Category: Not Just Books

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.

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

Movie: “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”

My husband made the mistake of mentioning that he had started this one while doing a workout down in our basement. So of course I informed him that he’d have to stop immediately and find something else to watch, since I wanted to watch this one too! And I was right to make him re-start! This was a fun action movie, all the more so for the fact that it is based off of a true story and that the main character is said to have been the primary inspiration for James Bond. All of the actors were phenomenal and there was just the right amount of humor to be entertaining without feeling over done. This is a Guy Ritchie movie, and it very much felt like one.

Movie: “The Sheep Detectives”

I actually went and saw this last month while it was in theaters with my boys. I had been trying to find a good theater movie for them for a while, something that, god forbid, I could enjoy as well! And this one was the perfect fit! It had strong “Babe” vibes, if perhaps a bit sadder at times. But it was funny, whimsical, and 5, 7, and *cough* 40 year-old all enjoyed it! From watching the trailer, I was most concerned about the CGI work with the animals, as this can really throw me out of these kinds of movies when it’s done poorly. But here I quickly forgot to even watch for it, since the sheep themselves were all also excellent characters. I definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a wholesome family movie!

Video Game: “Divinity: Original Sin 2”

While I’m unwilling to truly confront my “Baldur’s Gate 3” addiction in any meaningful way, I have decided that I could at least try to expand my Larian boundaries. For one thing, they announced their upcoming game, “Divinity,” at last year’s Games Awards. So, in preparation for that (which is years away, frankly) I’ve decided to dive into their back catalog. Honestly, their whole “Divinity” series is a hot mess of spinoffs, prequels, reboots, and who knows what else. I took one look at the name progression of the games and simply skipped to their last and most recent, “Divinity: Original Sin 2.” And man, has it been fun! It’s easy to see the influences carried forward into “Baldur’s Gate 3,” but this is also definitely its own thing. I can’t tell whether BG3 has become easy simply because I’m so familiar, or whether this one truly has harder combat, but I’ve definitely been challenged by the game play here. It’s also a massive game, so I haven’t finished it yet to see where the story goes, but so far, it’s been a blast and the writing is of the same high quality as BG3. Definitely check it out if you need to scratch an RPG itch (this year has been sadly lacking on this front, as far as new games go.).

Kate’s Picks

Soundtrack/Concert/Film Screening: “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”

This is by NO means a new ‘pick’ for me, as I have been a fan of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” since I was a teenager. But at the end of June right before ALA I had the opportunity to not only go to a screening of the film for its 25th Anniversary at a local theater, but the creator of the show/music/character, John Cameron Mitchell, had a Q and A and live performance of music to go with it (I definitely wept a couple times when he sang songs from the show). And for a good long while afterwards well into July I had the soundtrack, from the movie AND the original off Broadway production, on a loop. It’s the story of Hedwig, an East German glam rocker who is trying to break it into the music business after their music and ideas were stolen by their ex/song writing collaborator Tommy Gnosis, who has found superstardom. As Hedwig tours around/stalks Tommy, we find out their back story as a queer man living in Cold War Berlin who, in love with an American GI and desperate to escape Germany, agreed to have a sex change at their lover’s behest… only to have it botched. Now they are traveling and playing the songs trying to get recognition, and on the verge of a breakdown whilst doing it. It’s been a favorite of mine for YEARS, and the influence is strong and undeniable (honestly, so much of “The Vampire Lestat” in music and journey just SCREAMS “Hedwig” to me).

Film: “Evil Dead Burn”

“Evil Dead” movies have been in my life since I was in high school, and I think that it may be the most consistent of horror franchises when it comes to creativity and quality. Which is saying a lot for a franchise that has been around for more than forty years. The newest installment is “Evil Dead Burn”, and you KNOW that Terror Tuesday people and I went to see it in the theater in all its over the top and gory glory! Alice is a recent widow, though her marriage was messy and rife with abuse. When her in laws insist that everyone go to the family cabin (which has been neglected for years) to grieve together, Alice feels obligated to attend, even if it’s incredibly toxic. But little do they all know that Deadites have a link to the family history, and they are on a mission to find something, possessing and destroying anything in their wake. I didn’t love this one as much as I did “Evil Dead Rise”, but it has everything I want in an “Evil Dead” film: gore, nonsense, and lots of iconic Deadites action. It was a blast, even if I was cringing throughout (I wouldn’t have it any other way).

Vacation: Alaska

This month my husband, daughter, and I went on a Disney Cruise to Alaska. While cruises intimidate me (there are so many people and it’s SO overstimulating), I did love the idea of going to Alaska, so when my husband suggested we do that this summer I insisted we go North instead of South to see the 49th State. And man, it was absolutely gorgeous. We cruised by glaciers, stopped in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan, and I was able to see eagles, ravens, whales, and a moose (I also ALMOST saw a brown bear but by the time I got to the group of people who had seen it it had dashed back into the trees, DANG IT!). Not to mention take so many landscape photos, which has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember. And I will fully admit that I also enjoyed the cruise itself, as it felt far more laid back than the one I went on this winter (though that’s probably due in part to being there with my husband and kid instead of husband and other couples). And having a morning in Vancouver was also lovely. All in all it was a nice family vacation and I wholly intend to go back to Alaska someday!

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!

(We’re posting this one a week early since next week we are devoting our Monday post to a re-cap of ALA 2026!)

Serena’s Picks

TV Show: “Daredevil: Born Again” Season 2

I haven’t finished the complete season yet, but so far this has been another great Daredevil entry! I was happy to see the return of Karen at the end of the first season, so I was pleased to see she had more to do here. The series also continues to benefit from the masterful performances of both Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio. Plus, of course, the return of Krystin Ritter as Jessica Jones! Now there’s a show that I wish would also get a “reborn” type of treatment on Disney+. We’ll see how this season wraps up, but so far, it’s been a fun, violent ride!

YouTuber: Welonz

I feel like I’m a pretty versatile gamer, from tactical, to cozy, to classic RPG, to roguelilke. But the one area where I really don’t think I’d do well is horror. However, I’m always hearing great things bout horror games, like “Silent Hill F” and the more recent “Resident Evil: Requiem.” So what’s to be done, other than watching a favorite YouTuber play those games in my place? This way I can experience the thrills with the extra layer of distance between me and the actual jump scares! Welonz has been a great find for this, as she plays a lot of games like this and also has a nice, solid presence without being overly quirky or gimmicky. Definitely check her out if you enjoy watching video game playthroughs!

Video Game: “Civilization 7”

This came out over a year ago, but like a good consumer, I held off on purchasing until I had read some reviews. And it’s a good thing I did! With all the improvements in visuals and such, the game did away with one of the core elements of the series: building and maintaining one civilization from start to finish. Instead, it introduced a mechanic where you’d change civilizations from age to age. I’m sure there are creative options that this opens up, my my “Civilization”-loving heart just couldn’t handle a massive change like that. Luckily, I wasn’t alone in this, and after a year of complaints, the game finally released an update that now allows you to play as the same civilization throughout. So I went ahead and purchased, and that’s what I’ll be doing for the next, oh, six months.

Kate’s Picks

TV Show: “The Vampire Lestat”

My favorite queer vampire show is back, and it is now Lestat’s turn to tell HIS side of the story! Yep, “Interview With the Vampire” is back for season three, but to reflect the book timeline and shift in perspective it is now rebranded as “The Vampire Lestat”. Because after Daniel published Louis’s reflection and it became a bestseller, an angry (and incredibly hurt) Lestat copes by…. joining a rock band and becoming a coveted and messy rock superstar. Yeah, that sounds like him. The show is unhinged and wild, and Sam Reid continues to portray the PERFECT Lestat (as someone who named one of her cats after this character I know a perfect Lestat when I see one) , channeling his egoism, charisma, passion, and despair. I love how this show continues to tinker with the ideas of perspective and unreliable narrators, and now that we have Lestat’s POV it’s that much richer. I’m also holding out hope that we get some Armand/Daniel stuff along with my hope for Lestat/Louis (though I know we’re going to get some info on Nicky as well and oh no I’m not ready). I’m so happy my horrible toxic terrible queer vampires are back because I LOVE ALL OF THEM.

“Band”: The Vampire Lestat/Satan’s Night Out

Yep, it’s a double whammy of all things Lestat this month, but we all knew I was going to be wholly insufferable about all of it so this shouldn’t be surprising. Not only did the show premiere this month, I also started listening to the music that goes with the show in anticipation and then to keep riding the high. Lestat’s music has a rock edge, sometimes being cheeky and sassy and other times brimming with nostalgia (the cover of “Dancing with Myself” was perfection on so many levels, it’s SO SPIKE CODED to me). But I also love how the songs can stand on their own, but also have meanings about what is going on on the show and what has happened in Lestat’s life, and in some cases act as a coping mechanism. My favorite of the bunch is hands down “Your Biggest Fan”, which sounds like a Hedwig and the Angry Inch/John Cameron Mitchell love ballad, but if you know the story behind it it’s….. something else. I had it on a loop for days even though it was filling me with emotional agony (my husband said ‘this is not going to be the song of the summer, Kate’ and I said ‘IT IS MY SONG OF THE SUMMER!’). I just love that the show went the extra mile to make great music, and Sam Reid kills it.

TV Show: “Criminal Minds: Evolution”

Yeah, it’s still really milking the Elias Voit storyline probably beyond its expiration date, but I don’t even care because I am still fully on board with this show and all of the characters at the BCU as they try and solve really messed up crimes. While the team tries to hunt down more killers by using profiles and psychology, Voit is still in prison and dealing with the fallout of his crimes, while still giving his insight to the team. And it’s being teased that this season has a new aspiring killer that wants to impress Voit. And then there is also the fact that Conner Storrie from “Heated Rivalry” is in the show for a little bit? Regardless, I’m still invested and this show remains relentless but also very addictive.

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: “Rise of the Ronin”

To prove that I’m not ONLY playing BG3 and nothing but BG3, I started up a few new video games this month. So here is the first of two! Open word games can be a bit hit or miss for me. I really loved “Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey” but “Vahalla” was a slog, just too big and with too actual story to balance out the endless sprinkling of pointless map markers. That being the case, I was unsure what to expect with “Rise of the Ronin.” But overall, I’ve been really loving it! The scenery is gorgeous, the character creator was honestly shocking in how robust it was, and the story so far has been great, nicely slotting in to the void left behind after finishing watching “Shogun” last year. Plus, one of your mini quests is to find and pet cats. So, yeah, that’s obviously up my alley.

TV Show: “Jury Duty: Company Retreat”

Both my husband and I really enjoyed “Jury Duty,” the reality show where one poor guy doesn’t know he’s on a show and is surrounded by actors all doing their best to be as ridiculous as possible. It was so weird, and funny, and almost voyeuristic? So of course we were immediately interested when we saw that another season was coming out, this time swapping the “jury duty” concept for an intern at a company retreat. Like the first go around, the show really lives and dies on the niceness of the actual person at the center of the show. And Anthony seems like such a stand up guy, that by the end, you almost feel bad for him that he’s been put through this whole ridiculous thing and has been the only sane person in the room so much of the time.

Video Game: “Pragmata”

While “Ronin” is both and older and much longer game, one that I’m still working on now, “Pramata” came out only a month or ago or so and was a much more manageable length. I was fairly completionist with it, and it only took me about 20 hours to finish up. And boy, I was surprised by how much I liked this! Action shooters aren’t my go-to game, but the combination of shooting plus the hacking puzzle to break enemies’ shields really ended up working for me! The story was also straight-forward and sweet. I especially enjoyed the wholesome and optimistic relationship between Diana and Hugh. Most notably, Hugh wasn’t a “sad dad” type of character, which I really appreciated. Definitely give this one a go if you’re looking for a unique-feeling sci-fi adventure!

Kate’s Picks

Band: Tragedy

I went to a well loved St. Paul music venue called The Turf Club to see Electric Six at the beginning of the month with my husband and some of our friends. We all have loved Electric Six for years and try to go see them when they come to town. None of us had heard of the openers, a metal tribute band called Tragedy. We figured it would be a fine way to pass the time to wait for the main event as we all like metal (hell, one of my friends has done drumming in metal bands in the past), but when Tragedy came on stage and started to play, my brain chemistry was forever changed. They are a metal band that covers songs that you would NOT associate with metal. They played “Summer Nights” from “Grease”. They played “Without You” by Air Supply. It was when they played “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, but in the style of heavy/prog metal artist King Diamond (with one of the members in full King Diamond cosplay) that short circuited my brain. Their glam/sleaze metal styling of their cheeky cover choices is SO inspired, and I am OBSESSED. THEY ARE SO GOOD AND I CANNOT STOP LISTENING.

Film: “Forbidden Fruits”

There are some kinds of film vibes that are always going to win me over. Witch shit, campiness, cuntiness, horror, and quippy dark humor all fall into this category. So it’s very obvious that a film like “Forbidden Fruits” is going to be very much my scene. Taking place at a Dallas shopping mall, we have Apple, Cherry, and Fig, three It Sales Girls at the hot boutique Free Eden. And when they are approached by the food court pretzel seller Pumpkin, they decide to pull her into their group, which is actually a coven, with Apple as their ruthless leader. But Pumpkin’s inclusion upends the hierarchy of the sisterhood, and things start to fall apart. Especially when Pumpkin finds out about a previous member named Pickle who isn’t in the circle anymore. It is “The Craft” meets “Heathers”/”Mean Girls”, and it has so many ridiculous moments I was cackling the whole time. All of the characters were fun, but Lili Reinhart as the intimidating and vicious Apple and Victoria Pedretti as the completely unhinged Cherry REALLY stood out to me.

Film: “Obsession”

I remember seeing a really short teaser for this before some other horror movie I was watching with the usual Terror Tuesday crew and we all looked at each other and nodded, knowing we needed to see this movie. We finally got to it over the holiday weekend, and my GOD. It really got under my skin but in the best way. Bear is a neurotic and intimidated guy who has a huge crush on his friend Nikki, though he can’t get the courage up to ask her out or make his feelings known. Instead in the heat of the moment he uses a One Wish Willow, a novelty toy he bought at a mysticism shop, to wish that Nikki would love him more than anyone else in the world. Well, his wish comes true. But Nikki very quickly starts to act unhinged and completely obsessed with him, begging for his love at any cost. Inde Navarrette as Nikki is one of the best horror performances I’ve seen, and what I liked most about this movie is that it is less about ‘be careful what you wish for’, and more about someone taking someone’s agency away from them in the most horrific way. And THAT is what scared me the most. MAN this is an intense but great watch.

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

Movie: “Project Hail Mary”

Like everyone this month it seems, I dutifully left my house and booked a ticket to see what feels like the only true blockbuster of a film that’s come out in oh, I don’t know, years at this point! Ok, I joke. But it does seem like it’s been quite some time since there’s been a movie that has been so widely enjoyed. I didn’t get around to seeing this until it had been out in theaters for three weeks, and even then, my evening showing on a Thursday night was a packed house! I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen that! And the movie was well worth all of these sales. There was adventure, there was humor, there was heart. But most of all, it was an optimistic film with a central message about the need for true connection. In many ways, I feel like it’s the sort of movie that hit at just the right time. But even besides that, it was just a great movie-going experience, and I highly recommend a theater showing if you can swing it!

TV Show: “Top Chef”

Fall is for “Bake Off” and spring is for “Top Chef!” It’s a nice little tradition for my husband and to watch together: two shows where we can judge contestants as they create dishes we have zero chance of making ourselves! “Why, why would you try to do a soup for a quickfire? There’s not enough time to develop the flavors!” We definitely sound like we know what we’re talking about, and that’s all that matters. In this season in particular, we’ve spent a lot of time criticizing the one contestant whose arm seems to be more injured when she’s doing poorly or doesn’t want to do a quickfire but then magically repairs itself for the challenges where she feels more confident!

Video Game: “Eternal Strands”

This was a fun little palatte cleanser of a game between my obsessive “Baldur’s Gate 3” runs and my continued effot to work myself up to trying “Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader.” This was a much more manageable length, around 35 hours, and had a very fun game play loop. Most of all, I loved fighting the giant constructs and the various unique approaches you had to take to defeat each one. The voice acting was also incredible throughout, and by the end, I was quite attached to everyone in this odd little group. If you’re looking for a fun, fairly straightforward action game, this is a nice option to consider!

Kate’s Picks

Netflix Show: “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen”

It’s been a bit since I’ve watched a horror TV show that completely pulled me in and left me going WHAT ON EARTH DID I JUST WATCH. It’s been awhile since Mike Flanagan created a ghost story for Netflix, but if you have been missing that or something along those vibes, look no further than “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen”, because this show MESSED WITH ME. Rachel is a woman who is going to meet her fiancé Nicky’s family for the first time, with their remote cabin setting being the spot for their small wedding that weekend. But things are very strange at the house and with the family, with people acting weird, and an overwhelming sense of dread that Rachel can’t shake. To make matters worse, the family lore of a creature in the woods makes Rachel all the more nervous. But things are even more horrifying than she realizes as family curses and secrets start to come out of the woodwork. This show kept me on edge basically the whole time, with crazy reveals, incredibly unsettling imagery, and a great cast who all seem unhinged.

TV Show: “Deadloch”

As mentioned last month, “Deadloch” Season 2 dropped and now I am back with another entry focusing on this darkly funny Australian murder mystery! Dulcie and Eddie have left the small Tasmanian town and have headed for the mainland when Eddie wants to follow up on the death of her detective partner. But they don’t stay in Darwin long, because some body parts in the mouth of a crocodile in the small town of Barra Creek brings them there to investigate… And brings up the fact that Eddie has a past and connection to the community that she was hiding from Dulcie. And this time it’s involving crocs, feuding tourist companies, and MORE body parts washing ashore. Dulcie and Eddie still have great chemistry, and the mystery this time around is just as engaging and complex. We also have some new supporting characters, as well as some familiar faces (really happy to see Abby has returned and is fully into forensics, and wow, Cath is actually really fun this season after being wholly insufferable last time around!), and it’s still super funny, super queer, and kept me on my toes. I don’t know if we’re going to get more seasons after this one, but if it’s the end, it ended on a high note.

TV Show: “Dark Winds”

Another procedural on my list, though I was waiting awhile for “Dark Winds” to come back after season three, especially since we left on a bit of a cliffhanger (Emma left Joe!! NOOO!). And now “Dark Winds” is back, which means Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are back on the case. In Season four they are looking for a missing Navajo girl, who ran away from a Catholic boarding school and then vanished, last seen with a young man with a criminal past. Their search takes them to Los Angeles, where they get tangled up in the seedy underbelly of the crime world, as well as become targets of a meticulous killer. Meanwhile Joe is still reeling from Emma leaving him, and Bernadette has newly rejoined the Navajo Tribal Police after leaving her position with the border patrol, though her relationship with Chee is still new and growing, and the thought of a workplace romance feels complicated. I’m so glad this show is back, as I absolutely love Leaphorn and Chee, and still love how Indigenous perspective centered it is.

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

Sports: Winter Olympics

Dun, dun, dun dun dun dun, Dun, Dun dun dun dun dada dadada DUN! It’s that time once again, the time when I both watch more sports than ever before and more TV altogether more than ever. This year is even more fun because both of my kids are finally old enough that they actually will sit down and watch a lot of it. My primary mission this year has been to get them past any “ew girls” kneejerk reactions and to truly appreciate the art that is ice skating. But there are simply so many great sports to watch, that we had a hard time picking and limiting it all, truth be told!

MORE Sports: Superbowl

Yes, not one sports entry but two from me this month! What can I say, February was the perfect month for me, sports-wise! While I’ve lived in Minnesota now for over a decade, I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and the Seahawks have always been my team of choice. The Vikings can be second, I guess. So this was great for me either way! All the more so because there was some smirking sent my husband’s direction since the Seahawks’ new quarterback previously played for the Vikings…heh.

Video Game: “Blue Prince”

There are a few other games I’ve been playing recently, but this puzzle game that I’ve been working my way through with my husband really stands out. It’s such a quiet, compelling experience, each day building a blue print of a sprawling manor and trying to piece together the history of the place and the location of the final, mystery room. It’s hard to gauge how far we are in it yet, but the puzzles we’ve solved so far have all been great and there a bunch of tantalizing loose ends that we still haven’t managed to figure out. I definitely recommend this one if you enjoy slower, puzzle games, especially if you have someone to play it alongside!

Kate’s Picks

TV Show: “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”

We all know that I absolutely hated the way that “Game of Thrones” ended. And we also know that I won’t watch “House of the Dragon” because I just can’t abide watching the Targaryens fighting each other and the start of the downfall of the dragons in Westeros. So maybe it’s surprising that I’m watching “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”, the newest “Game of Thrones” spin off. But I am actually really enjoying it so far! Mostly because it just has so much more WHIMSY than the other GOT shows we’ve seen. Taking place between “GOT” and “HOTD”, we follow aspiring Hedgeknight Ser Duncan the Tall, who wants to become a legitimate knight. So he enters a prestigious jousting tournament. When he takes on a new young squire, a chatty and precocious boy who calls himself ‘Egg’, it turns into a bit of a misfit buddy comedy, though Egg has some secrets he’s hiding from his master. One downside is that there are no dragons in this show (sorry, Aerion, you don’t count). But that’s also a good thing because without the spectacle of dragons and magic, it has to rely on characters and engaging plot points. Also, we have Lyonel Barathon, aka the one good Baratheon male, popping up from time to time. It’s very fun, something I haven’t been able to say about other Westeros series.

Film: “Black Phone 2”

I greatly enjoyed the first “Black Phone” movie, not only because it was well done, super scary, and well acted, but because it was based on a Joe Hill short story that they adapted incredibly well. I was admittedly a little skeptical about “Black Phone 2”, because there was no Joe Hill short story to pull from and I didn’t see how it would work with The Grabber dead. But I was wrong to doubt, because I sat down and watched it this month and really liked it! A few years after he killed The Grabber, Finn and his sister Gwen are trying to adjust, though Finn is traumatized and Gwen is still having disturbing dreams of missing children. When her dreams seem to point her towards a youth camp in the Rockies, she convinces Finn that they are meant to go there. Unfortunately for them, there is, indeed, a dead phone that can contact them. And The Grabber may not be done with them after all. Not only was this a scary winter horror movie, it once again boasts fantastic performances from Mason Thames and Madeline McGraw. And the cinematography during the dream sequences is very Lynchian at its creepiest. Great sequel!

Film: “Waiting for Guffman”

This is not a new film to me in any way, shape, or form. I’ve actually been a fan of “Waiting for Guffman” since I was a high school theater kid, but when Catherine O’Hara died at the end of January I felt compelled to revisit it in her honor. The premise is simple: a small town in Missouri is preparing for its 150th Anniversary celebration and they ask local theater expert Corky St. Clair to write and direct a show about the town’s history. This faux documentary follows the people who are cast, the townsfolk, and the wacky journey they take creating a hometown show that they HOPE will end up on broadway because of rumors of a producer coming to see it. The cast is spectacular, with the usual suspects of Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, and Fred Willard, and of course Catherine O’Hara playing Sheila, a confident travel agent who has done community theater with her husband Ron (Willard) before. As a former theater kid I can tell you it nails the theater kid (or in this case local theater aficionado) culture, poking fun but never cruel. It’s a favorite O’Hara film of mine and I love hers and Willard’s RIDICULOUS rendition of “Midnight at the Oasis”. Rest in Peace, queen!

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: “Hades 2”

As promised, here I am back again with the second Hades game! I’m definitely glad I played the first game before this one. Not only is it fun seeing familiar faces once again, but I find that I’m better able to jump straight into enjoying the story and characters now that I’m familiar with the general set up for the game play loop. Of course, this one amps up the entire experience in every way, with a bunch of additional tasks that can be completed at the home base (like brewing potions, growing plants, and recruiting pets as familiars!). I also really enjoyed the new characters and love interests. Icarus is still playing hard to get, so I’m still going strong, even past the True Ending. But Mel needs her romantic happy ending, so we’ll see how long this goes!

TV Show: “Pluribus”

This was kind of a no brainer for my husband and I to watch! We both really enjoyed “Better Call Saul,” so a dystopian/sci-fi featuring the same actress and creator was right up our alley! We did have some debates about the side characters and their behavior, but Carol was excellent in every way. I also thought the entire premise was very creative and surprisingly hilarious, even through some of the darker moments. That said, I’m very displeased with this crazy trend of releasing short season and then taking multiple (MULTIPLE!) years to produce a second, likely also short, season. Yes, this show had excellent production value. But let’s be real here, there’s nothing going on here that justifies wait times like this between seasons, and I truly think that these sorts of delays hurts any momentum a show likes this builds with its first season. Will I check it out? Yes. But will I be as hyped as I would be if I could watch it again next fall? Probably not.

TV Show: “Ponies”

I’ve been a fan of Emilia Clarke since “Game of Thrones” (man that show did her character dirty, I AM A DAENERYS APOLOGIST, NOT SORRY), and when I saw that she and Haley Lu Richardson were in a new historical fiction thriller show called “Ponies” I decided that I was going to watch. Also the premise sounded good. Two CIA wives at the American Embassy in Moscow in the 1970s are just living their lives supporting their husbands… until their husbands die under incredibly suspicious circumstances in a plane crash. Bea and Twila are then recruited by the CIA to become operatives in hopes of getting more information about what happened to Tom and Chris. And since they are posing as secretaries, the thought is the KGB will never realize that they are agents (and will be ‘PONIes’, persons of no interest). It’s part spy thriller, part buddy comedy, and Clarke and Richardson have great banter and chemistry to help balance out the high spy suspense. I love both Bea and Twila, with Bea being intelligent and genuine and Twila being a sarcastic spitfire. I’m living for them and their hijinks.

TV Show: “RuPaul’s Drag Race”

It’s back! Normally I give myself a little bit of time to warm up to “Drag Race” before highlighting it on the blog, as I’ve been burned before with lackluster seasons (Season 13, anyone?). But at this point in time I am just going to find joy where I can, because being in the Twin Cities right now is a big ol’ ball of terrible and stress due to a violent federal government occupation, and catty drag queens bring me joy. Stand outs for me at this point include Jane Don’t (the Seattle girls always go hard), Athena Dion (though she’s a bit of a diva, but I LOVE her looks), and Myki Meeks (just adorable). I haven’t gotten a REAL feel for the season yet after two really strong seasons that came before it, but hey, an escape is an escape.

Film: “Predator: Badlands”

I love the “Predator” movies. The original “Predator” is quite possibly my favorite Schwarzenegger film (“Running Man” comes close), and I have enjoyed many of the films in the series, even the ones that people don’t really like (I liked “Predators”, thanks!). I unfortunately didn’t get to “Predator: Badlands” in the theater like I had wanted, but I did sit down and watch it this month and I LOVED it. It follows Dek, a Yautja (aka the Predator species) who is determined to prove his might in spite of the fact he’s a runt and scorned by most of his clan. After a heartbreaking confrontation on his home world he is sent to a far off planet in exile, and decides instead to try and get the apex predator the Kalisk to prove his worth (as the Kalisk scares even the most skilled Yautjas). But the planet is hostile, and Dek will need help from an unlikely source: Thia, a broken Synth from Weyland-Yutani that is on a mission there of her own. So yes, this is a “Predator” Sci-Fi action film with lots of great mythos and fantastic action, but honestly? At it’s heart is a cozy found family story as Dek and Thia connect as outsiders and form a bond. I ADORE THIS TROPE and it works so well in this movie.

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: “It Takes Two”

My husband and I have taken a very twisted journey through the three co-op games released by this company. We started with the prison break one, decided to skip/miss the one that actually won “Game of the Year” and then played the most recent entry, “Split Fiction,” this last spring. So here we are, finally getting to that acclaimed middle entry. It’s definitely been a fun ride! At this point, I think I mildly prefer “Split Fiction,” but part of that could come down to the fact that I can’t get past the fact that I feel like these two people are just terrible parents! There’s an entire mission where they destroy their kid’s favorite toy to make them cry! The game definitely is self-aware and leans into it all, so that makes it fun in the end. Plus, I’m sure it will end well. But either way, it’s definitely a blast as a couch co-op which is the most important part!

Movie: “Earth Girls are Easy”

You have Kate to thank (blame??) for this one! After the annual cooking making party, we all get together to watch some random movie. And this year Kate introduced us all to the absolute madness that is this movie, a real-life, actually exists movie that probably 99% of population has never heard of but that features a ridiculous cast of young up-and-comers, including Jeff Goldblum and Jim Carey. It’s too weird to even describe, but I’ll just say that not only does it include numerous shirtless-Golblum scenes, but it’s also a musical complete with plenty of singing and dancing. And, of course, said up-and-coming actors all dressed up as colorful, hairy aliens…so…yeah.

Film: “Wicked: For Good”

It was my birthday at the very end of November, and my husband took me to dinner and then to see “Wicked: For Good”. Which was really the best present I could have asked for! As I mentioned when “Part One” came out, I was obsessed with “Wicked” in college, and still love the play and the characters, music, and themes. In the second movie, we have Elphaba on the run being demonized by the Wizard and Oz, while Glinda is working as his propaganda mouthpiece… And they both desperately miss each other. And while “For Good”, which adapts Act Two of the musical, has some of the same pitfalls of the source material (theater kids know that Act Two is a lot weaker than Act One), as long as you have good performers for Elphaba and Glinda it’s still going to resonate and succeed. And Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are such performers, Grande especially here (as Act Two has always been Glinda’s arc). I laughed, I cried, prevented myself from singing along lest Alamo Drafthouse kick me the hell out. And now I love that the film adaptation of one of my very favorite musicals is complete, fully intending to do a double feature when I watch going forward.

TV Show: “Heated Rivalry”

Yes, I’m on the “Heated Rivalry” train, call me predictable, that’s fine. It’s soapy, it’s sweet, it’s steamy, it’s emotional, and I’m really enjoying it (I haven’t finished it yet, I’m HOPING to get the last few eps in with David while he’s in town so I’m holding off). For those unaware, it follows two hockey players on rival teams, Shane (for Canada) and Ilya (for Russia) who are both rising stars in their own right, and who have a rivalry narrative building around them because they are both incredibly talented. But they also happen to be deeply attracted to each other, falling head over heels in a sports culture that may not understand their relationship. It’s also based on a book series, that became SO popular due to the show that the printed copies of the book basically ran out, leading to a scramble and a lack of books right at the fever pitch of the show. I THEORETICALLY have a copy on the way from a local bookstore thanks to Bookshop.org, but we will see how that shakes out. Regardless, it’s been an addictive watch.

Video Game: “Stardew Valley”

I KNOW, I KNOW. I have highlighted this game so many times here, but I’m back into a hyperfixation cycle of it at the moment, and I’m going to highlight it again. I’m still farming (this time really focusing on artisanal goods like jam and cheese), I’m still pursuing friendships and love (my farmer this time is romancing Haley, and that has been more rewarding than I anticipated actually!), and I’m enjoying building up my skills, my friendships, and strategizing when to get more animals and when to try and fix up the community center. Look, we have what is probably going to be a LONG time to wait for ConcernedApe’s new game “The Haunted Chocolatier” so if I want more super cozy and chill gameplay with thoughtful and familiar storytelling (familiar is key), this is where I’m going to be focusing my needs for the foreseeable future. And I’m also helping my daughter play her own game now, which is so adorable.