Spring has arrived here in the Northwest and I am so grateful for it! My husband and I were able to get away to the coast for a few days last weekend. It was so nice to look at different walls and an amazing ocean view for a few days! I read a book in a weekend and almost finished a puzzle and then purchased a puzzle tray so I never have to experience that again!

Here’s the pop culture that got me through these April showers…

Listening

A few years ago I caught a Dateline story (FYI: I’m not a Dateline person) about a woman in Rexburg, Idaho who had remarried and her 2 kids hadn’t been seen since before the marriage. I happen to have a lot of family in Eastern Idaho so the story intrigued me. The episode was really crazy but the story was ongoing at that point. So when Mommy Doomsday popped up on my podcast radar, I was ready for it. The story goes into more details than I remember and yowza, it’s nuts. If you love cults and mysteries this is for you.

Each month on the Late Night with Seth Meyers Podcast he has a “Late Night Lit” episode where one of his producers interviews an author or two, someone who might have appeared on the show over the past month or someone connected to the show. Staff give their recommendations and all around I leave with a few new book ideas.

My brother made a comment about Lake Street Dive a few weeks ago and I didn’t realize what a large musical gap was missing in my life! If this is a reminder that you love this band, or the nudge you need to check them out, I highly recommend them as an excellent background to dinner or work.

I am also loving the new Nick Jonas album – especially Delicious. Trust me.

Reading

I got through 3 books this month, which means one thing: warm sunshine and outside reading has resumed!

I loved Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas. The Hate You Give was such an incredible book and this prequel about her father is really fantastic. Plus it takes place around the same time I was in high school and the references were great.

I tried out Powell’s Indiespensible book club for a couple of months and realized I have TOO MANY BOOKS to get books suggested to me blindly each month. But, before I stopped, I ended up with Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. I took it on vacation back in January and realized that reading a book about a family on vacation in the middle of now where and then the (maybe) home owners show up in the middle of the night telling them about a potential major power outage was a bad vacation read. I was wrong – you’d be fine to read this fantastic story on vacation. And it’s a GREAT book, I devoured it in just a few days and can’t wait for you to read it so we can talk about it!

A while ago Nothing to See Here was recommended and I added it to a list to read and forgot about it until it showed up at the library for me just in time for our weekend getaway. Boarding School friends who keep in touch by letters and then reconnect over twins that can burst into flames PLUS politics? This book is exactly what I needed for a very funny rainy weekend read.

Watching

Top Chef Portland is here and I am SO excited. My dad has been visiting over the past month so Top Chef viewing parties have been part of the weekend activities – and we all have bets on who will win – winner picks any restaurant in Oregon and losers have to pay. I am very excited for Sara to win this for me! It’s also great to see them feature Oregon and work their way around the pandemic.

My dad watched Mank in advance of the Oscars and I didn’t (and don’t plan to).  But when he wanted to watch Citizen Kane again,  I watched it with him since I had never seen it. I get why it was such a big movie at the time, but with a 2021 lens on it, I mean, it’s good… What I really want now is a good podcast or biography about William Randolph Hearst please!

The coast had spotty wifi so we did a rewatch of I’m Sorry on Netflix which has just popped up on a list of “if you’ve already rewatched Schitt’s Creek” recommendations and I was reminded how HILARIOUS this show is. Just watch it and trust me.

Alright, those are my highlights for April! Here’s a few other things I’ve been watching lately – share your favorites in the comments and then get excited for this and this.

Spring has arrived my friends! If you’ve been around here a while, you know I love what spring and summer mean for me: reading outside, which means more reading. I am READY for this! I hope you are enjoying the beginning of spring and all that the warmer weather and fresh flowers means for your pop culture consumption! Here’s what got me through the rain this month…

Reading

I’ll continue to preach the good news of the Libby App to download audio books and ebooks from your library. I had a great month of comedian memoirs… I loved Dear Girls from Ali Wong – it was wildly raunchy and hilarious. If you’ve liked her comedy specials on Netflix, this is for you. Do NOT listen with your children. My favorite part was the afterward by her husband. It was VERY sweet and thoughtful.

As a big fan of Parks & Rec I was behind the game to listen to Retta’s book So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’all Don’t Even Know. It was interesting to listen to her story about having immigrant parents while I was also reading In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero about her Columbian parents being deported. In the Country We Love was a fascinating look at just how broken our immigration system is. Guerrero is a US Citizen so when her family was taken, no one checked on her, and she relied on the support of family friends to help get her through high school. At 14 she was all alone and the government never checked on her. This was a quick but important book to read.

I am almost finished listening to Obviously by Akilah Hughes. I really like Akilah on the What A Day podcast and her book is essays about her life which I am really appreciating as I get to “know” her through the podcast.

If Chelsea Cain writes a comic series, I am going to read it. I finally picked up the 4 issue Spy Island and it was VERY fun. She writes badass females and her comics are ALWAYS funny. If you’re looking for a comic that’s not a super hero, this would be a great one to try out (also try Mockingbird & Man Eaters from her…).

I finally started reading Concrete Rose the latest book from Angie Thomas. It is great to be back in the world of Garden Heights, this book follows the father from The Hate You Give which is a fantastic book.

Listening

Since I’ve been working on more audiobooks lately I haven’t listened to many podcasts except for my morning What A Day routine and occasionally The Daily. I listen to a few of the Think Out Loud stories each week and always catch OPB Politics Now on Friday to get caught up on what’s going on in Oregon each week.

Watching

I continue to keep my Google Sheet up to date with EVERYTHING I’m watching. But this month I finally caught up with Resident Alien and it is SO FUN. It’s very funny and relatively light hearted which I often need these days.

I devoured Murder Among the Mormons. You KNOW I love a good Mormon story and I only wish this one had gone further – I could have used one more episode. The Last Blockbuster on Earth is about MY Blockbuster. Yes, the one I grew up going to in Bend when I was in high school. It was very fun to reminisce about Blockbuster and going out of your house to RENT A MOVIE.

We had an outdoor movie night with friends and ended up watching The Truman Show with their kiddo and that movie holds up! I had never seen Coming to America so my husband and I watched it a few weeks ago and then watched Coming 2 America which did a good job of honoring the first film but making the sequel a little more 2021 appropriate. We also ended up watching Game Night with Jason Bateman & Rachel McAdams this month. If you missed it – it was hilarious and I’m so glad we ended up watching it!

The latest season of The Unicorn just wrapped up, and it’s such a great, sweet show. Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy was excellent and I’m excited for more seasons! I can’t WAIT for Top Chef to being this week and Fast Foodies has been a good place holder until then now that Searching is over.

Wow, that’s some good pop culture this month. What have you been reading/watching/listening to that is keeping you going lately?

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!