Summer has come and gone, and I’m happy to say mine was packed with fun stuff.
PS – Check out the previous Roundup is here.
Activities
- Cooking/Recipes/Restaurants:
- In the hot months, I love recipes that don’t require the oven. I’d like to make a Caesar salad wrap using a bagged salad (that, like always, I hack with some fresh shaved parm and crouton crumbs) and tinned fish instead of store-bought grilled chicken.
- Table Mercato: Boston-based focaccia sandwiches have landed in the east village and people are going nuts.
- Dipping string cheese in pancake batter and then cooking it in a waffle iron and serving with marinara seems unhinged…but I’ve gotta try it.
- Kine Musubi: I love spam musubi, so the fact that an entire restaurant devoted to the snack is opening in the UWS is very exciting.
- The Trader Joe’s chicken pot pie hack looks pretty amazing. Maybe I’d add some peas or another veggie to beef it up a bit, and I definitely think puff pastry instead of crescent rolls or too-thick biscuits would work better; but this looks like comfort food heaven.
- Good Time Country Buffet: Take me back to my childhood, please.
- Other Activities:
- Sloomoo Institute: I took Finn here on a day off from school, and though I was skeptical about this pricey Instagram bait, Finn had a blast and loved making his own slime.
- The Edge: This Hudson Yards viewing point has astonishing views. I much prefer it to top of the rock.
- Korean Head Spa: For my birthday, I wanted to try a Korean head spa for the first time. Who didn’t like a hair wash/blowout and head massage?! The price is unbeatable, the experience luxurious, and the location is great for a kbbq lunch.
Content
- Books:
- Threshing Day: Unlike some other Romantasy series, the Empyrian series has not faltered. It’s kept my interest the whole time and – while not everyone agrees – I have thoroughly enjoyed every book and have not found any to be gratuitous. This mini installment is a great way to keep me from starving while we wait for the real book 4.
- RomCon is almost here! I think all niches should be celebrated like this.
- Book bans in schools have reached a record high. NOW is the time to read some banned books. Here’s the list – push these to the top of your TBR as an fu to censorship.
- Movies:
- Rental Family: A lonely American actor living in Tokyo finds connection once he starts working as a rent-a-dad (and rent-a-funeral-guest and rent-a-friend). (Hulu/Disney+)
- Voicemails for Isabelle: This is a sweet one with great banter with a great message about building your world around what works for you. There are also some great Easter eggs for people who just genuinely love and appreciate romcoms. (Netflix)
- Office Romance: Betty Gilpin stole the show here. This (about the tough head of an airline falling for a corporate lawyer who works for her) is J Lo’s bread and butter. Overall predictable but better than I expected. (Netflix)
- You Me & Tuscany: A woman goes to Italy on a lark, crashes at the villa of a -[brand new] acquaintance, poses as his fiancé, endears herself to his family, and falls for his brother. It’s cheesy and far fetched, but Regé-Jean Page is very easy on the eyes and it’s a simple enough watch that you won’t miss anything while you walk to the kitchen to refill your wine glass. (Peacock)
- Don’t Say Good Luck: A high school girl lands the lead in the musical while her mom dies of cancer. It was heartwarming, and I bawled my eyes out. (Netflix)
- Best of the Best: Best friends join UCLA’s competitive Bollywood dance team and test the limits of their friendship with some incredible dance scenes. (Netflix)
- The Love Hypothesis: I didn’t read the book, but thought this was a great romcom. If you like grumpy sunshine and fake dating tropes, this one is for you. (Prime)
- TV:
- Ladies of London: New Reign: I think the original is one of the most underrated shows on Bravo. This reboot is great. (Bravo)
- Off Campus: This HOOKED me. The chemistry was great, the settings felt authentic, and the way these characters are in touch with their emotions and care for each other is special. (Prime)
- The Pitt: I love the idea of each episode covering a 1-hour shift in a hospital. I also love that it’s not a romance (where characters cycle through more coworkers than could possibly be realistic). (HBO Max)
- Every Year After: I didn’t find the FMC to be the easiest to root for, but I still binged this about a girl who can’t let her childhood summer romance go. (Prime)
- Not Suitable for Work: I’m so disappointed to hear this was cancelled! At just a season, it’s still worth a watch to see recent college grads stumble through their first jobs…especially while we keep fingers crossed that somebody will pick it back up. (Hulu)
- Finding Fire Island: I haven’t watched it yet, but this docuseries about how sleepy fire island became “queer Mecca” looks right up my alley. (YouTube)
- Elle: I had low expectations for this prequel, but it proved to be adorable. Lexi Maintree’d portrayal of a young Elle Woods is shockingly accurate. (Prime)
- The Other Two: I haven’t watched this one yet, but it was recommended by a coworker and looks to be right in my wheelhouse. (HBO)
- Five Star Weekend: It’s nice to see 50-somethings on screen portraying girlhood like this. (Peacock)
- Sterling Point: A girl inherits a tiny Canadian island and goes there to learn more about herself by learning about her mother who passed away when she was two. Really well done and bingeable. (Prime)
- Crew Girl: With the feds on her dad’s tail, a talented student athlete heads, penniless, with her mom to a small New England town and joins the boys team. Crazy rich prep school hijinks and a love triangle ensue. (Netflix)
- Podcasts:
- Radio 831: Rather than covering their own novellas, this show digs deep into the romance genre. How does world-building work when it comes to historical romance? What lessons can studios learn from recent film/tv adaptations? Romance is far more nuanced than people realize and woefully underestimated. I love that 831 Stories has turned that stance into a full-blown business and really enjoy watching their strategic growth as a brand.
- Parenting Out Loud: Three Aussie moms (or, mums?) discuss the trends and culture of parenting. They cover things like apologizing for kids’ behavior, what it means when T Swift does a song for Toy Story 5, and how we feel about Prince William’s relatability tour. I appreciate that it’s not all about gentle parenting because that’s, frankly, not my style.
- Love Trapped: Owen’s v. Echard: I binged this show about an absolutely unhinged woman who faked a pregnancy to try and blackmail a former Bachelor. Every time you think this woman can’t get crazier, she shocks us yet again. This show consumed me for a full week.
- The Way They Were: Each episode covers a celebrity breakup that we still can’t stop thinking about.
- Everybody Knows But Me: At just 17, Holly learns her dad is dying of cancer…and that he had an entire second family. This true story pod unpacks this and all sorts or other childhood trauma that made her the very funny gal she is today.
