Things I Liked In August 2023

Hello, hello, hello!

So I’m disappointed I haven’t yet been able to confirm the release date of the final book in the “Forgotten Monsters” trilogy. Still waiting on that cover. I think I’ll be able to announce something in September but I thought I’d have been able to announce something in August too. It’s coming, though, I promise! Right now I’m aiming for an October release, so it’s really not too far off. Actually, much of the book takes place around Halloween – one of my favorite scenes occurs at a Halloween party! – so an October release would be fitting. Sit tight. An official announcement is on its way.

Then after the release of that book, I’ve got a slate of new releases coming up. I can’t wait to start talking more concretely about them!! If you want a little bit of a tease, or at least some info on what I’ve been working on, I wrote a little blog entry about it earlier this month.

Anyway, onto things I liked this month.

I Love TV

I stumbled across “Class of ’07” only because I read an article recommending some Amazon Prime shows. I’ve heard almost nothing about it otherwise and, considering it’s so good, I feel like I need to spread the word now. It’s an Australian (dark) comedy that follows a group of women ten years removed from high school as they gather for a reunion. While there, some sort of apocalyptic event (presumably a giant tsunami?) hits and floods the world. Fortunately for them, their reunion took place high up on a hill so they were spared. Now they have to learn to survive. Unfortunately for them, things get a little “Lord of the Flies” as they revert to their high school behaviors and personalities. It’s a funny little show that does a decent job examining the various pressures that women face and how we all treat each other. It’s only eight episodes and they’re about a half hour each so I think it’s definitely worth the time investment. Check it out!

“Futurama” is back! Again! The show never seems to stay gone for long and I couldn’t be happier about that. I’ve loved “Futurama” since its first episode aired in 1999. When the show began, it followed Philip J. Fry as he was accidentally cryogenically frozen and then woke up 1,000 years in the future. Now, over twenty years into the show, he’s pretty well situated to the future. It’s a fun, zany workplace comedy, basically. The last time the show was revived, it was on Comedy Central and some of the humor was a little…less than great. The show still had some incredible episodes like “The Late Philip J. Fry” but it had more misses than hits. So far into this new season, things feel a little more like the original show. It hasn’t quite reached the highs of past seasons, but it’s been pretty consistent overall. I’m just so happy it’s back!

Movies I Enjoyed

“Red, White, and Royal Blue” is a new movie on Amazon Prime that is based on the book of the same name, written by Casey McQuiston, that I read and loved a few years ago. I initially talked a little bit about the book here, so I won’t recap it for you now. The book is just so sweet and funny, and I credit it for getting me into romantic comedies. Given that, I was hesitant about this movie being made. When you fall in love with book characters, if they don’t match what’s in your head for the movie, you’ll sometimes end up disappointed. Thankfully, I really enjoyed the movie a lot. Obviously plot points and characters were changed to fit the medium, but it worked well enough. The actors who played Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) and Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) had exceptional chemistry, which really helped sell the whole thing. So if you’re thinking for something sweet and funny, then I think you should watch this movie.

The Books I’ve Liked

So I finally finished TJ Klune’s “The Extraordinaries” trilogy this month by reading “Heat Wave.” Since it’s the third and final book in this trilogy, I don’t want to get too deep into the plot since it requires knowledge of the first two books (which I wrote about back in June). The basic gist is that a hero from the past returns under unusual circumstances while mayoral candidate, Simon Burke, is looking to turn the public against Extraordinaries. He has a special interest in Nick and his friends and it all culminates in a really thrilling conclusion. I loved this trilogy so much. The first book was definitely my favorite, but the third book is a very close second. It’s just so funny and I fell in love with every single character (except for the bad guys…I do not love bad guys). If you like superheroes, TJ Klune, or just funny/sweet books, then please read this series!!

Music

• Doja Cat: Paint the Town Red
• Dylan, Bastille: Liar, Liar
• The Killers: Your Side of Town
• Olivia Rodrigo: bad idea, right?
• Sufjan Stevens: So You Are Tired