Consuming pop culture in a pandemic is weird. Sometimes it’s great, but I am noticing the changes to my pop culture habits this past month. I can’t watch too much “dark” TV, news podcasts are fewer and further in between and books better be entertaining and escapist for me right now. What pop culture habits have you seen change over the past year month? Here’s a few things that got me through…

Reading

I FINALLY finished The Starless Sea and I didn’t like it. I mean, it was fine but it needed to be read on vacation over a couple of days where you could continue to pay attention to who was who and what all that flowery language in the beginning was referencing in the end of the book. I posted a comment on my Instagram and had multiple people agree and a few who actually loved it. I think those that enjoyed it were able to consume it in less than 3 months. So, take that note if you pick up the book (or want my copy – happy to pass it along!)

Inheritance by Dani Shapiro was my Pandemic Book Club book and it was a much easier read! Shapiro discovers through a DNA test that her father wasn’t her biological father. It was a fascinating story about a woman who’s parents had both passed away without sharing their secret. It’s a really interesting story. Fun fact – my dad was adopted and his birth family found him about 14 years ago. Somehow I find his story (and his birth mother’s) more interesting (big surprise). Still if you love a good WTF happened? this is worth it!

I’m not sure what’s up next – I need the weather to warm up. I have a stack of books on the table to get through, plus a bunch of new recommendations thanks to the library. Fun fact – my library does a Book-ish Happy Hour each week, which is now on Zoom (and open to anyone from anywhere!) if you’re stuck on what to read next, they can help! It’s low key and a smaller group so you get lots of great ideas tailored to you! Also – check out your own library, they might be almost as awesome as mine 😉

Listening

I’ve been catching up with Think Out Loud an OPB podcast with local news stories each day. It’s been a good way to keep up on local/state news especially with an upcoming election in May! I also appreciate OPB Politics Now for keeping me up to date. Family Secrets from Dani Shapiro (or Inheritance fame earlier in this blog post) has a GREAT podcast where people tell you about their crazy family secrets. Most of them have books or have written/spoken of their stories in other venues but man alive they’re crazy fascinating stories if you like that kind of thing (and I do!)

I’m also listening to more Steely Dan than usual (thanks dad?), the Trolls World Tour soundtrack is pretty great and other random pop music that keeps me moving.

Watching

My husband and I making our way through Ozark right now which is a REALLY good but hella dark show. We’re good for one episode at a time and we don’t make it every night. We’re about to start S3 so should be done by my next round up to fully discuss – which I know my in-laws can’t wait for either.

I mostly sobbed through the Schitts Creek finale, it was so fantastic. I did finally watch the Best Wishes, Warmest Regards documentary about the final season and it was lovely and man that show is so good. As per the usual, we’re on a Parks & Rec loop and can’t WAIT for the special episode tonight!

I LOVED Little Fires Everywhere, wow that was fantastic. It was weird to watch a show set while I was also in high school, so relating to the adults AND kids was kind of weird. It was great. If you have Hulu jump on this show! I’m also enjoying Mrs. America on Hulu. I didn’t know the story of Phylis Schlafley and really not a ton about the ERA work and who all was involved with it, so I tend to learn something new each episode.

The SNL at Home episodes have been weird, but I’ve appreciated them. They’re trying something that I think a LOT more shows are going to have to figure out in the coming months. I was sad the Gretchen Whitmer sketch was cut for time last week, it was so great!

I really enjoyed this season of Brooklyn 99 – the dance number in the finale was FANTASTIC. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist continues to be the perfect show for right now. Trust me, watch it. Also, both seasons of New York & Beverly Hills Housewives are keeping me sane. There’s nothing better than a bunch of crazy rich women who have no idea what’s coming complaining about NOTHING. My husband and I are also grateful for the return of Top Chef, although it REALLY has us missing going out for dinner. I miss restaurants and not having to clean up after dinner…

The other day my brother texted the family to demand we all start watching Never Have I Ever, and he was right, it’s AWESOME. We only watched the pilot but we’ll binge the rest over the next week or so – it’s the kind of show we need right now! Plus, John McEnroe does the voice over which is super random for a show about an Indian American teenage girl…

Okay, that’s it for the month – what pop culture is saving you and your quarantine companions lately?

I finally read a book! I was on quite the dry spell this winter and I am SO happy to say I read a book – and I read it in 3 days which is really fast for me. YAY ME. Here’s what I read, plus my other favorite pop culture distractions this month…

Reading

I read The Family Upstairs last weekend. It’s a book I heard about a few months ago from Entertainment Weekly (I think that’s where I heard about it…) it’s about a woman who inherits a large home in London on her 25th birthday. She was adopted and she finally discovers who her birth family is. It has two of my favorite topics – adoption AND cults. It was a fun quick read!

I also caught up on some comics while we were at the coast earlier this month. Brian K. Vaughn did a stand alone The Walking Dead comic called The Alien that was a quick read. It was good, not great, but did tie in well to the story as a whole. I also finished Kelly Thompson’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch, it was cute but not amazing (which she often is -I read most of her comics).

I’m 150 pages into The Starless Sea. I really like the current day story but it alternates with a book (one chapter about a person in the present, the next about a book they have) that is a SLOG to get through. I was talking with a librarian last week and she agreed that it’s a really hard read. I trust the author (she wrote The Night Circus which I LOVED) but man alive is it a challenge to read…

Listening

Justin Timberlake and SZA just came out with a new single for the Trolls: World Tour soundtrack and I am here for it all spring and summer…

I am really enjoying the latest single from the Jonas Brothers – What a Man Gotta Do. I never expected to be a Jonas Brothers fan but here we are. Also – if you missed the Seth & the Jonas Brothers go day drinking last month on Late Night it was worth the time. And has my new favorite musical rhyme. Please let me know what you think it is after you watch.

I’m listening to 30 for 30 – The Spy who Signed Me and it is a really weird story and mostly is a great reminder that female athletes are paid TERRIBLY and we need to stop that.

I’m enjoying (when their audio is level) Capitolizing which is a very niche podcast – it’s 2 Oregon State Senators who recap what’s going on in the capitol each week. I just discovered it and it’s nice to get some inside scoop. I’m also listening to a LOT of Politics Now and Think Out Loud as Oregon is in the midst of our 35 day short session and the Republicans walked out (seriously – they left the state and bragged about their tickets to somewhere warm…) on Monday so there’s a LOT to keep up with.

And I was ON a podcast this month! Digital Marketing Masters had me on their pod to talk about email marketing for small business owners. We also talked about HillHub and the Hillsboro Chambers Small Business & Entrepreneurs Council. It was fun and worth a listen if you miss the sound of my voice.

Watching

I finally started watching The Outsider on HBO and it is SO GOOD. The PI is an amazing actor and the story is so creepy – I can’t watch it late at night I’ve discovered. I also watched the pilot of Locke & Key which is based on a comic book series by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son – also Stephen King wrote the book The Outsider is based on) and it was super fun. More family oriented in its mystery but I enjoyed the pilot and will binge the rest soon.

I watched the pilot of Briarpatch and enjoyed it, now to keep going. I didn’t love the pilot for Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist but my friend emailed me about it a month ago when the pilot aired and so I decided to try the next couple of episodes. I’m caught up (through ep 3) and I have to say – I am really liking it! I tried the pilot of High Fidelity (on Hulu) and couldn’t get into it. I like the movie and Zoe Kravitz though, if you continue to watch and like it please let me know!

This final season of Schitts Creek is so great. I need a case of Moira Rose please…

While at the coast my husband and I finally watched The Battered Bastards of Baseball which is about the Portland Mavericks – an independent baseball team in the late 70’s. It is a crazy fun story. If you live in the region you should watch it. And if you like baseball and live anywhere in the world you should watch it. They had their own dog ball boy, this team was so great…

A couple of weeks ago I recorded Date Night (yes the Tina Fey/Steve Carrell movie) and it holds up. It was the perfect Valentine’s Day movie my husband and I discovered. Speaking of older movies – last weekend I finally watched The Campaign (from 2012 with Will Ferrell) and it is ridiculous and hilarious and was a perfect Friday night movie with friends.

Okay, I think that was enough pop culture for one month. What kept you entertained and distracted from politics and coronavirus free this month?

Well January certainly flew by! Back into routines and back to work means some consistency which I needed. I continue to be in a reading slump. I had lunch with a friend this week and we talked about reading slumps, they’re real and it sucks. I then went to Powell’s and picked up a couple new books and then stopped at the comic book shop to pick up my box and realized it’s been QUITE a while since I caught up on comics. Next weekend we’re sneaking out of town with the pups and I am hopeful that I can get some reading done. I’m also hoping that the weather isn’t too crazy so the pups can play on the beach! Through this wet and cold January I did find a few things to help get me through…

Reading

I started The Starless Sea, the new Erin Morgenstern. It’s good and you have to pay attention so it was not a good end of the day flight to California read earlier this month. I think it’ll be a perfect stormy weekend at the coast read…

Earlier this month we had dinner with a friend who was in town from DC. He’s been consciously eating less meat and then sent me this article which lead to THIS article which was super helpful.

Listening

I am glad that The Wilderness is back for a new season. It was helpful as we gear up for the 2020 election to hear directly from voters who are undecided and independent and vote for both parties based on what’s going on.

Over the holidays Think Outloud (an OPB Podcast) had an amazing story. They spent a week in Wheeler County Oregon (a very rural county) and interviewed people and learned about the area. It was FASCINATING. I still find myself thinking about the pastor who gives free haircuts, and who’s also the mayor. If you live in Oregon (or not) this is a great story.

I have appreciated The Daily hosting The Latest to keep us up to date on what is actually happening each day during the Impeachment trial. I don’t have time to watch everything so a quick recap has been VERY handy.

Watching

Thanks to Obama’s recommendation of Fleabag Season 2 I finally watched the whole series (2 seasons, 6 30 min episodes each) and it was AMAZING. I had tried the first two episodes a year or so ago when everyone raved about it and I didn’t like it. BUT I was watching it while also on my iPad so it was on me for not paying attention. What an incredibly smart and hilarious show. WOW. #hotpriestforever

I finally finished watching The Family on Netflix. It was a fascinating look at how one faith based organization could permeate throughout Washington DC. There’s people from the Northwest that I knew the names of growing up that were involved in the group which gave it a weird personal interest to me.

Instead of reading on my flight back from San Diego I finally watched Ali Wong’s Hard Knock Wife special on Netflix. I should probably apologize to everyone else on the flight for laughing SO HARD. Holy crap that special is great. I love her.

I am THRILLED that Schitt’s Creek is back and sad it’s the final season. But man it’s firing on all cylinders. I am SO sad that The Good Place is over (almost, as I write this…) I rewatched the pilot in anticipation of the final episode and am excited for how they will wrap this all up. Such a great show…