid storyline, but we will see…Hopefully we can catch up in the next week or two and wrap it up!

I am happy to return to the world of Dexter Morgan on Dexter: New Blood – the show needed a better ending and I am hopeful we’re going to get it this time around. It’s off to a great start, although I am worried that I have become more squeamish and softer with age and not sure I’m going to be able to handle the missing girl plot line…

Listening

I’m appreciating Offline with Jon Favreau from Pod Save America where he interviews people about social media and how to live/behave/survive “offline.” The Monica Lewinsky interview was fantastic after finishing American Crime Story.

I’m still enjoying Parks and Recollection and the penultimate The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill really helped to explain why it all went down. The Daily had a 2 part series last week (November 16 & 17) on what’s really going on with school boards across the country. If you’re curious about how hyper local politics are affecting your community, this is a great starting point to better understand it all.

What pop culture is going to help you survive the holidays or are you looking forward to as a reward on the trek there and home? I can’t wait to hear…

Oh October… the weather changes dramatically and all I want to do is hangout inside and watch TV. How about you? Are you a curl up and read a good book with a cup of tea person? Or is it too dark and cold and wet out to get inspired? Either way – here’s what’s kept me going…

Reading

If you follow me on Goodreads you may have noticed the past couple of weeks I’ve been quieter. I haven’t been able to get into a good fall reading habit yet. Hopefully some upcoming travel will get me back into the routine.

I finished Apples Never Fall at the beginning of the month and really enjoyed it. It had all the right twists and turns that Liane Moriarity’s books have, AND it has that extra 50 pages that always feels unnecessary to me. A friend also read the book and suggested that the authors core demo (our moms) would probably like that nice wrap up.

I then seem to have stopped reading physical books but I listened to The Loneliest Polar Bear about Nora the Oregon Zoo polar bear. I love seeing Nora at the zoo and was curious about her story. The book was written by an Oregonian reporter and they did a great job of including environmental history and climate change issues along with her story. I learned a lot about Nora’s life and about the environmental impacts on polar bears and our planet. It was a good audiobook for dog walking and errand running.

I have loved Casey Wilson since she was on Happy Endings a few years ago. So when I saw she had a book of essays, I knew I needed her to read it to me. And it did NOT disappoint! The Wreckage of My Presence was both hilarious, sad and more emotional than I expected. If you like a comedian memoir (and we know I do!) add this to your list.

Listening

There is now a Parks & Recreation podcast called Parks & Recollection with Rob Lowe and Alan Yang and it is AWESOME. I wasn’t sure at first, but each episode they go through the behind the scenes of an episode and talk with creators/producers/actors and I find it fascinating. If you want to know what an alternative Parks cast would have looked like, I highly recommend the 4th episode with the casting directors. The alternative Donna choice will blow your mind…

I continue to be obsessed with The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill if you are into that kind of thing – which as you’ll see from my TV viewing, I am…

Watching

The Way Down HBOMax documentary about Gwen Shamblin, a woman who had a diet church in Tennessee. Yes, a diet church. A church based on how dieting will bring you closer to God. And if that didn’t suck you in, I’m not sure what else will, but Chrissy Tiegen is an EP…

I loved everything about Only Murders in the Building and am thrilled at how they set up a second season. Ted Lasso had another perfect season and I may need to do a rewatch to truly see that final scene come together. The Other Two on HBOMax was very funny and a great light hearted comedy that I needed. Plus Molly Shannon is perfect and deserves all the awards!

My husband and I love to watch food TV series – not cooking (except Top Chef), but food and travel. So when David Chang had a new Hulu show The Next Food You Eat we devoured it in 3 days. It’s so fascinating to think about the science behind our food and the technology involved in restaurants and food delivery systems. It made us both finally be interested in trying an Impossible burger… Up next? Padma Lakshmi’s Taste the Nation is doing a 4 episode holiday season that I can’t wait for in November!

What pop culture got you through October? What pop culture is coming up that you are excited for as we wrap up 2021?