August Favorites

Something to Tell You, Haim: I was on the fence about buying this album because I have been disappointed by many recent efforts by artists whose previous albums I have enjoyed . However, with this follow-up Haim definitely lives up to the promise shown on their debut album. Like Days Are Gone, Something to Tell You is filled with delicious pop confections that wear their influences on their sleeve. Haim nods to many great pop and rock artists while still expressing a unique musical point of view. Right out of the gate, "Want You Back" is reminiscent of Wilson Phillips. That is followed with references to Fleetwood Mac ("Nothing's Wrong"), Tom Petty ("Little of Your Love"), Christina Aguilera ("Ready for You"), and even Enya ("Found it In Silence"). Somehow, "You Never Knew" manages to remind me of Carly Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, and Alphabeat, while still being a beautiful, coherent song. Each of Something to Tell You's songs in richly layered, and even after to listening to the album for over a month, I am still finding new surprises in the music and lyrics.

Columbus: I didn't want this film to end because I wanted to spend more time with its characters, namely Casey (Haley Lu Richardson) and Jin (John Cho), though Parker Posey was also excellent, as she always is. The actors do a terrific job of fully embodying their characters and communicating just as much with body language and gestures as they do with words. Additionally, the film features and photographs mid-century modern architectural landmarks in stunning and subtle ways.The quiet moments in the film (of which there are many) showcase a balance between the magnitude of the structures and the subtle performances of the actors. There's a lovely meditative quality to many moments in the film, but there is no pretension in these quiet moments because Casey and Jin keep everything so grounded; there is a reason for every silence and every contemplative moment. Watching Columbus is like going to a museum with a good friend; it offers discovery, wonder, and companionship.

The Prince of Tides, Pat Conroy: This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand the American South. Through one family's story, Conroy captures the cultural and societal forces (namely: class, race, and religion) that have shaped a whole region and the worldview of many of the people in that region – and whose effects linger in the present day. Conroy's writing style is both intellectual and atmospheric, and walks a fine line between realism and fairy tale. Even though his characters are often out-sized, they still feel authentic. Conroy's mastery of the English language and storytelling abilities remind me quite a bit of Ward Just, one of my favorite authors. And it is this mastery that allows a framing device that could easily been seen as contrived and non-linear storytelling to work so well in this book. I now understand why Conroy is so revered by Garden & Gun magazine, and by so many other Southern institutions.

Wind River: Despite the fact that this film could benefit from greater depth, it's still memorable and powerful thanks to Jeremy Renner's excellent performance and cinematography that captures the stark beauty of winter out West. While the plot is rather shallow, Wind River shines a spotlight on an overlooked area of the country and the native people who live there. The film also does a good job of capturing the challenges of life on the Res, especially when it comes to maintaining law, order, and justice. Renner's raw emotions are a perfect match for the desolate winter landscape, making for a memorable film that has stuck with me despite its flaws.

Ingrid Goes West: Ingrid Goes West is an extremely honest look at Millennial culture and the disingenuousness of social media, especially Instagram. I was expecting this film to be a Millennial satire, but instead I found it to be a moving and profound portrait of social media use and meaning in today's FOMO-driven society. The penultimate scene really packs a punch that I wasn't expecting at all, and its harrowing message has really stayed with me. Lurking under the beautiful scenery and people of LA and Joshua Tree is a soul-crushing void of vapidness and avocado toast. Ingrid Goes West captures the zeitgeist as no other film has.

"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", Rod Stewart feat. DNCE: A fun, dance-able redux with a higher tempo that makes it an improvement on the original. I'm not the biggest DNCE fan, but I do love Rod, and this collaboration really works – even if Joe Jonas's voice mainly serves as a reminder of how amazing Rod's voice truly is. This song is a great addition to my playlists that makes the transition from summer to fall a little more bearable.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann: This book presents a fascinating slice of Oklahoma history and gross injustice against the Osage people. I learned so many fascinating things from this book, and gained a new perspective on how Indians fit into greater US society in the early 20th century. The insidiousness of the plots against the Osage – and the greed of the perpetrators – is quite horrifying indeed. Grann's highly accessible style of storytelling brings this historical non-fiction account to life through its main characters and through Grann's inclusion of himself within the present-day narrative. The story of these murders is not one that has been relegated to history, but one that continues to affect the Osage today and deserves to be known beyond the borders of their namesake county.