“August slipped away because I pushed it, your honor.” –Someone on Threads. Indeed. I am not a summer girl, I simply tolerate it. But last month there were a lot of good things happening out there in the pop culture and content world—perfect for indulging in your cranked AC and taking time to enjoy. My recommendations:
Movies & Television
I don’t think you need me to tell you the billion-dollar box office smashes The Odyssey and Spiderman: Brand New Day are good (in my opinion they are, and you should go see them!) I really want to see Tony, the Anthony Bourdain coming-of-age film with rave reviews, but haven’t made it just yet. As for television…
This show! 10/10
An FBI agent/former NYPD cop Alice (Emmy Rossum) tackles the active case of a female serial killer Catherine Grace (Lola Petticrew), who appears to be targeting wealthy men with shady sexual exploitation connections. Created by Executive Producer Rossum and writer Elizabeth Meriwether (New Girl), this is most assuredly a drama, but a smart sense of smart humor is peppered throughout. The acting is spectacular, the characters break every mold, and it’s already been renewed for a second season. The first is just 8 episodes, and it absolutely flies by.
P.S. The Watch podcast interviewed Liz and Emmy (do not listen/watch until after you finish the show though!) and it’s fun to hear about putting the show together. Smart women doing cool things! Always endorse.
Books, etc.
August was a quieter month for me reading-wise. I trudged through (pun intended) Land by Maggie O’Farrell, which is (unsurprisingly) beautifully written, but didn’t stick the landing for me. I also sped through My Sister the Serial Killer, which was a fun novella jaunt by Nigerian-British writer Oyinkan Braithwaite. It could make a very fun 90-minute movie if executed with the correct amount of quirk, dark humor, and respect to the Nigerian setting.
Up next for me is Calamity Club, by Kathryn Stockett, a girthy novel that I’m 100 pages into and enjoying greatly. Mom already asked me to save it for her. My parents lived briefly in Jackson, Mississippi before I was born, and she likes to revisit the state’s complicated history through literature, probably more as a point of fascination than anything. The South is a tricky place to try to make sense of even to this day...
A native, Stockett has a way of capturing the bizarre confluence of the Southern obsession with “heritage,” perceived manners/niceties, a legacy of human rights atrocities, and a total lack of reckoning with any of it. The resulting sticky mess is modern (or in this case: 1930s) life in the South. It’s really not all that different these days, and I think that’s why she keeps writing these stories. There’s no sense in scrubbing a clean floor, after all. The leading ladies of this tale are fully-formed, spunky avatars for the journey, and I can’t wait to pick it up again tonight.
Podcasts & Music
If you’re not familiar with this band but enjoy upbeat, gently swingy tunes, Jungle is worth adding to the rotation. Their latest album Sunshine is just as joyful as the last. These are perfect all-day tunes for a guaranteed better mood. I’ve included a couple tracks in my Fall 2026 playlist as well.
Food!
If you have plentiful tomatoes to plow through, this salad is fantastic. I used pearl couscous (because that’s what I had in the cabinet) and pulled a rotisserie chicken. Do not finely chop the chicken as directed, however. Bite-sized chunks create a better ratio. Very much: yum.
Thank you for being here,
