Jen V’s June Recs
Y’all. This month has been wild. Work has been a bit OTT over the last two weeks and a bit unpredictable, meaning I’ve had to work weekends, and it has all contributed to June feeling like it dragged on forever… but also, it’s messed up that it’s already July. You know? You know.
So, first things first. We had our first ever Matariki public holiday in Aotearoa New Zealand this month. Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster, or Seven Sisters as I grew up knowing them. But Matariki is also the name of the celebration that starts with the rising of the cluster, which marks the beginning of the new year in the Māori lunar calendar. It’s a time for coming together with your community to remember your ancestors and those lost over the past year, reflect on your present, and set intentions for the year ahead. It’s so peaceful and joyful and everything about it is A++ vibes. So glad we get to share in this! You can read more about Matariki here.
Of course, the US had to ruin all our peace and goodwill as we had the dubious joy of waking up the Roe v Wade news the Saturday after Matariki. Always letting the side down, US. There’s nothing to be said here that hasn’t been said already. But I will paraphrase our PM Jacinda Ardern in saying, regardless how you feel about the issue personally, your personal beliefs should never prevent others from making their own decisions about their bodies. There are so many issues still facing women across the world, we need to keep making progress, not fighting the same battles over and over again and moving backwards. It’s ridiculous.
The only way I can describe how I feel about *gestures at everything* is soul weary. So, let’s just park all that for a moment and I’ll try to dig around my memory for some recommendations.
TV: I’ve just started watching Superstore as my cross-stitch background show and it is delightful. Love a twenty-minute episode comedy series with a misfit cast. Big fan. I also watched Abbot Elementary this month, also delightful. The US do a good 20min workplace comedy, you have to hand it to them.
I’m one season into Hacks, intergenerational frenemies with lots of sarcasm? What’s not to love. Also, Everything I Know About Love which is just painfully reminiscent of my London experience. In one episode she buys everyone in a pub drinks, and then wakes up the next day to an empty bank account. Regular listeners of the pod will know I did something very similar. Sigh.
I haven’t watched it yet but the second season of Only Murders in the Building just started!! Get on that show if you haven’t yet, it is so, so good. And the third season of The Umbrella Academy! I tend to drag this show out over literal months (seriously, took me 8 months to watch season 2) but it is great, the music is great, Aidan Gallagher is a force of nature, and you should definitely watch it.
Alsoooo, it’s not out til August, but the Sandman trailer dropped and I am unwell. Watch it here.
Film: Everything Everywhere All At Once. People. People. See this film. Ok, I could have happily gone my whole life without having the hot dog hands thing in my brain, but the overall premise of the film is so good. Everything is terrible! Nothing matters! So be kind! Be kind for its own sake. And do the things you love. Makes my little existentialist heart so happy. And Michelle Yeoh is so phenomenal (in the film but also just in general).
My mate and I do a trans-Tasman movie night once a month and for June, we watched The Princess Bride again. Still a great film, really holds up, 10/10 no notes, so take this as a reminder to go rewatch that immediately. And if you haven’t seen it, go do so now. I mean it, go. I kinda want to write a Snowbaz AU of it…
I also went to see the George Michael documentary Freedom Uncut with my mates who are die-hard stans. I felt very privileged to be allowed into the inner sanctum. As a fangirl myself, I appreciate how hard it is to let others into your fandom cause they don’t get it, not like you do. I found it very interesting and learned lots, but honestly, just learning more about George’s process was kind of the highlight. What a voice. What a talent.
I’m sure I watched other films this month, but I can’t for the life of me remember them. I’m going to go see Top Gun tomorrow. On one hand, military propaganda. On the other hand, fighter jets.
Books: Cause my attention has been diverted mainly into work, I have had little brain power for reading, so I picked up a bunch of graphic novels this month. I love reading books in one sitting and obvs that is hard with novels when life gets in the way, so graphic novels is my way of tricking my brain into getting that same satisfaction, which keeps me reading. All of them were queer as heck so if that’s your jam here are some recs:
The Witch Boy/The Midwinter Witch/The Hidden Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag – YA series about magic and shifting and breaking down gender binaries that hold you back. Cute.
Cosmoknights by Hannah Templar – Mech suit gladiatorial combat as a ruse for political activism? Sure! This is a beautiful book, some absolutely gorgeous single pages *chef’s kiss*
On a sunbeam by Tillie Walden – Domestic space drama. Does a really good job of conveying a slow pace, but with interpersonal stakes and gravitas. In terms of atmosphere, it reminded me of the film Moon somehow.
Other books I read this month:
A discovery of witches by Deborah Harkness – I really wanted to like this, and I wanted to watch the show cause I love Matthew Goode, but this really wasn’t my jam. Alas.
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Morena-Garcia – fine, Austen vibes but magic and as such did nothing for me.
Among Thieves by MJ Kuhn – fantasy heist, bit repetitive but fine, kept wishing it was Six of Crows though.
Rosaline Palmer takes the cake by Alexis Hall – absolutely delightful romcom by the author of my all time faves, Boyfriend Material. This takes place over a fictionalised version of the Great British Bake Off and is exactly the kind of light but meaningful reading I need with the world the way it is.
Music: I saw Lucy Dacus this month! My first gig since pre-pandemic times (that was Nadia Reid, a Kiwi artist you should defs check out if you like sad girl guitar music). Lucy was so, so good. How does her voice sound that great live?? Ridiculous. Please check her out if you aren’t familiar. Maggie Stiefvater tweeted a list of her most listened to songs for each of The Dreamer Trilogy characters so I immediately turned that into a playlist – listen here. Thinking about that series makes me feel sick, I can’t wait for the last book to come out in October (but also, I can because that’ll be it for my boy Ronan and I don’t know if I am emotionally prepared for that.) Speaking of reminder – you can listen to my playlist of songs I think Ronan listened to circa TRB here.
Finally, my Doctor Who podcast is live! It’s called A Tardis of One’s Own and we’re re-watching new Who through a queer feminist lens. We choose a question/issue based on each episode – so far, we’ve done pink and internalised misogyny, the concept of ‘the future is female’, the double standard between witchcraft and religion, and having to physically conform to fit societal expectations. It’s over here or at the usual podcast places.
That’s it from me! I’m feeling good about July because every day is a little bit longer from now on, and that’s enough to be happy about. Hope you have a good month!