While we do love us some books, believe it not, we do have a life outside of reading. So to highlight our other pop culture interests, on the last Monday of each month, we each will highlight three other “happenings” from the last month. Big events on favorite TV shows, new movies we’ve watched, old movies we’ve “discovered,” etc. Pretty much whatever we found of particular interest outside of the book world during the last month. Share your own favorite things in the comments!
Serena’s Picks
Video Game: “Starfield”
I held out for like a week before buying this game. Lots of self control over here, I know. I’ve been playing it fairly regularly and still only feel like I’m scratching the surface. This is both a good thing and a bad thing I’d say. Now that I’m getting more into how everything works, I’m definitely getting more into it. But it also took awhile and there’s a fairly high learning curve. That said, I think it is well worth the effort. The world/universe is huge, at times, intimidatingly so, and there are a bunch of story lines that all seem intriguing on their own. However, I’m still doubtful that this will top my all-time favorite Bethesda game, “Skyrim.” I’m discovering that I’m partially just a sucker for beautiful landscapes, so the barren look of “Fallout” and the many metallic ships and desert landscapes of “Starfield” just don’t compare for me. That said, I’ve only been to a handful of planets so far, so I could still be surprised!
Movie: “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I”
If there’s one thing that is reliable in this very tumultuous time of ups and downs within Hollywood, it’s that Tom Cruise is always good for a thrilling ride! If you’ve liked other entries in the long-running “Mission Impossible” series, this is in many ways more of the same. Lots of high energy chase and fight scenes. Tom Cruise pulls off crazy stunts. And the side characters are nicely quippy. The thing is that is different is right there in the title: this is clearly part one of a two part story. Things tie up well enough that you’re not left on the edge of your seat, but the next mission is set up and the ultimate resolution with the big bad is yet to come. I’ll definitely be checking it out when it does (though who knows when that will be now!)
Show: “Jury Duty”
I remember selecting this show with my husband based on nothing but the oddness of the premise: one guy who thinks he’s part of a real trial documentary but in truth is surrounded by actors and its all a set-up. It’s a strange concept and one that really lives and dies on the real life individual at the heart of it. Without knowing how they cast Ronald, it’s hard to know how much of what worked about this was the pure luck that was him being such a stand-up guy or how closely they were able to select towards what they wanted. It’s a quirky, fun show, with one of the highlights being watching James Marsden really play up the obnoxiousness of actors in the real world.
Kate’s Picks
Music: The Chicks
The Minnesota State Fair wrapped up at the beginning of September, but right at the start of it I was lucky enough to see country/Americana band The Chicks play at the Grandstand with my mother, aunt, and cousin. I had seen them at the same venue with the same people in 2016, and going back was a lot of fun, mostly because 1) The Chicks are still pissed as hell about a lot of things, and 2) it gave me a chance to get back into their music, specifically their newest album “Gaslighter”. I love The Chicks sound, as I have always loved the Americana/bluegrass that they tend to delve in, and I LOVE the rage in so many of their songs, whether it’s about the horrific way the country music community treated them back in the early 2000s, or the way our country is so oppressive towards minority groups, or gun violence, or, most recently, cheating gaslighting husbands (“boy, I know exactly what you did on my boat” is AFLAME!!!). So great to get back into these talented ladies.
YouTube Show: “Hot Ones”
Even though I am from the Midwest, I like to think that I have a pretty strong tolerance for spice and heat levels. My husband is the same way, and we really got into the YouTube show “Hot Ones” at the end of summer for a couple of reasons. The first is that Sean Evans, the man who hosts the show and gives his celebrity guests ten hot wings with progressively higher heat levels, has such an engaging and interesting interviewing style that the interviews are almost always unique and fascinating. The second reason is that it’s always funny to see the celebrities freak out over the spice levels. We were so inspired we actually held our own Hot Ones party at our house, where some friends came over and we used actual hot sauces from the show to test our resolve and REALLY test our tolerance. I’m very proud to say that not only was I not that affected by the notorious “Da Bomb”, I did just fine until the very last sauce, which pretty much destroyed me for a good ten minutes. Not bad for a Minnesota girl.
TV Show: “Dark Winds”
I came about my love of reading honestly, with both my parents being avid readers, and I have stark memories of my Dad’s bookshelf being filled with the Tony Hillerman “Leaphorn and Chee” murder mysteries. I read a few, but never got as into it as he did (though I did like the PBS “Mystery!” versions with Wes Studi and Adam Beach!). Enter “Dark Winds”, the AMC neo-western/noir that has adapted the “Leaphorn and Chee” mysteries with a focus on bring in Native perspectives and voices into the stories that were originally written by a white man. Taking place in the early 1970s, an armored truck is robbed with both guards murdered in Gallup, New Mexico. A few weeks later, two Native people are murdered, one of whom had seen the helicopter that the robbers took. Tribal Police Officer Lt. Joe Leaphorn is assigned to the case, and gets a new partner in the young Jim Chee, who has arrived at the reservation with ambition and some secrets of his own. As they investigate, they find dark secrets and dark truths. I love Zahn McClarnon, who plays Leaphorn, and I am very eager to see where this series goes now that I’ve started it.
The Library Ladies 