Oh September…It’s the end of summer, back to school, the weather is warm but then it rains and is cold, spider season is starting (my least favorite time of year!), then it’s warm again, and until the Emmy’s hit it’s quiet but you’re playing catch up to watch shows before the Emmy’s so you know what to root for! Here’s how I stayed sane this month…

Reading

I thoroughly enjoyed The Wedding People. It’s been on a lot of lists since it came out last year, and when I friend posted she read it I borrowed her copy and it was a great read. I’ve been in an audiobook slump this month, but I miraculously got 107 Days the night it came out on audiobook, so we’re diving right into it!

Listening

The Daily has started a Sunday Special episode that’s more focused on pop culture and it is excellent! I really enjoyed the Emmy’s episode with great conversations about a few of the top show. So far though, my favorite is the Sunday Special: What Makes a Restaurant Great? The episode is with two NYT food critics who talk about what they’re looking for in a great meal, and a great restaurant. As someone who has been known to travel for a dining experience it was an insightful conversation and gave me some new/better questions to ask my server moving forward. Good Hang continues to be fantastic, and the Olivia Coleman ep was a recent favorite.

Watching

Emmy season is weird, we’re finishing up summer shows, you have to wait for fall shows to start, you’re trying to catch up on one or two shows you hadn’t watched but now are getting nominated for everything so you should, so my watching habits feel off this month. I’m also saving a couple of shows to watch when we go on vacation next month.

The series finale of Acapulco was lovely. If you never watched this show, I am so jealous for the 4 season binge you are about to begin! I loved this show and all it’s quirky characters, and if Apple+ decides to revisit them in a few years, I would be in full support. I really enjoyed the beginning of Upload but these last two seasons were too spread out to really remember what was going on. I may rewatch the series as a binge at some point, but the final four episodes were good, but not great sadly.

My husband I watched Hostage after I read a few great things about it, and they were correct. The British PM’s doctor husband is taken hostage while on a medical mission and needs the French PM’s help to get everyone rescued. If you like The Diplomat or other political thrillers, add this to your list ASAP!

I stumbled upon another docu-series about Ruby Franke and binged it on a Friday night, and holy wow is Jodi a horrible evil person. Ruby & Jodi: A Cult Of Sin And Influence was really well done if you have followed this story and/or like a good true crime docu-series.

There’s one episode left in season two of Platonic which I have binged over the past few days. It’s another great season of chaos with these adult friends who are entirely too codependent. As always, I’m enjoying the absurdity of this season of Only Murders in the Building. If you need a good light hearted movie, my friend recommended A Nice Indian Boy and it was so sweet and funny. Highly recommend for a cute rom com night!

Alright, how was your pop culture consumption this month? What did you love? What are you excited for coming in October? I can’t wait for the new season of The Diplomat and will finally start The Morning Show…And the beach vacation book stack is starting to add up!

July is my favorite month – it’s my birthday and almost always includes a trip to the coast, and this year it was TWO! I took Norm over to Cannon Beach for the 4th of July to avoid the fireworks and it was so calm and quiet he didn’t even need his anxiety meds (pro tip, we loved this place.) Then I was back in Gearhart for my birthday for a few days. It was great to get away, enjoy some cooler summer weather, a lot of sunshine, and some great pop culture. Here’s what I’ve loved this month…

Reading

I read, and listened to, some great books this month! If you watched Somebody, Somewhere and loved it like I did, you will REALLY enjoy Jeff Hiller’s memoir Actress of a Certain Age. I highly recommend this as an audiobook! He was sweet and funny and smart and the right amount of self deprecating. I just finished listening to Careless People the book about Facebook from someone who worked with the executive team. It is BRUTAL. If you hate Facebook like I hate Facebook, this will infuriate you. I hadn’t planned to read it, but multiple people said it was great and they aren’t wrong. I also listened to this and the author is from New Zealand – worth it for the accent alone!

I’ve always enjoyed Kevin Wilson’s books, and his latest, Run for the Hills is up there on the list (Nothing to Look At can’t be topped though!) It was a sweet and funny family road trip story, with a very unconventional family. A great summer vacation read.

I really enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age a couple years ago and was excited to see there was a sequel out – Kills Well With Others. While not quite as fun as the original (it rarely is!) this was a fun murder mystery/caper set in gorgeous locations that made for a great summer read.

I heard about Murder on Sex Island a while back (maybe over a year ago?) on Seth Meyers Late Show podcast. It was finally a print book that I could read and it was a VERY fun and ridiculous book. The author is a comedian who has written on a variety of funny shows. It was a fun ridiculous look at a fictional reality TV competition where a murder happens and the main character is a PI who goes undercover. It reminded me a lot of the show UnREAL from a few years back. If you liked that, this is for you. The right amount of perfect summer fun in a quick weekend read.

Listening

We’ve all heard more Coldplay than expected this month, which is hilarious. I’m also listening to a bit more Chuck Mangione since he passed away earlier this month. He was a family favorite growing up. My brother played the trumpet for years, and we saw Chuck in concert at one point!

Podcast wise, I’m still loving the energy and joy of Good Hang, with Amy Poehler. I really enjoyed the conversation with Abbi & Ilana who I LOVED on Broad City. There was also a new Late Night Lit earlier this month which I will ALWAYS enjoy and listen to. I appreciated Hilary Meyers recommendation of revisiting the classics. I don’t usually listen to The Culture Study Podcast, but the “Why is Montana So In Love With Itself?” episode was really interesting! Now that I have nephews (and a brother and sister in law) in MT it was fun to listen to.

Watching

It felt like a slow month for TV, but I found a way, and that included catching up on a few shows I’ve been meaning to watch. Also a few days with Norm and the remote control to myself meant a couple of movies, which I rarely watch.

I really liked Another Simple Favor, as I mentioned, I did a rewatch of the original and had forgotten a ton of it, so do the rewatch first, both are fantastic. I am hopeful that it’s setting up for a trilogy…

I also really enjoyed Summer of 69 if you like a good coming of age story featuring a bunch of SNL cast and alumni behaving badly – plus Paula Pell owning a strip club.

It was too hot for baseball when my dad came to visit, so we went to see the new Superman and it was really fun! We can now confirm that Cliff WAS the inspiration for Krypto, every scene reminded us of our poorly behaved super pup.

If you grew up quoting Happy Gilmore you won’t be disappointed by the sequel! There were way too many cameos to catch them all, and since I am also just finished the new season of Full Swing, I recognized many a PGA player too (and the Scottie Scheffler story was perfect.)

We finally watched Your Friends and Neighbors and LOVED it. I always love beautiful people behaving badly, add in Jon Hamm and you can do no wrong! We also really enjoyed Stick and the finale setup a great second season. Plus, Timothy Olyphant as the bad guy is always good in my book! Keeping with shows only on Apple+, the new (and final) season of Acapulco started and it’s off to a great start!

August will hopefully include catching up on a few more shows, will I finally watch Andor? or Paradise? who knows! What are you excited for in August when it comes to your pop culture to do list? OH! We’re going to see Seth Meyers live in Seattle! I can’t wait!