I hope you’re having a lovely “end” of summer. I’ve been taking Friday’s off since July which has been REALLY nice for my mental health. An extra day to not look at a computer screen has meant more time to get all those other chores done, and spend time absorbing more pop culture. Here’s a few things I’ve loved this past month…
Reading
I started off the month with one of the longer books I’ve read in a while – The Likeness by Tana French. French is an Irish author and her Dublin Murder series is one that a client of mine has been recommending for a while now. I finally picked this one up when she said it was her new favorite. And it’s BANANAS. if you love a good murder mystery and an undercover cop story this is for you. If you don’t, you really should try this, it’s awesome.
My friend gifted me a copy of Garth Stein’s new graphic novel – The Cloven. I love a good graphic novel and loved that this one is set in Seattle and since Stein is from the area, he gets the geography right (you’d be surprised how often authors don’t!) If you liked Orphan Black (yes the TV show) this is for you. I promise.
A few years ago I read My Sister, the Serial Killer and LOVED IT. The author is Nigerian and her stories take place there. She has a new short story (30 pages) on Amazon called Treasure. It was a fun short read and I like the way she ends her stories.
I’ve been a fan of Bess Kalb’s Twitter account for a while now and was excited to pick up her new book Nobody Will Tell You This But Me. It’s a quick, HILARIOUS and sweet read. It’s a “memoir” (ish) based on her and her Jewish grandmother’s relationship. It’s sweet and funny and I read it in two days.
I have started and am deliberately making my way through How to be Anti-Racist and really appreciating it so far. I am also continuing to read the Anti-Racism Daily newsletter which is chock full of great information and great calls to action.
I picked up The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes from the library last week and it was a fun summer read. It takes you back to the world of The Hunger Games but MANY years earlier. It’s a good origin story and it I keep thinking I should probably rewatch Mockingjay to remind myself of what a terrible guy Snow becomes…
Listening
I am really enjoying What a Day as a great way to start off each morning with a healthy dose of the news. I continue to look forward to Majority 54 each week, and the episode with Jason Sudekis last week was GREAT. I appreciate Missing America and the back stories that Ben Rhodes can apply to current situations going on in the world. The episode on authoritarianism is a can’t miss.
Chef Tom Colicchio has a podcast I just discovered called Citizen Chef – I really am enjoying it! He talks to people in different food communities about the work they’re doing or their experiences. I highly recommend the How We Feed Our Students episode…
Watching
I watched almost every night of the Democratic National Convention, and yes even cried a couple of times. If you haven’t watched either of the Obama speeches, you should go do that. I’ll wait. I of course have balanced out the high brow with the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills & New York. Sometimes you just need to watch rich ladies being ridiculous.
I finally started watching the final season of Orange is the New Black. I didn’t like the previous season so when it finished I had planned to call it quits. But a friend of mine said the final season is great AND it talks about ICE and child separation and wraps up the series well. I have one episode left and I am glad that I decided to finish the series.
I have watched the pilot for Lovecraft Country and I loved it! It’s the right amount of horror for me (I’m not a fan of scary, but the occasional other world monster is fine). I kept reading that it was the perfect series right now, and I have to agree…
Alright, what pop culture is keeping you sane as summer wraps up?