Hello, hello! Full disclosure: I am usually pretty good at somehow documenting what I’ve been reading–ideally I write it down in my paper calendar/planner, and sometimes I’ll take a picture. But this past month has been one of those full-on-no-routine-or-rhythm-where-even-am-I kind of months. Have I even been reading? It’s been prep for travel, travel, church camp, recover from church camp, etc. We’ve been having a great time (mostly) over here, and while I haven’t read a ton, I’ve managed to finish a couple of books and enjoy some good television too in between everything else.
Reviews…
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig. Haig’s The Midnight Library is probably one of my top ten books. I absolutely loved it, and his novel How to Stop Time is pretty high up on the list as well. So it’s safe to say I had pretty high expectations for The Life Impossible. And while I liked it, I didn’t love it. (cue the quote from Clueless. The Life Impossible is Skechers, and the other two books were Prada backpacks. If you know, you know). It’s a leisurely, contemplative book about life and death, grief and love and second chances. It’s full of hope, and has a bit of the supernatural. I think my primary (and minor) quibble with the book was that the pacing felt off to me, and what I thought were the most interesting parts of the plot weren’t as front and center.
The Surf House by Lucy Clarke was the ultimate summer beach read. Clarke writes destination thrillers in which the setting is it’s own character, and The Surf House was no different. The hot Morocon sun, the waves, the laid-back fishing village, the cool and welcoming guest house. The pacing was spot on, and there was an appropriate sense of foreboding and that all wasn’t as it seemed. It was a breezy page-turner, perfect for a hectic mid-summer month.
You Never Know by Tom Selleck. I came across this memoir while looking for an audiobook in my library app, and as a casual Tom Selleck fan, it seemed like a good road-trip companion. It was very much an early career industry memoir, starting with Selleck’s college days and how he got his start as a working actor. A large chunk of the book was also spent on Magnum, P.I., and the behind the scenes look at the iconic show was really interesting. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t much talk of Selleck’s career after Magnum, and it could have used a little more editing, but overall I enjoyed it, and it’s got me started watching the original Magnum, P.I. for the first time in decades, so that is definitely a win! It definitely focused almost exclusively on Selleck’s career and very little on his personal life, so if you like dishy memoirs, this isn’t the one for you, but Selleck seems like a classy guy with a lot of integrity.
The Bear season 4, Hulu. If you aren’t watching and loving The Bear at this point, then I don’t know what to tell you. J and I binged the whole fourth season while the kiddos were at sleepaway camp, and it was SO GOOD. This season very much leans into redemption and forgiveness, but there’s still the trademark chaos and messiness that ground The Bear so beautifully. If you haven’t watched The Bear; you like stories with space for emotions and friendship and messy families and grief and found families; and you don’t mind a little (okay a lot) of chaos and F-words in your television shows, then watch it already! (and ignore my clunky sentence)
Department Q, Netflix. I very rarely take a suggestion that a streaming service gives me out of the blue, but when Netflix served me Department Q, I decided to give it a try. Moody Scottish setting? check. Detective series? check. Flawed, compelling, endearing characters with interesting relationship dynamics? check. A grumpy, arrogant detective who was shot on the job and is definitely suffering from PTSD is assigned to run a department that focuses on cold cases. A Syrian immigrant and refugee from the IT department convinces everyone to let him assist the detective, along with an officer who’s been sidelined for too long. It’s a little dark and a lot compelling. (and also based on a novel). I really hope they greenlight a second season.
Boy Meets World and Pod Meets World Fun fact: I loved the tv show Boy Meets World when I was growing up. Recently, I came across the rewatch podcast Pod Meets World with three of the show’s actors and real life friends Ryder Strong (Shawn), Danielle Fishell (Topanga), and Will Friedle (Eric). I really enjoyed their dynamic on the podcast, and summer just felt like the right time to start rewatching this childhood nostalgia-fest and listening to their recaps, memories, and thoughts about the show. It’s been a fun diversion!
That’s it for this month! I’m going to go back to living in denial that I have to start setting my alarm next week when it’s time to head back to work.
Tell me–are you a seasonal reader? Do you like a certain kind of book in the summer months? I’d love to hear!
Until next time!
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