Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: July 2024
Added 2024-07-31 15:00:13 +0000 UTCAlan:
Hello Heroes!
July. It’s been an absolute blast furnace outside, but that’s okay, I’ve been stuck inside prepping things, and shooting the show! Thank goodness for air conditioning! Now I just need to get some solar panels so I don’t feel (as) bad about destroying the planet for my own personal comfort! Hooray! Everything is bad somehow!
What I’m reading!
The Fifties - by David Halberstam. An absolutely fascinating book about an absolutely wild decade that usually gets rendered as Greasers and Poodle skirts! Conformity! McCarthyism! Big Cars! Well, it turns out, that was only some of what made the '50s weird.
Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions - by Ed Zwick. Yep, it’s a Hollywood autobiography. But it's by one of my favorite directors, so I had to check it out. Perfect listening when driving around Utah searching for filming locations for a certain short film!
Fourth Wing - by Rebecca Yarros. Honestly, as I was going along, it was fine. I was digging the fantasy stuff, and the world was interesting, and pretty competently written. I was annoyed with the characters and their vague horniness, but whatever, it’s new adult lit, gotta be a bit horny and a bit immature? I figured it would be kinda vaguely-horny-but-ultimately-chaste. Then that scene happened. NOT chaste. Makes me question why Hollywood avoids the sexy, if this is the bestselling book in ages. 🤷🏼♂️
What I’m watching!
Fallout. I really like the games and love the universe. What if Mad Max, but goofy and 1950s? The show is absolutely nailing the tone, and it’s really fun so far. I’m only halfway through though, so no spoilers please.
What I’m playing!
NCAA College Football 2025 - This is so much more complicated than the College Football games of my youth (last one I played a lot of was 2008? Maybe 2005?) Like, it feels like I need a master’s degree in just playing this game. But hey, I’m willing to put in some work to get my Alma Mater our first natty since 1984.
Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)
Jono:
Hey all! How has your month been? Recently watched both TWISTER (1996) and the brand-new TWISTERS. The first is better for cheesy fun, the second is the better thriller. It's legit scary with charming characters, but there's nothing as stupidly satisfying as flying cows, driving through a house, or Phillip Seymour Hoffman going all in on a bit part.
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE was nail-bitingly intense, but it was the simple tender moments of a blossoming friendship between Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn that leaves the strongest impression.
DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE ended up being a surprisingly sweet love letter to the Fox era of Marvel movies. Very vulgar, very funny, sometimes uninspired (but very often the opposite), with just enough pathos to hold it all together. It's chaotic but it's crazy amounts of fun.
I've been reading HOLY ENVY, a book about a university religion professor who abandons her Christianity, for a time, as she falls in love with Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. She ultimately circles back to her faith but brings everything she loves about the other religions with her. Specifically it's about theology, but in a broader sense it models a beautiful way forward for perspective-taking and building bridges between disparate people and groups without sacrificing individuality.
What about you lovely folks? What have you been watching and reading this month?
Comments
I re-read Brandon sandersons Reckoners Trilogy, and it was good and the fix of the first read wasn't there. I might've been reading too fast or too sleepy (?) And I'm finishing Name of the Wind, which has been trouble since it's a bit slow.
Almendra Báez Riquelme
2024-08-20 08:52:51 +0000 UTCThis past month I’ve seen Pride and prejudice like 4 times. 😆 Its just a candy piece of film. In the cinema I saw Fly me to the moon, wich was a nice film, enjoyable, 7/10. I also saw Inside out 2 (it premiered late in Sweden) and tought it was good, not great, also 7/10. And, yes, I cried.
Frida
2024-08-05 08:42:33 +0000 UTCSo happy to see Robot Dreams getting some love, I adore it to!
Frida
2024-08-05 08:26:59 +0000 UTCThat one is on my tbr!!! I'm excited to read that one 😁
Katie S
2024-08-02 22:04:36 +0000 UTCWant dragons? Read the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik 🔥
Lydia Hartzler
2024-08-02 22:00:26 +0000 UTCI have watched Deadpool and Wolverine and was blown away by it, haven't laughed that much in a movie for years. I've also watched LOKI for the fifth time I guess 😅 and A LOT of movies with Owen Wilson in it, like Midnight in Paris, No escape, Bliss (which was the closest to a crying scene I've seen so far from him), Marry me, Secret Headquarters, Paint, Wonder, Marley and Me (that movie broke me, the ending hit way too close to my personel experiences) and The Internship, Bottle Rocket is next 😉 I'm reading the Enyador saga wich is a phantasy novel and I love it. Actually I love every phantasy novel that has dragons in it XD I'm playing Avatar Frontiers of Pandora and it is absolutely beautiful, can't get enough of it.
Loki Dokey
2024-08-02 16:22:45 +0000 UTCYay!!! Six of Crows is my favorite book of all time I swear you’ll enjoy it
Evs
2024-08-02 16:00:18 +0000 UTCIt’s so good, I’m so surprised it’s not as popular as the other two books
Evs
2024-08-02 16:00:01 +0000 UTCWe finished the first season of The Acolyte, and can't wait for Season 2. I was introducing my kids to Quantum Leap, circa 1990s with Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, we were halfway thru, and now it's no longer on Peacock. So we'll have to find it. Their comedy chemistry was too much fun. Came across Hearts Beat Loud last night, and we absolutely loved it. If you're in the mood for a quiet film that fills the heart, here you go. Watching all the Olympics, but Beach Volleyball had me cheering and yelling at the TV (played in high school maaany years ago). 😄 Books? My usual Nora before bedtime. My youngest loves her Wings of Fire, and my 14 year old is reading The Secret Life of Bees.
Melissa
2024-08-02 03:47:54 +0000 UTCI have been listening to On Call by Dr. Anthony Fauci. It is fascinating, and I am surprised at all that I am learning. He talks about how flu vaccines are developed, why we may never get a vaccine for HIV, the long process of donning PPE to safely attend Ebola, his love of basketball and other surprising things. He is a very compassionate person.
Nancyjane Bailey
2024-08-01 19:44:23 +0000 UTCSo many favorites on this list! ❤️ (And so glad you're enjoying Murder She Rolled!) We're excited to see you at FanX!
Cinema Therapy
2024-08-01 15:35:34 +0000 UTCOoh, Six of Crows has been on my TBR list for a while, and I just added the other two you suggested! (I read the descriptions, and was immediately hooked.) Thanks for the recommendations! - Megan
Cinema Therapy
2024-08-01 15:32:56 +0000 UTCI'm reading Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino. Edit: 70% through, and i think it is an essential reference book for movie lovers. i'm watching Monk 😄 because i never actually watched it when in it was on tv. it's HILARIOUS. Tony Shalhoub deserved all the Emmy's
Lynettra
2024-08-01 13:25:51 +0000 UTCOur house has gone down the Olympics rabbit hole. My husband and I were both athletes and our daughter swims. Judo, water polo, air rifle, archery, diving, and every swim heat, semi-final, and final so far. Then the rabbit hole became a rabbit warren as we had to look up flags, national anthems, and the history of having a refugee team. 🫢😊
Kristin 🦦
2024-08-01 00:49:05 +0000 UTCJust finished watching Breaking Bad and The Boys Season 4. Watched El Camino and it was great too. Now we are rewatching Season 1 of House of the Dragon to prep for the new season. I'm currently re-reading The Science of Self-Learning by Peter Hollins after listening to it on Audible last week. It's already had a massive positive impact on my life and I feel like I've had some of the biggest breakthroughs of my life lately in dealing with my ADD. I'm also re-reading Peak by Anders Ericsson, which is one of the most inspiring and motivating things I think anyone could read.
Lucas
2024-08-01 00:44:06 +0000 UTCI’ve been reading ”Things my son needs to know about the world” by Fredrik Backman. As everything Backman writes, it was warm, funny, reflective, and with a big cry hitting you out of nowhere. I loved it 😂 and I don’t even have or want children. It’s basically a series of short essays/letters that he writes as his son is 1 year old, filled with things he wants his son to know when he gets older (like what actually happened to the singing girafe toy). I also highly recommend his works of fiction. Watching the Olympics. Completely stressed out by the swimming and table tennis today 😮💨
Sara Wagiström
2024-07-31 22:24:45 +0000 UTCI’m gonna have to read ”Little Thieves”, because the other two you mention are 5 star reads for me 😍
Sara Wagiström
2024-07-31 22:15:37 +0000 UTCRegarding Fourth Wing and Hollywood and… those scenes: I just think it’s VERY different to read it, vs watching 😅 would make most people waaay to uncomfortable. Also, some things are very hot in books, but kiiiind of creepy IRL so…
Sara Wagiström
2024-07-31 22:14:31 +0000 UTCI have been watching the Olympics! I love the way they bring people together. I love the sports too!
Drug Princess
2024-07-31 21:21:03 +0000 UTCThat's totally fair. He has quite a lot of work through. I basically read nothing but his work for an entire year to catch up lol.
SaucyJTD
2024-07-31 18:54:21 +0000 UTCMy plan is to finish Skyward series then start the way of kings. Wind of Truth will be out for a while before I get to it :)
Ayesha Ali
2024-07-31 17:56:13 +0000 UTCI've been watching lots of feel-good movies and TV. Find Me Falling with Harry Connick Jr. was great and had an interesting twist. I also watched The Idea of You, which I liked. I don't watch many romances so those two were fun and a nice surprise. Just for fun, we watched Henry Cavill in The Cold Light of Day. It's an action picture from 2012. I'm currently re-reading Power VS Force by Dr. David R. Hawkins. It's an older book I read several years ago but is quite appropriate for today as it's about research about the energy calibration of everything, including humans and how we respond to the world according to the level of our personal calibration. Humans who calibrate below 200 are unable to tell the difference between a truth and a lie, while higher calibrations have various themes that can contribute to the growth of humanity. I highly recommend that book.
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden
2024-07-31 17:54:17 +0000 UTCPlease, instead of reading Fourth Wing. Read a book like six of crows, little thieves, or the invisible life of Addie La Rue. These books are so beautifully written. Fourth wing is great I don’t mean to discredit the author of course. But it’s good because it gets readers into the fantasy genre. It’s a baby step into the world of fantasy!
Evs
2024-07-31 17:32:53 +0000 UTCLately, I haven’t had time for books. But I have seen a decent amount of movies like Twisters and Deadpool & Wolverine, also saw the 4k release of Seven Samurai in the theater (also first time seeing it in general), Sing Sing is fantastic and Colman Domingo brought it like he always does, Thelma was such a sweet movie you could show a grandma, and finally saw Silence of the Lambs. What a banger! With gaming, I have been bouncing between a bunch of games when I do have time for them. Recently purchased Elden Ring so I’m getting in that (listening to the Summon Sign podcast is to blame, there’s enough I want to play already!) and I finally beat the Realm Reborn section of Final Fantasy XIV which is where it’s getting into being fantastic so here’s to hoping!
Andrew Feistner
2024-07-31 17:13:15 +0000 UTCThat's ok! From the comments that I have read on sites like good reads: I think only so many readers have payed attention to those tidbits . Many a person has shared what they consider wrong with it or what's overrated about it. That's fine AND here's my ' five cents' about why I liked it.
Laura E
2024-07-31 17:06:45 +0000 UTCThis explains and verifies some things, I did not know that
Daniel
2024-07-31 16:55:49 +0000 UTCAlan, as someone who is reading Fourth Wing, it was not vaguely horny it was confusingly, at times eye rollingly horny lol It very much feels like the writer inserting her fantasies at least at times
Daniel
2024-07-31 16:54:45 +0000 UTCNo problem!
SaucyJTD
2024-07-31 16:45:23 +0000 UTCOoh thanks for the rec!
Katie S
2024-07-31 16:41:57 +0000 UTCSanderson is great! Cannot wait to ditch the real world and disappear into the Cosmere when Wind & Truth comes out 🤣.
SaucyJTD
2024-07-31 16:39:52 +0000 UTCCan you do an episode on A Quiet Place: Day One? I think the grief process/acceptance was really touching
Holly✌️
2024-07-31 16:13:29 +0000 UTCI've been blowing through the first two books of Skyward by Brandon Sanderson these past few weeks (blowing through for me, I'm not a slow reader, but my ADD doesn't let me read more than a few pages before wanting to work on my own writing. A few pages of reading, a few sentences of writing. That's how it goes.) I know Brandon's an amazing writer, but I still can't get over how good these books are! Also reading Secure Love as per Jono's recommendation. It's helpful, but I'm at the point where I'm like: okay, I'm avoidant, I accept that I need to open up, but why can't the author tell these anxious types to lay off sometimes. Why is it always on my head to deal with them, that's the whole reason I became avoidant. I'll throw in my bit of wisdome about fourth wing. Real easy to read, and real easy to fall apart once you're done. I kep blowing off the issues I had (even the sex scene) until the final battle where absolutely nothing made sense. Spoiler alert: How on earth did Violet not notice who she was flying away with. How on earth did Xaden not be able to come up with a better reason for taking her away. And HOW ON EARTH did the colonel know the venin were going to attack HOURS before the did. Still, I went on to book 2, and that killed it. I just. couldn't. stand. how (insert character, you'll know who it is if you read the last line of book 1( treat Violet so bad and she didn't give a shit about it. Clearly Rebecca doesn't know what it's like to be disabled in a community where physical strength is all that matters (yes, I know she is disabled, but either she's been living the cushy white life or she put zero thought into it). Rant over. And I haven't even touched upon all the little things that didn't make sense.
Ayesha Ali
2024-07-31 16:13:10 +0000 UTCI've heard that Anne McCaffrey is really good! She's on my list of authors to get around to.
SaucyJTD
2024-07-31 16:09:10 +0000 UTCOh Alan, I'm judging you hard for Fourth wing 🤣 I hated the first book so much I couldn't even finish it. Why can't I just have dragons and no hormone fueled annoying protagonist?
Katie S
2024-07-31 15:39:58 +0000 UTCI see your points about Fourth Wing and respect it.: to each their own. Personally for myself, I think one of the coolest, most exciting, rare and beautiful things about that book is: The Female Protagonist is Chronically Ill, the Author has the same illness and Chronic Illness/Disability has a low representation threshold in the Epic Fantasy Genre, I love your Reading/Watching Lists! Happy end of July, onward to August!
Laura E
2024-07-31 15:27:10 +0000 UTCWatched Twisters with my husband, loved it so much I'm going again with one of my besties! Mostly I'm just watching the Olympics now, but hubby and I are deep in The King: Eternal Monarch (an excellent K-drama on Netflix!) so we'll go back to that when the Olympics are over. Read 10 books last month so will only list my favorites: The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch (ridiculously fun follow-on for Pride and Prejudice), In Our Stars by Jack Campbell (first of a duology and it was absolute fire), Takedown by Laila Mickelwait (harrowing non-fiction, rough read due to the topic, but incredible tale of determination), and of course, Light Bringer by Pierce Brown, which I was relieved to see starts to pay off the misery of Dark Age.
Lydia Hartzler
2024-07-31 15:19:44 +0000 UTCReading: I'm reading Holy Envy currently, based on Jono talking about it on his social media. Super good! Planning on reading In The Blink of an Eye once I've finished this. Should be this week! Watching: So. Much. 24. So. Worth. It. I also completely caught up to Bridgerton, started Ted Lasso, and am wrapping up Shrinking. All good shows so far! As far as movies, I watched Unbreakable, Lord Save Us From Your Followers, the entire Rocky series (all the way through Creed!), Hamilton, and 3:10 to Yuma... all for the first time. Enjoyed all of them for very different reasons. I personally enjoyed the hell out of Deadpool. I love some good raunchy humor, and loved seeing so many familiar faces throughout the movie. Plus, sooooo many needledrops. I was in my seat mouthing along to every song 😅. Bonus: Listening! I added more songs to my Spotify list, and enjoyed listening to Jono's interview with Scott Patterson. I also completely caught up to Murder She Rolled! Episode 11 was great, and I'm so excited to see where it's going 😊. Also, congrats, Alan for getting to THAT part 🤣. Fair warning: the hormonal teenagerness is much worse in the next book. Still worth the read! Fantastic news: I've decided yesterday that I'm going to FanX, come hell or high water. I saw that Brandon Sanderson is gonna be there, too, and I couldn't ignore the pull to go anymore. Can't wait to visit out there for the first time!
SaucyJTD
2024-07-31 15:16:53 +0000 UTCDeadpool & Wolverine honestly spoke to some of what I'm going through in life right now: wanting to matter, while also clinging to what I have, and trying to run away from my past. Good to see immortal beings struggle with the same stuff I do. I've also started reading comics over the past 3-4 years, so seeing all that comic accurate stuff was so much fun!! Meanwhile I've been playing Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, and when I'm not watching the Olympics, still recovering from The Boys Season 4 finale. I was not ready for how dark and true to real life it would get!
Eric Adamcik
2024-07-31 15:11:18 +0000 UTCSaw Deadpool and Wolverine this past weekend, and took my friends to see Robot Dreams earlier this month🤩❤️🔥third time seeing that perfect film.
Watts
2024-07-31 15:06:54 +0000 UTCI ended up watching Sunset Blvd again last night and I’ll never be bored with that movie. It’s magnificent
Castiel Destler
2024-07-31 15:04:19 +0000 UTC
