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: “Fields of Mistria”
I have to be in a certain mood for cozy farming sims. I’ve started “Stardew Valley” a few times now and barely make out the door. I don’t blame the game at all for this; it’s all me and my mood. But a few weekends ago my husband took the kids up to the cabin so I had a few quiet days to myself, and a quiet game seem to be in order and this one had just come out! I do still struggle with the grindy nature of farming sims (it’s the whole point, I get it, but to me who is very goal oriented, it feels grindy) and I think the heart events are too few and far between. But overall, I’ve been having a lovely time. The art is very cute and I like a lot of the villagers (don’t ask how many I’m currently dating). If you like “Stardew” and want pretty much more of the same, but with a secret dragon man (eventually), I definitely recommend this one!
Movie: “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”
Seems like everyone went to see this movie this last month (when they weren’t at “The Oydessy”, of course). When I was buying tickets, my husband and I actually had to cycle through a few options to find a showing that still had seats. And this how we ended up unknowingly attending a 3D version, which, honestly, I didn’t know was still even a thing. But it was still a great time. Tom Holland remains excellent, and the cast of side characters and cameos were all excellent. I really liked some of the twists the story threw at viewers and, importantly, how the movie carefully managed to not allow these twists to overtake what this movie was: a Spider-man movie about Peter Parker learning to balance his identities. The Marvel movies have been a bit hit-and-miss for a while now, but Spider-Man continues to hit it out of the park!
TV Show: “Alone: World Championships”
I always love the full-throated grandiose nature of this show. It’s so ridiculous and so unapologetic about it. Yes, this season is the “world championship” because there are a handful of contestants from other countries (there are several still from the U.S. and Canada). That said, I’ve liked some of the international contestants best. In particular there’s a British man from Wales who I think is secretly auditioning to be some sort of host for future seasons. (Does a show like this NEED a host? No, but who the heck care! This guy is so charming and his accent is lovely, get him in there!). And I also really like the contestants from Portugal and Slovenia. So much more charm with these cast members than what we’ve seen in the last few seasons. A few of my favorites are still in when I’m writing this, so fingers-crossed one of them makes it all the way!
Kate’s Picks
TV Show: “The Newsreader”
I’m still experiencing a serious emotional media hangover thanks to “The Vampire Lestat” ending in July, and because I was in a need of a Sam Reid fix that didn’t involve me sobbing uncontrollably (god DAMN did Lestat just break me this season) I decided to check out the Australian show “The Newsreader”. Reid plays Dale Jennings, an ambitious young reporter in Sydney, Australia in the 1980s, who has a huge opportunity when he is selected to work with star anchor Helen Norville for the primetime broadcast. Using these fictional characters to explore actual Australian and global events and notorious news stories we see the pressures of broadcast news, the interpersonal drama between colleagues, and the way media can impact not just real life, but also the people presenting it. Sam Reid is, of course, magnetic as the incredibly earnest but highly repressed Dale, but this is also a great vehicle for Anna Torv as Helen, as we see her character as a seasoned journalist who has to deal with a lot of bullshit and misogyny as a woman in a competitive field. Honestly there is no guarantee that Reid won’t leave me absolutely broken given how his character is developing, but it’s deeply compelling and a fascinating look at aspects of recent history through a very specific lens.
Video Game: “The Sims 2”
My kid really likes cozy video games. She likes “Stardew”, “Animal Crossing”, “Hello Kitty Island Adventure”, and others, and whilst trying to find a new one we could play together I remembered that I had access to “The Sims 2”. I hadn’t played “The Sims 2” in a few years, but when I described it to her she was really into creating families and houses. And now I’m back playing it again, creating favorite fictional character ships and romancing them to my heart’s content (Louis and Lestat are a VERY happy couple at the moment and Spike from “Buffy” is currently romancing Regina George…. Don’t judge me!). It’s still an addictive and fun game, and I have really enjoyed playing it with my kid as well as on my own.
TV Show: “Lanterns”
I felt like I’d been waiting for this one to drop a long time because the premise of The Green Lantern Corp being meshed with “True Detective” was SUCH A COOL CONCEPT to me. And so far, so good, it’s really living up to what I was expecting from Damon Lindelof and this new and creative DCU. Ten years ago John Stewart was being trained under Hal Jordan to become a Green Lantern, and found themselves in a small town in Nebraska that may be hiding the start of an alien invasion. And in 2026, Stewart, full Lantern Corp now, returns to that same small town to investigate a murder that may have connection to the previous visit. It is such a cool idea to make Hal and John two investigators within a gritty procedural, as they are dealing with violent militias and xenophobic paranoia as WELL as a threat from outer space, and have it feel completely at home within that concept. Given that Lindelof was behind the “Watchmen” miniseries from awhile ago, it’s unsurprising that this is really working so far. I can’t wait to see where it goes.
The Library Ladies 