Snow, rain and ice all made for a lot of indoor time in February which means a lot of pop culture was consumed. I’m continuing my quest to increase my Goodreads goal this year by listening to audiobooks, and I’m still tracking what TV I’m watching. Here’s a few things I’ve enjoyed this month…

Reading

You can keep track of what I’m reading if you’re on Goodreads. I listened to You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin (who I LOVE) and her sister Lacey Lamar. When the Black Lives Movement was beginning to better be amplified in the summer, Amber Ruffin each night on Late Night with Seth Meyers told a crazy story about an interaction she (a black woman) had with the cops. Every story was CRAZY and easily could have ended worse than it did. Evidently in her family, her sister has the craziest (and most horrific) stories. And this is that book. I loved listening to it because Amber makes me laugh and her sister’s commentary was excellent. The stories make you sad and angry and cringe and pissed and laugh and mad at what a racist country we are.

I am ALMOST finished with The Three Body Problem which is a book I may not have read if I really knew it was the first in a trilogy (insert face palm emoji here). It’s about an alien invasion and a group of scientists in China (it’s translated from Chinese) and there’s a lot of science that once I realized I could skim over the details, made it a bit easier. I picked it up based on a recommendation on a podcast and after learning that it’s the next HBO Series that the Game of Thrones creators are going to tackle. So, I think in the long run it’ll be worth it to have at least read the first one, but I am curious how they are going to handle ALLLL the world building and Chinese history.

I am currently listening to Ali Wong’s Dear Girls which is hilarious. I’ve decided that comedian memoirs is my audiobook genre of choice, so heads up! The next book I’ll read is the Hillsboro Reads book for 2021 – In the Country We Love. I’ve heard great things and all programs and events are online if you’d like to read & join in the festivities!

Listening

If you’re a movie fan, my friends just started a new podcast called Dodge Movie Podcast where Christi & Mike Dodge (see, the name makes sense now!) film nerds and film makers jump on and gush about some of their favorite films. They also give you a heads up so you can watch the movie if you haven’t before, or rewatch it if it’s been a while. I hadn’t realized how long it’s been since I watched Sleepless in Seattle!

The usual podcasts are still in heavy rotation, with more audiobooks taking up air time. The new Foo Fighters album Medicine at Midnight continues to be as perfect as they are – and since watching the Britney Spears doc, she’s been making the rotation again when I need a pick me up (it’s great kitchen cleanup music!)

Watching

I had needed a good mindless (that’s the wrong word) show, something that was sweet and funny and I didn’t have to think too hard while watching it. I mean, I shouldn’t have Parks & Rec and Schitt’s Creek on a CONSTANT loop. When someone recommended Younger I checked it out and it was ADORABLE. I binged all 6 seasons in just a couple of weeks, and am excited to learn there’s a final 7th season that’s been filmed…can’t wait to see how things end up. It checked a lot of boxes for me.

SNL has been on a streak lately and I am here for it! Obviously the Dan Levy episode was THE BEST, but the cold open this past week – Oops, You Did it Again with host Britney Spears, was EXCELLENT. I forced my husband to watch Framing Britney Spears and it was fascinating. To realize all the things going on (the rise of paparazzi, boy bands, sexualization of young women, the list goes on) that she happened to hit at that time. You don’t have to be a fan of her or her music, this is a cautionary tale more people need to hear.

I remember when the Heavens Gate cult jumped on that spaceship behind Hale Bopp in the 90’s. I happened to be at the Oregon coast that weekend and remember seeing the comet and making smart ass comments about it with friends. So of COURSE I’ve finally watched the Heaven’s Gate documentary series on HBOMax. Actually I watched all 4 episodes in a day, because of course I did. Too many documentary series go on too long, but this one was perfect. (side note – I need a whole long ass season for Britney  Spears!) If you like a good cult story, and/or remember the Heaven’s Gate cult, you should check it out. There was a lot more about Oregon in it than I remembered!

You can keep tabs on what I’m watching as I attempt to document it this year right here. As always, if you have recommendations I’d love to hear them! Please share in the comments!

We’ve made it to 2021, congratulations! I have loved using Goodreads for the past few years to track the books I’ve read, want to read and rate them for future reference. I also love seeing what my friends are reading – I often find we have similar taste and may find a new author or new book by an author I’ve loved. For YEARS I have been looking for the same thing for TV shows, since we all know I watch a LOT. I’ve gotten many recommendations but nothing is the right fit for my specific needs. I know, so picky. For 2021 my goal is to track my TV and movie consumption in a spreadsheet and hope that either the right app arrives this year or maybe just venture out and get it built myself next year. It makes ZERO sense why IMDB hasn’t done this… If you’re listening, I will GLADLY beta test this folks… Okay, with that out of the way, here’s the pop culture that has kept me sane while we waited for 46 to be sworn in.

Reading

You can always keep tabs on my reading via Goodreads (are we friends? we should be!)  I started off the year by reading Ready Player Two, an excellent start. Ready Player One is one of my top 5 favorite books (fun fact!) and RP2 did NOT disappoint. If you liked the first book and/or the movie, make sure to pick up this geek-tastic adventure!

I really want to read MORE this year, but I have a hard time finding the time. So, I’m trying more audio books out thanks to the Libby app from my library. I listened to Rachel Dratch’s book Girl Walks Into a Bar about her time after SNL figuring out life and ending up pregnant at 43. Listening to her read it, along with the SNL recordings that pop in was SUPER fun and obviously how she intended for us to read it. I’m so glad I never finished it when I picked it up a few years back so that I could listen to it. I think moving forward I’ll do more audio memoirs. I”m currently waiting for Amber Ruffin’s new book which I expect to be EPIC as an audio book!

I am currently reading The Three-Body Problem which I heard about on a podcast a few months back and finally started to read on our trip to the coast earlier this month. It’s great and there’s a lot of science that is nerdy but not necessary to really understand the story. I let myself get too bogged down at the beginning with the science so it’s taking me a bit longer than I’d like.

Listening

I was pretty burned out on political podcasts as we wrapped up the previous administration this year. I did appreciate keeping up on the news with What a Day, OPB Politics Now and Think Out Loud. Think Out Loud just had a great episode about school librarians and how they combat disinformation. It was fascinating.

Besides podcasts and audio books, I started listening to more music. Thanks to SNL, Dua Lipa has come into my rotation more frequently this year. EVERY song from the inauguration concert was fantastic, especially the new Justin Timberlake and Ant Clemons song – Better Days. That’s on heavy rotation here.

Watching

For the full report you can take a peak at my Google Sheet which I plan to keep updated throughout the year. A few of my favorite shows included The Flight Attendant on HBOMax. I was skeptical about this show but a friend encouraged me to give it a try and I am SO glad I did. It is a GREAT mystery with some excellent twists along the way!

I am LOVING Mr Mayor, I read that it was written as a spinoff from 30Rock for Alec Baldwin and I am so glad that it was reimagined in LA with Ted Danson. He’s PERFECT and quirky and I love it.  Speaking or Mr. Steenburgen, I am so happy that Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is back! This was such a fun and needed discovery in 2020 and I am thrilled it’s back for another season which so far is off to a great start!

My husband is a huge Tiger Woods fan so of course we watched Tiger on HBO earlier this month. I knew pieces of his story but not all of it, and it was great to have it all in one spot. For as big of a pop culture nerd as I am, my husband remembered a LOT of very specific things about Tiger’s life.

While at the coast on vacation we watched a couple of movies and also caught Death to 2020 on Netflix which was funny until the Lisa Kudrow stuff started to come true recently. If you wanted a reminder of just how much insanity happened last year in a lighthearted/snarky tone – check it out. You’ll be surprised at what you forgot about!

Okay, that’s a good wrap on the month. What pop culture have you been consuming to kick off 2021? Do you have any good pop culture goals for 2021? Excited for any new/returning shows or books or albums? I’d love to hear it!