The heat kept up in September around Oregon – and while I enjoy the extra time outside, the days are getting a bit shorter and I can feel that spider infested fall air on its way… This month, a few things kept me going between work, dog walks and campaign activities.
Reading
I listened to Invisible Storm by Jason Kander and I thought it was fantastic. Why would I care about a soldier with PTSD? I’ve followed Kander’s career since he went viral a few years back and his podcast is on regular rotation. Listening to his story was inspiring. Whether you have served or have family or friends who have served in the military this was such an interesting and thoughtful story. I especially appreciated that his wife is a part of the book sharing her side of the stories.
I read The Family Upstairs when it came out and remembered it being a good British mystery. So when I heard the story continues in The Family Remains I was excited to pick this up for a great end of summer read. I am glad that you can read this as a stand alone book – I needed a LOT of reminders as to what happened in the first book. Lisa Jewell is a prolific writer and I need to go read more of her, you know, when all those stacks die down…
A couple of people I like recommended Small Things Like These and they were correct. It was a beautiful short story (novella? it’s 115 pages…) that takes place in Ireland in the 1980’s. It’s a part of history I wasn’t aware of and (as usual) furious it lasted as long as it did.
Listening
After I finished Invisible Storm I haven’t been in an audiobook mood – too many good podcasts! Somewhere I read about Will Be Wild which is a great series that came out last spring about January 6th and the people involved in it. Fascinating listen, a good compliment to the January 6th Hearings if that’s your thing. Like the rest of the podcast world I listened to the Serial update after the release of Adnan Syed. Wow, I am so happy for him and his family. I appreciated the explanation of WHY this finally happened. My favorite journalist (we all have one right?) Leah Sotille has a new podcast out about the Earth Liberation Front (yup). Burn Wild is a fascinating story and includes a lot of ELF efforts (that’s not the right word is it?) throughout the Pacific Northwest that I wasn’t paying attention to.
Watching
I’m not going to lie, I am exhausted at the end of the day lately and so mindless, easy TV is at the top of my list. She-Hulk Attorney at Law is such a fun show and exactly the kind of entertainment I need right now. I’ve been catching up on Selena+Chef on HBO Max which is a very fun cooking show. Not all chefs are good instructors and this show is fun to watch them handle that. When I can muster energy it all goes to Bad Sisters on Apple+. It is FANTASTIC. If you watched Catastrophe with Sharon Horgan a few years ago, this is for you. The shows are NOTHING like each other but Horgan created both and her dark humor is all over it.
Reboot on Hulu is hilarious and exactly what I needed this fall while waiting for new episodes of Abbot Elementary. I am also still catching up on Reservation Dogs, which is again amazing. I will slowly make my way through the latest season of The Handmaids Tale, very, very, slowly.
I got my COVID booster AND my flu shot on the same day (might as well get it done!) and spent the next day on the couch. I finally watched Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers which was a very funny and clever movie. It was perfect for this fan of the cartoon growing up. I then binged (seriously, didn’t leave the couch all afternoon/evening, we ordered Chinese food and I was in bed before 10) Uncoupling the Neil Patrick Harris show on Netflix. It was a good binge when you don’t have the energy to focus on all the details.
You know I’ve been obsessed with the Lori Vallow/Chad Daybell story, from the book to podcasts, so of course the new Netflix series (only 3 episodes, come on!) Sins of Our Mother was a great way to learn the story, and they interviewed her oldest son which was a fascinating dimension to all the media I’ve consumed on this story. Read the book but this might be the push you need to want to learn more.
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