What a busy birthday month it’s been! The heat has helped my pop culture intake immensely. From staying inside air conditioned buildings, to sitting outside on my patio reading, I’ve devoured a good chunk of pop culture this month!

Reading

I LOVED The Martian. What a fantastic book, I’m not a big science person (note: the book is NOT sci-fi!) and this book did a great job of being smart, and not making me feel like an idiot because I’m (literally) not a rocket scientist. LOVED it.

Then I picked up The Girl with All the Gifts. Woah! It’s about a zombie girl who has cognitive function and the post-apocalyptic British world they live in. I’ve read and watched enough zombie stuff that I kept thinking “well that’s not how it would happen…” which I really liked about it. Changing tropes and throwing curve balls left and right, it was a GREAT book, and I hope the movie doesn’t ruin it.

Finally this month, I went to an author reading & book signing with Ernie Cline at my local Powell’s (note: happiest place on earth). It was a FABULOUS evening, he did not disappoint, and I got a signed copy of Armada, which I came home and devoured. I loved his first book, Ready Player One, and Armada was so much fun. It also takes place in Beaverton which was an added bonus! Armada is filled with pop culture references, it’s fun and fast paced and perfectly geeky for me. I LOVED it.

July was easily one of my best reading months ever.

Coming up in August…

I need to get back to my comics and clear through that pile. I got a copy of The Hedge Knight for my birthday, a Game of Thrones prequel graphic novel which I’m excited to read. I also got Go Set a Watchmen, which has received mixed reviews, but I’ll still read it. And I should get back to The Lord of Opium and finish that finally! Too many good books in my lineup lately!

Watching

I finally saw Jurassic World this past weekend and it was exactly what I was hoping it would be! It was super fun, it didn’t take itself too seriously, and Jake Johnson’s Jurassic Park t-shirt made me laugh every time. My biggest question of the movie? What were the shoes that Bryce Dallas Howard wore the whole movie? They may need to be my new go to heels…Also- I need Vincent D’Onofrio to be the bad guy in everything I watch – I loved in in Daredevil earlier this summer too.

I’ve had They Came Together in my Netflix queue for a long time now, and finally watched it on Saturday night. If you like David Wain movies, or Amy Poehler or Paul Rudd (and if you don’t like those two, you’re broken) then you’ll love it. It makes fun of all the rom-com tropes and I laughed throughout!

I’m still really enjoying UnReal on Lifetime this summer. I finally started watching Mr Robot, and that’s kept me busy this weekend with the rain. Discovering the theory that Christian Slater is maybe Tyler Durden hadn’t crossed my mind till I read it, and WOAH, now I can’t stop thinking about it. I need to get caught up! Masters of Sex is making some big leaps in the story telling this season, I don’t like the new baby story line, but I usually don’t like the addition of kids to story lines, so I hope they come up with something to make it worthwhile. I watched the first episode of Deutschland 83 and liked it but haven’t been in the mood to pay that much attention to a show, so hoping that I get back into it soon! I’m really loving The Jim Gaffigan Show too, if you like his standup, you’ll love his show.

In August I’m looking forward to Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp! on Netflix. Of course I’m excited for Fear the Walking Dead on AMC!

Listening

I’ve started listening to Planet Money podcasts lately and there’s a lot of fascinating information, I especially liked the Tweak the World episode, and now I can’t stop thinking about the IRS doing my taxes for me. WTF had Robert Kirkman on a couple weeks ago which I enjoyed listening to since he writes two comics I love. He also had a FASCINATING interview with Wyatt Cenac that I listedn to earlier this week. The Nerdist had great episodes with Paul Rudd and Scott Weinger this month (Steve from Full House). They also had a great hostful last week, and some good stuff from ComicCon!

And just like that, June is OVER. Wow that flew right by didn’t it? I know a lot of great pop culture events happened, and I caught a few of them. Here’s what I was reading, watching and listening to this month.

Reading

My dad wouldn’t shut up The Martian so I dropped my other book and can’t put this down. I was out of town last week so didn’t have time to finish it, but when I carry a book EVERYWHERE with me that’s a good sign. Hoping for some quiet time in the yard this week to finish reading it! But man it’s addictive from the first line!

I read half of God Forsaken Idaho – a book I’d read about, it a few short stories that take place in Eastern Idaho, where I have some family. I can’t remember why I wanted to read this book, but I didn’t love it and probably won’t finish it.

I was reading The Lord of Opium  which is a sequel to a great book I read years ago called The House of the Scorpion. It’s on hold at the moment while I zip through The Martian, but I’ll be back to finish it soon!

Coming in July: Go Set a Watchmen, the anticipated release from the world’s greatest author, Harper Lee. I can’t WAIT for July 14th! And the same day Armada comes out from the guy who wrote Ready Player One, one of my favorite books of all time. I also need to get caught up on my comics, Negan had a get out of jail free card but didn’t use it last time I read The Walking Dead…

Listening

With a few road trips lately I’ve been listening to my fare share of podcasts. The Nerdist had not one but TWO hostful episodes (my favorite!) and an awesome episode with Allison Janney, one of my favorite actresses! Like most podcast listeners I really enjoyed the President Obama interview on WTF – Marc Maron did  a great job of having a conversation with the President, what he said about Michelle not liking him being late showing up was really a great reminder of how lucky so many of us are. The Late Show Podcast is helping me to get ready for Colbert’s show to start in September. It’s a fun behind the scenes each week of what’s going on as they’re creating a new late night talk show. What podcasts have you been enjoying lately?

Watching

I finally finished Bloodline! It was really good. Not amazing and I didn’t know HOW they could set it up for a second season, but boy they sure did in those final few minutes. Coach Taylor and Lindsey Weir FTW.

I have ONE episode of Orange is the New Black left to watch. I blew through the season and am sad to watch it and finish it up…

Orphan Black finished an intense season with some interesting developments, I was sure Rachel’s mom was going to show up, and I’m glad she did. But the doctor with the creepy bug coming out of his mouth? Ewww. And a lot of death’s this season, we’ll see how many stick…

Holy Game of Thrones, speaking of people who aren’t really dead. Part of me wants Jon Snow to really be dead because that’s what we were shown, but there’s just NO WAY it’ll stick. He’s too integral to the overall storyline, and crazy smoke monster priestess is there so he’s coming back one way or another. What a fantastic season of TV though, I loved it.

I still need to finish up Nurse Jackie, and I’ve rewatched a few episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt when I was visiting my best friend last week. That earworm theme song…

July is going to be a great TV month with Masters of Sex returning (did you hear Josh Charles is going to have an arc this season? hooray!). Married is back on FX, which I really enjoyed. Wet Hot American Summer is coming to Netflix and I am SO excited! And I may finally marathon Veep this summer.

What’s on your summer TV list?