A few weeks ago, my niece said, unprompted, “thank you, Jesus for my air conditioner!”
And it made me realize that I probably don’t say it enough—both thank you for air conditioning, yes, but also just thank you for the basic things that I can forget are blessings.
So as I fire off these favorites today, I’m saying thank you for a lot of things at the same time.
Thank you for the ability to read these wonderful books, for a house with a television and a couch to get comfortable on, for money to afford food, for art that makes the world feel a little lighter.
Thank you!
—
Podcasts
The Jonas Brothers were one of my first concerts ever, so I’m always curious about projects they’re a part of, and their new podcast, Hey Jonas!, is no exception. It’s fun and funny and I love the banter and sass.
I found Bloodline Banter after Riley Mitchell’s hilarious videos—namely, this one—kept coming up on my algorithm. And if the southern accents aren’t enough to keep you interested, the humor should be, because they are delightful.
.
Books
So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder centers around a group of friends in the context of five parties that take place over a couple decades, starting with a New Years Eve party and ending with a funeral. It touched on so many obstacles that friendships face, some of which I’ve faced myself, and was so well written. I loved it from start to finish!
I have followed Brooke for a while now, so I knew I was going into Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose it slightly biased, but it genuinely exceeded my expectations! It follows Phoebe as she makes a to-do list leading up to her 30th birthday, but also touches on anxiety and self-acceptance. I thought it was darling.
For some writing homework, I read Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld, but it didn’t feel like homework at all! I was absolutely captivated by this short story collection and was immediately hungry for more once I finished.
I always sign up for a Rebecca Serle book because I love her use of magical realism, and Once and Again so fun. It follows the Novak family, where the women are each given a ticket to turn back time once in their life. While we all might dream of do-overs, I liked the way this covered all of the complications (and consequences) that would come with them.
.
TV Shows
In a season of rampant book to TV adaptations, I watched Off Campus, having never read the books before and thought it was so fun and sweet. I was pleasantly surprised by the character development and communication that took place on screen. (find it on Prime Video)
I also watched Margo’s Got Money Troubles, a book I had read, and was so impressed by the adaptation. This one, I felt, was an even greater feat, as the premise of this book is so kooky—Only Fans, motherhood, and wrestlers, oh my!—and things could have gone awry pretty quickly. But honestly, I don’t think Elle Fanning ever misses. (find it on AppleTV)
I also liked season three of Shrinking (AppleTV) and season two of The Artful Dodger (Hulu).
.
Documentaries
This is a Gardening Show is hosted by Zach Galifinakis and runs, in total, about two hours. It has six short episodes, each about a different element or product of gardening, diving deeper into how things work. The real kicker is the interviews he does with kids and the banter they have back and forth, which made me laugh out loud. (find it on Netflix)
The Crash on the other hand, made me MAD. And sad. And honestly just…baffled. It tells the true story of a solo car crash which killed two people. The driver, Mackenzie Shirilla, survived, and the documentary follows her 2023 trial to determine whether or not the crash was intentional. (find it on Netflix)
Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE caught my eye after Spotify randomly shuffled “Gnarly” into my workout playlist and I loved it. I had no knowledge of how the group was formed or the KPOP community in general, but it was absolutely fascinating to learn about! (find it on Netflix)
And finally, Keepin’ Country Cool: Lainey Wilson, which I added to my list almost immediately after it was released. I love Lainey Wilson’s music, so it was lovely to learn a little more about her story and see all the hard work she’s put in to get where she is today. (find it on Netflix)
.
Movies
I read the book Remarkably Bright Creatures a few years back, so I was a little nervous about this adaptation, but WOW did they nail it. It follows Tova (Sally Field), Cameron (Lewis Pullman) and Marcellus, a Giant Pacific octopus—if you know, you know. It is a refreshing reminder of how connected we all are and how beautiful (and hard) life can be! (find it on Netflix)
In the same vein, The Sheep Detectives. It’s not every day you find yourself in a theater crying over life lessons taught by CGI sheep. But this movie is so charming and sweet, and I won’t hear any slander about it.
I waited for Send Help to come on streaming because as a certified scaredy cat I wasn’t sure if it was up my alley. But as per usual, Rachel McAdams didn’t let me down. The movie follows her character, Linda, who gets stranded on an island with her terrible boss, played by Dylan O’Brien. I did close my eyes at multiple point due to the gore factor, but the movie as a whole was so fun and I genuinely never had any idea what was going to happen next. (find it on Hulu)
And finally, Voicemails for Isabelle. Going into this movie, I knew there was a sad element. The entire premise is that Jill leaves voicemails for her sister, Isabelle, who has passed away, and Wes, who inherits Isabelle’s old phone number, starts receiving them. But MAN, I did not expect to be absolutely leveled by this movie. In a great way, yes! But as someone with a sister, I really just wept. So a warning there, but it’s very worth it! (find it on Netflix)
.
Music
Middle of Nowhere by Kacey Musgraves
Florescence by Maisie Peters
If You Go There, I Hope You Find It by The Paper Kites
you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love by Olivia Rodrigo
Cruel World by Holly Humberstone
Is This Heaven? by Stella Lefty
.
Artists/Social Media
Michael Dicostanzo (@michaeldicostanzo.) – a YouTuber that makes fun travel videos with his girlfriend. I loved his Connect Four series in Australia, and the ongoing Amazing Race type series.
Kaitelynnteaches (@katielynnteaches) – a very sweet fourth grade teacher who makes videos about her school days.
Serena Neel (@serenaneel) – a 10/10 utilizer of free will who goes out of her way to make a positive influence on the world. I love her monthly series of repainting her bathroom.
.
Links
Loved this article about making the most out of your evenings.
I also thought this was an interesting deep dive about Shallow Hal.
.
Trader Joe’s Finds
Power of Seven Juice – I am on a constant quest to find things other than water to put in my fridge and this was YUMMY.
Peach Beer – re: drink quest, these are refreshing and fruity!
Prebiotic soda – re: re: drink quest, while they don’t have as many flavors as Poppi, I honestly think these might be just as good!
Lemon wafer cookies – the perfect after dinner (or whenever) little treat!
Peonies – They are in season and on sale right now, get some!
.
Misc.
Drizzilicious – the most delicious little rice cake treats! And every single flavor hits. So far birthday cake is my favorite.
Hanjie/Nonograms – I got an activity book from Barnes and Noble a few years ago and the first page opened with a Hanjie puzzle. While I didn’t take the time to learn them then, I recently watched a tutorial and am now addicted. Sporcle has a whole folder of them and I’ve been taking them down one by one as a fun little brain exercise.
See my previous favorites post here.
Kimberlee K. 
Leave a comment