I feel like I’m in a pop culture rut at the moment folks. In fact I almost skipped my post this month. Then I re-read my July post, and realized I’ve read/seen/heard more this month than I remembered. And most of that is because of one thing:

Guardians of the Galaxy

Holy crap this was the greatest summer movie and so much more than I could have hoped for! Chris Pratt was PERFECT, Groot is my new favorite character, and the soundtrack, oh the soundtrack…I went with my good friend Mike and he and I sang through the ENTIRE movie. Luckily if you go to the movie at 11:45 AM on a Friday, the theater isn’t too packed and the other folks there don’t seem to mind…So for the month of August I haven’t shut up about Guardians of the Galaxy, and yes the soundtrack is on repeat in my car all summer…

A few other pop culture finds…

Reading

I haven’t been reading a ton, but I did get caught up on my comics the other day on the patio. The Walking Dead continues to go in a great direction with this new arc. I’m still LOVING Ms. Marvel & I just wish Lazarus came out more frequently.

I also grabbed Big Little Lies from Lianne Moriarty. I loved The Husband’s Secret last summer and this one is off to a great start. Sure it’s chick lit, but it’s August and all I want to do is read about catty Australian women, is that such a crime?

Watching

Oh Tim Riggins…I finally finished Friday Night Lights a couple weeks ago. And  you were all right, it’s the PERFECT show. Good grief it was amazing. If you’ve never watched it, add it to your Netflix queue and get watching! I promise you’ll love it.

We’re in the end of summer TV season, so I’m still watching The Bridge, Masters of Sex, and The Leftovers. All continue to keep me on my toes, and I’m getting excited for fall TV with Gotham, Homeland and maybe even the final season of The Newsroom…

Oh, and I finally saw The Lego Movie which was O.M.Gosh fantastic! Chris Pratt can do no wrong, can’t wait for Jurassic World next summer!

Listening

Besides the Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix 1 (which seriously is on replay all the time. I’m listening to it right now as I type this), we did a road trip to Oregon and included a lot of podcasts. The Daily Show Podcast without Jon Stewart is pretty clever. I wish they’d come out with a second episode and start being consistent because it’s really interesting behind the scenes of a recent Daily Show episode.

Alright, that’s it for me this month. What’s been keeping you happy this August?

Somehow I almost missed this post in July- whoopsy. So enjoy your First of August Friday with a list of things to read, listen to, and watch over the month…

Reading

Blankets– I got this giant graphic novel for my birthday and I’m LOVING it so far. About half way through and hoping to finish it up on the patio in the next couple of days!

William Shakespeare’s Star Wars– Another excellent birthday gift from some friends, it’s next up on my to read list! 

The Walking Dead: All Out War– this was a 12 issue arc in the ongoing comic saga, and it ended satisfactorily, but then the next issue picks up with a couple of pretty great surprises that have me excited for what’s in store! And after Comic-Con this weekend and the Season 5 preview, I need all TWD I can get till October!

Pocket– this isn’t a book, it’s an app that collects all the content you want to read when you have time online. I LOVE it! Any time I see an article on twitter I want to read and don’t have time for? I send it to Pocket! TV show review on an episode I haven’t watched yet? Pocket! It’s SO HANDY!

Watching

I’ve been on a big Friday Night Lights kick lately. Such a great series, I’m up to Season 4 (go Lion’s!) and love how perfect this show seems to be. It’s worthy of all the hype it’s gotten over the years.

Masters of Sex is also back. This is one of the greatest shows on TV, and sure there’s a lot of sex, but you watch it for the stories (and yeah, I know I sound like a 16 year old boy getting caught with a Playboy here…) but it SUCH A great show with such interesting characters, if you aren’t watching it, pray for some rain and marathon it to get caught up!

The Bridge- one of my favorite shows last year has returned! It’s weirder than last year, which I love, and has some great new characters this season that I’m enjoying (including Jerry from ER!)

The Leftovers- I’m going back and forth on this one. It’s so dark and there’s no redemption, but I can’t turn myself away. Everything I read and hear says it’s worth it, so I hope so. I trust Damon Lindelof, even though some think that makes me a fool.

Listening

Summer road trips mean Podcasts in our car. The latest indulgence is NPR’s Ask Me Another. HOW have I not been listening to this since the beginning of podcasts? It’s trivia and pop culture and SO FUN! It’s great to listen to with others in the car and race to get answers first!

Nerdette- here’s a new podcast I recently discovered. It’s about 25 minutes (a perfect drive time pod) and talks about things in lady nerd-dom. I love it!

So that’s it for me for August. I am sure there was more, but I spent a ton of time outside, enjoying my birthday, and hanging out with friends and family. Fingers crossed August has more in store inside & outside! What have you been enjoying in the pop culture universe this past month?

We’re coming up on a long weekend, where sitting on a patio or beach with a good book, an excellent playlist, and movies/tv to help sooth the sunburn are needed. Here’s a few of my top recommendations from the past month!

Reading

I finally finished The 5th Wave, and it wasn’t great. If you liked The Hunger Games (which I did) you might enjoy it. But whiney girly 14 year olds aren’t my favorite.

But then, I read Night Film in just a few days while on vacation earlier this month. It was exactly what I wanted it to be. Scary, interesting, pop culture infused, it was great. I loved the author’s first book, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, and this was right up my alley!

Hyperbole and a Half – wow, I haven’t laughed so hard at stories that reminded me way too much of myself in a LONG time. This graphic novel-ish book is so funny and quirky and easy to pick up and put down. A perfect fun summer read!

Watching

Orange is the New Black – Season 2 was somehow better than Season 1, I devoured this season and am so sad I have to wait another year to see what happens next. Good grief this show is fantastic!

Fargo- I know I mentioned this show last month, but that series finale was INCREDIBLE. Hurry up and watch it before FX hides it from us (seriously FX, can you help a fan out? on demand, on your site, netflix, amazon instant? I’d take ONE of these!). The fact that it was a self contained story was so wonderful, and Colin Hanks continues to be one of my favorite underdog actors!

Game of Thrones- Best Fathers Day episode ever.

Coming up on my DVR…Tyrant, The Bridge, The Leftovers, Masters of Sex, and finally binge watching Friday Night Lights this summer…

Listening

The Black Keys- I love this band, and their new album is a great for a road trip!

This American Life: The Radio Drama Episode– WOW, the first “drama” wasn’t amazing, but the 21 Jump Street Musical, new Mike Birbiglia & Sashir Zamata radio play were all fantastic!