Two weeks into August and I finally got around to writing about my favorite July things. Definitely blaming that one on my brain trying to balance art show prep, returning to the office, and dealing with all of the extremely bad things going on in the world right now. It’s pure brain chaos.
Anyway, here are some things I liked in July…
TV
DOOM PATROL (HBO)
Doom Patrol is bizarre. 75% of the time it’s good-bizarre, 15% of the time it’s bad-bizarre, and 10% of the time it’s jaw-droppingly great-bizarre. Just so you know what you are getting in to. This is a super hero show about a 1950s movie starlet who has frequently uncontrollable stretchy skin, a bandage-covered former test pilot who is possessed by an energy entity from space, a woman with multiple personalities each with their own power, a robot with the brain of a Florida race car driver, and Cyborg from the Justice League. They all live together in a big house and are looked over by Timothy Dalton. Season one includes a villainous omniscient narrator, a donkey that is also a portal to another dimension, and a spectacular karaoke scene in a drag club located on a sentient street. I have had such a fun time watching this show and there were moments where I was sitting there with giant eyes, saying to myself “I can’t believe this is happening this is AMAZING.” There was also a time that very nearly made me vomit, so you win some you lose some.
I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK (HBO)
I’m not much of a true crime connoisseur but I got really into this 6-part documentary series based on Michelle McNamara’’s book of the same name. The show focuses on the search for the Golden State Killer, a rapist and murderer who was active in the 70s and 80s in California. But what made this show interesting for me is that it also focuses heavily on Michelle McNamara’’s life as a citizen sleuth, combing through all the data she could get her hands on to try and solve the mystery from home. This search became an intense obsession for McNamara and deeply effected her life and factored into her unexpected death. The show also puts a lot of weight on the voices of the victims, working to reclaim their lives in the aftermath of the GSK attacks. It’s extremely hard to watch but I found it gripping.
BOOKS
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
Part one of a two part story, Silver in the Wood is a novella about Tobias, a supernatural forest guardian whose life is changed when he meets Henry, the new owner of the large estate that borders the woods. I loved the writing and nature-based mythology of this book and was charmed by the friendship that grows between Tobias and Henry.
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
A new Alexis Hall story is always cause for celebration. Boyfriend Material is a wonderful take on the “fake boyfriend” trope, with Luc, the son of two famous musicians, striking up a fake relationship with prim and proper barrister Oliver, in order to try and rehab his wild-child image. Like Hall’s other books, Boyfriend Material has a charming, funny, and engaging narrative voice and lots of great characters. I laughed so much while reading this book and would definitely recommend it.
Unhallowed by Jordan L Hawk
Unhallowed is the first book in a new series set in Jordan L Hawk’s eldritch Whyborne & Griffin universe. Sebastian Rath is a slightly snooty librarian working in the labyrinthine stacks of the Ladysmith museum. Vesper Rune is book binder with a supernatural secret. When Vesper starts work at the Ladysmith library, he and Sebastian become embroiled in a mystery as they try to find out what happened to the missing book binder that Vesper replaced. Like all of Hawk’s books, Unhallowed is extremely fast paced and fun to read.
One of my favorite elements of Unhallowed is that, at this point in the cannon, the New England town of Widdershins, where these stories are set, has seen so many strange events that everyone who lives there is completely inured to the supernatural and occult. The idea that a library wouldn’t place curses on their books or have a special room just for bats is baffling to Widdershin’s native Sebastian, which leads to lots of fun exchanges with Vesper, for whom all these things are incredibly strange.
I think you can read Unhallowed without having read all of the previous Whyborne & Griffin books. Just go in knowing that this town has seen 11+ books worth of supernatural eldritch shenanigans, everyone’s very used to magic and cosmic horrors, and not too long before the start of this story a nefarious cult took over Widdershins and tried to end the world.
Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Xeni is a sweet, low-angst romance with wonderful characters and great chemistry. There are no cruel fights or third-act betrayals, just two people falling in love and trying to make a relationship work amidst a bunch of complicated life hurdles. When Xeni’s aunt passes away, she leaves her niece a large inheritance. The catch is, in order to claim said inheritance, Xeni has to marry Mason, the sweet, burly musician who her aunt had befriended. Luckily, this “marriage of convenience” storyline never devolves into characters deceiving each other or lying about their feelings, which often seems to happen with this trope. Mason and Xeni are kind to each other and decide to enter into the marriage for their mutual benefit. When they start having “more than friends” sorts of feelings, they talk about it. When things get complicated, they talk about it. With the real world utterly full of chaos and drama, a book like this is an excellent escape.
I am in mega art mode right now getting ready for a September group show at Gallery 9 (more on that soon). In the mean time, here is a tribute to the movie HACKERS that I did for Gallery1988’s annual Crazy 4 Cult show. The original is available to purchase here. Hack the planet!
