Please tell us why February (especially in Chicago) is nineteen months long and August only lasted nine minutes. Because that does not seem fair. Technically, only one of us is completely bummed about summer’s end and not being able to tan herself into a football while splashing in every pool, but we are a cohesive unit here and problems for one are problems for all.
Until we find the correct manager to complain to about extending summer, here’s our August wrap.
What We’re Reading
Jen: Apparently I am the head of the Stephen Markely fan club now. This month, I read Ohio and I have to reiterate that he is one of our greatest living American authors, and he’s still young. My God, what he will likely write in the next thirty years! I’m even having Fletch read Ohio now, despite it prompting him to say stuff like, “Wow, this is so much better than your books.” (He also says this about Chuck Klosterman and Sebastian Junger.) While technically true, that was way harsh, Tai.
We’ve been having “couples” book club all summer, not because it’s so cute and twee, but because I have excellent taste and keep foisting my choices on him. Also, I have sharing enabled on Kindle, so he can read all the great stuff I pick and I can read a bunch of his boring shit on JSOC.
I also read (and recommend) The Island of Lost Girls by Alex Marwood, which is a sort of fictionalization of Ghislane Maxwell’s story. Did I know this? No. I bought it on a BookBub deal and when something is $2, I buy now and research later. I liked going into it cold where I got to have that great “Aha!” moment when I realized it was a ripped-from-the-headlines title. Plus, The Unwedding by Ally Condi, The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley, and The Sunshine Girls by Molly Fader. All big yeses from me. (The plural yes is yeses, right? Why does it look so weird??)
Karyn: While Jen read a book by one of the “greatest living American authors,” I listened to Julia Fox’s memoir Down the Drain. It was amazing, everything I love in a celebrity memoir (sex, drugs, juvenile delinquency) and more! Whether you love Julia Fox, hate Julia Fox, or have no idea who Julia Fox is, her book is a must-listen if you like reading about someone who makes terrible decisions and has questionable taste in men. Five stars!
What We’re Watching
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