It’s a four-month blog this time around! I missed May because I got covid and slept for a month, and now it’s suddenly September. 😬 In August I took my first proper vacation in 3 years and boy was it exquisite. Here are some things I enjoyed this summer…
MOVIES
Nope
Every time I see a new Jordan Peele movie, it takes over my brain. Just like with Get Out and Us, I was completely absorbed the whole way through and thought about Nope long after I left the theater.
This sci-fi-horror-western follows OJ and Emerald (played by Daniel Kaluuya and the excellent Keke Palmer), the children of a famous Hollywood horse wrangling family, who are trying to keep the business afloat after the mysterious death of their father. But strange things are happening in the clouds above their remote ranch, the horses are getting spooked, and when the siblings set up security cameras around the house, what they see is bananas. Nope is weird, funny, scary, really unsettling, and grandly epic. I love Peele‘s sense of atmosphere and vibe and the way his movies embrace surreal storytelling; not everything makes sense, but it all works towards the feel of the film. I’m really glad I was able to see this one in a theater with big sound and a big screen. I’m also glad I didn’t know what to expect, since I was constantly surprised.
BOOKS
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
A re-imagining of Poe’s The Fall of The House of Usher, What Moves the Dead follows a retired soldier who is summoned to the crumbling house of a dying childhood friend. What they discover when they arrive are possessed rabbits, a glowing lake, an abundance of strange mushrooms, and a mysterious illnesses effecting everyone in the house. I loved Kingfisher’s mushroomy take on the classic story and would definitely recommend it. I’m currently reading another good retelling of this story which I’ll talk about next time - apparently Fall of the House of Usher was swirling around the collective conscience recently. (HORROR FICTION)
Fatal Fidelity series by Rien Gray
After living with an abusive husband for 10 years, Justine hires the mysterious, nonbinary assassin Campbell to kill him. That’s the set-up for this this dark romance series from Rien Gray and if you can get on board with murderous protagonists with no remorse for their actions, then I would recommend it. (DARK CONTEMPORARY SPICY ROMANCE)
Murder for the Modern Girl by Kendall Kulper
A Jazz Age supernatural mystery/love story about a mind-reading society girl who spends her evenings poisoning bad men and a shape-shifting morgue janitor with a mind for forensics who discovers her lethal hobby. A sinister gangster and a mortuary meet-cute bring the two together and they end up working to dismantle a network of organized crime and government corruption. I enjoyed this book and particularly liked the weird way the shape-shifting manifested. (YOUNG ADULT-ISH PARANORMAL FICTION)
Strange Love by Ann Aguirre
When I picked up Strange Love, I assumed it was going to be an entertaining but forgettable alien romance. But surprise, I loved it? The main characters are Beryl, a wayward human with a disappointing life, and Zylar, an awkward alien who accidentally abducts Beryl (and her dog), thinking he is rescuing the prospective bride he met on the internet. Unable to return Beryl to Earth due to a computer malfunction, the two decide to make the best out of a bad situation and travel to Zylar’s home planet to take part in a gladiatorial marriage competition. Like you do. I was constantly charmed by the characters (especially Beryl’s dog who gains the ability to speak) and the rational way Beryl and Zylar dealt with problems. I immediately downloaded the other two books in this series and am looking forward to reading them soon. (SCI-FI ROMANCE)
The Faerie Hounds of York and Obsidian Island by Arden Powell
A great new author discovery I made this summer was Arden Powell. They write in a lot of different genres, but I’d say both Faerie Hounds of York and Obsidian Island fall under the dark fantasy adventure + queer period romance umbrella. Something that really stood out for me in both books is Powell’s unexpected narrative choices - neither story takes the expected path and that made them both memorable.
Faerie Hounds takes place across the desolate moors of 1800s England, where magic is both real and dangerous. William wakes up in the middle of a faerie ring, with no memory of how he got there. Luckily, he soon crosses paths with John, a mysterious traveller who knows all about faeries and magic and is able to help him escape. But the faerie ring is only the beginning; it turns out William has been cursed and the two men have to figure out how to dispel the magic before it kills him. (DARK FANTASY ROMANCE)
A surreal blend of Master and Commander and Annihilation, Obsidian Island follows naturalist Emery and ship captain James, best friends who find themselves shipwrecked on a strange volcanic island following an unexpected storm. It quickly becomes apparent that things here are Not Right. As James and Emery try to survive the dangerous flora and fauna, a sinister force begins pulling them towards a colossal red tree in the center of the island. Other than a brief reprieve of flashbacks to their college days, Obsidian Island is a non-stop barrage of things getting progressively worse for these characters. So while I was engrossed in the story, I was also frequently exhausted; I had to be in the right mood for James and Emery’s Very Traumatic Island Adventure but I would definitely still recommend it. (HORROR ADVENTURE ROMANCE)
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming
As you may guess from the title, this is an extremely silly book. The second installment in Kimberly Lemming’s Mead Mishaps series, TTIGDaYaLPaaW follows a cheese maker named Brie, who accidentally hits a cute werewolf in the face with a love potion. Shenanigans ensue. Both books in this series (the other being That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon) are very tongue-in-cheek, with modern prose and humor in a spicy romantic fantasy setting. You can tell Lemming is a fan of the classic bodice-ripper genre and is having a blast playing around with tropes and traditions. (SPICY FUNNY FANTASY ROMANCE)
GAMES
Elden Ring
The only thing I have played for the past four months has been Elden Ring. I’ve put about 100 hours into it and still have things to do. This game is ENORMOUS. I played a bit of Bloodborne a few years ago, but I didn’t expect that I would be able to get so far in this notoriously hard FromSoft game. I’m really proud of myself and Moss, my level 138 sword-weilding sorcerer (sworcerer if you will). I’ve been having so much fun exploring the seemingly endless game locations and I’ve looked up so many wikis and walkthroughs that Google automatically knows I’m searching for Elden Ring tips now.
PODCASTS
Mom Can’t Cook! A DCOM Podcast
So yeah, I’m obsessed with this podcast. I’ve listened to each episode easily 10 times or more. Hosts Luke Westaway and Andy Farrant discussing the very specific topic of Disney Channel Original Movies from the 90s to mid 2000s is incredibly funny and charming. You don’t have to have watched the DCOM’s they dissect to enjoy the show (I certainly haven’t). Mom Can’t Cook is easily one of my favorite pieces of 2022 media. Apple | Spotify | Libsyn
ART
In June, I once again had a tent at the Lincoln Arts Festival which was extremely hot but still a lot of fun. I may be a super awkward introvert but I really like meeting people at events like this. Plus I won an award!
In July, I took part in a public art project sponsored by the Lux Center and Constellation Studios. I carved a woodblock print that was wheat-pasted on buildings around town along with work by 8 other artists. Of course my print was a borb. This was a different sort of project for me and I had a lot of fun; maybe i’ll try more printmaking in the future.
And finally, here are two new collages I finished this summer; one for Gallery1988’s tv-themed IDIOT BOX show in August and one for Gallery 9 here in Lincoln.
“He Went That Way” (inspired by FLEABAG)
“Tiny Screaming Armadillo” (inspired by screaming hairy armadillos which exist and are amazing)