Hi everyone, I hope all is well. We are into August now and despite how hot and smoky it’s been this season, I’m holding onto summer as long as I can. It goes by pretty quickly here, and we need to enjoy it. Our vegetable garden is pretty much bursting now and what’s worked best this year has been: onions, potatoes, zucchinis, and tomatoes. So we will eat those into oblivion, LoL. Here is a pic of some of the vegetable patch.
This past Saturday we went to see the movie Oppenheimer at an old rural theater near where we live. It’s epic, full of quandary and paradoxes, and worth seeing on the big screen. The camera shots alone are great, as well as the story of the man and scientist who developed the atomic bomb during the war, along with the cast, especially actor Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer. His eyes are very blue and expressive, as if you could see into the soul of the man he plays. Oppenheimer seemed to have genuine worries about what he had created, the horrors of unleashing it, and pushed for regulations thereafter.
Though well done, we thought parts of the movie could’ve been cut shorter. Half of the movie follows Oppenheimer’s life while he’s in charge of developing the bomb in the ’40s, while other parts jump forward to a post-war 1954 hearing about whether to continue Oppenheimer’s security clearance, with some doubting his loyalty to the country. The hearing scenes go on at length and start to drag the movie down a bit. Perhaps a half hour could’ve been edited from the three-hour movie without losing a thing. And the two overt nude scenes of Oppenheimer’s one-time lover Jean Tatlock (played by Florence Pugh) didn’t seem that necessary. The character sort of gets short shrift in the film to begin with, whereas Emily Blunt as the wife is given a little bit more dimension. The movie is rated R and apparently is now the highest grossing movie set during World War II, which is kind of wild to think about. What about Schindler’s List and all the others?
And now let’s talk about August releases. I’m behind in this, but there’s new novels by Angie Kim (Happiness Falls), James McBride (The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store), Jennifer Weiner (The Breakaway), and Emma Donoghue (Learned by Heart) among others due out this month. My three picks would likely start with Ann Patchett’s new novel Tom Lake (out on Aug. 1) about a mother who returns with her three daughters to her family orchard in Northern Michigan and tells them a story of a long ago past love whom she once shared the stage with at a theater company called Tom Lake. Through the story the daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother and reconsider what they thought they once knew. Hmm.
This one sounds good. Usually I like Patchett’s nonfiction books better, but the synopsis of this novel makes me want to read it. It seems quite warm-hearted and moving and perhaps one we all could use about now. If you missed it, Ann was recently interviewed about her new book on the New York Times book podcast, which you can access here.
Next up is Alice Hoffman’s new novel The Invisible Hour (due out Aug. 15) about a young pregnant teen who runs away from home and gets involved with an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts that forbids books and contact with the outside world. The child she has (Mia) starts to visit the library illegally where she takes to Hawthorne’s classic The Scarlett Letter and tries to convince her mother to escape. Alternating chapters bring to life Nathaniel Hawthorne, his world, and his inspiration for The Scarlett Letter. Hmm.
It’s been awhile since I read Alice Hoffman and I like the idea of how she intersperses the two worlds in this novel. It’s a story that apparently celebrates the magic of books and reading and I’m usually a sucker for themes like these. Also the book cover is quite alluring, don’t you think?
Lastly in books, I’m a bit curious about British author William Boyd’s novel The Romantic, which was published in the U.K. last fall and comes out in North America on Aug. 15. It’s about a man named Cashel Greville Ross, born in 1799, who travels the world as a soldier, a farmer, a felon, a writer, and a father and experiences a wild ride. It’s been called a “beguiling romp of a novel … about the adventures and misadventures of a nineteenth-century everyman.” Apparently Cashel meets prominent historical figures of the day including Mary Shelley and Richard Francis Burton and describes the “highs and lows of a life extravagantly lived.”
I have only read one of William Boyd’s novels and that was Restless in 2006, and from what I hear this one is pretty entertaining.
As for screen releases, there’s Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building, (on Hulu starting Aug. 8), which is a murder mystery comedy that stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez who play true crime buffs living in an apartment building who become embroiled in a murder investigation. I have not seen this show, but Meryl Streep is in it and Paul Rudd too.
It looks a bit too goofy for me, but maybe instead the final season of Billions (on Showtime Aug. 11) might be appealing. It stars Paul Giamatti as a U.S. Attorney who looks to prosecute hedge fund king Bobby Axelrod played by Damian Lewis. I have not seen this drama series, but now that it’s nearing the end, perhaps it could be worth a glimpse. I’ll just go straight to Season 7, without a clue otherwise, LoL.
For movies, Jules (due out Aug. 11) looks to be a cute one starring Ben Kingsley as a retired man in western Pennsylvania whose life is disrupted when a UFO crashes in his yard and an alien takes up residence there.
It sort of reminds me a bit of the movie Cocoon from 1985 … where a few seniors find meaning and connection in their lives thanks to a friendship with a being from outer space. I guess every 20 years or so a friendly extra-terrestrial movie comes out (quite a few were in the 1980s) and this ET looks relatively calm and self-assured.
For new music, there’s new albums coming out by Ryan Bingham, Rhiannon Giddens, and French Canadian Bobby Bazini among others. I’ll pick Giddens’s new album You’re the One due out Aug. 18. She grew up in Greensboro, N.C. and apparently lives in Ireland now with her musical partner and kids. She knows and uses many instruments and brings a lot of musical genres together including: Blues, jazz, Cajun, country, gospel, and rock. Here’s a song off the album.
That’s all for now. What about you — which releases are you looking forward to this month? And what are your August plans?
I have all three of those August books on my radar, too, especially Tom Lake and the one by William Boyd. Unfortunately, a whole lot of people jumped on them before I got on the library list, so it will be a while on both.
Only Murders in the Building is a fun series, but to really get into the spirit and feel of the series, I think you’d almost have to start with the first season and watch them in order. The relationships between the three main characters – and several minor ones – change so drastically that those having seen the first two seasons are going to be watching an entirely different third season than the ones viewed by first timers. Kind of the same thing that happens in book series.
Hi Sam: thanks for letting me know about the show Murders in the Building. Yes I’ll have to start with Season 1. Glad to hear it’s entertaining. Could be perfect for the end of summer. Something light and fun.
I can only imagine the long library list for Ann Patchett’s and William Boyd’s books. I haven’t put my name in for them yet — uh-oh. It could be a wait.
Happy reading.
Interesting book list. I’ve enjoyed earlier novels by Ann Patchett, so this one is on my list. It does seem as if summer is ending to quickly. Birds around us are beginning to act like they see the end coming.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hi Mae, yeah the temps are coming down a bit from the high 80s here, so perhaps fall is coming soon. The days are flying. And the Patchett novel sounds enjoyable, I hope to get to it soon. Enjoy your August!
Hi Susan,
The garden looks good and tomatoes, zucchini, onions are practically a salad I itself. The book that jumps out at me is Alice Hoffman’s The Invisible Hour. I recently read a novel of hers The Magic Hour I think its called and she is a very fine writer.
And I will also be curious what she has to say about Nathaniel Hawthorne because I have read The Peabody Sisters and American Bloomsbury and he is featured prominently in both books. Hawthorne is known for the Scarlett Letter but he was very good looking as a young man and a bit of a rogue in his personal life.
Hi Kathy, yeah I’m curious too about what Hoffman has to say about Hawthorne. I don’t know much about his personal life, but it will interesting to see. It’s been a long time since I ventured to read the Scarlett Letter but I am impressed that you have read his others. I need to explore further. Happy reading for August.
It’s good that you got a veggie harvest. I got Tom Lake to read later this month after I finish an ARC I’m starting today. I read The Invisible Hour and it was sort of The Scarlet Letter, an origin story. I did like it but Hoffman has written better and probably will in the future. I’m glad you liked Oppenheimer; I’m not keen on its running time. I heard The Romantic is really good; I’ll accommodate it later in the year if still have time. Have a great rest of the month! By the way, if you received a request for a friend in Netgalley it’s me.
Hi Carmen, Oh I didn’t know Netgalley has friend requests. Does it? I can’t find yours to accept … I’m not on that site too much so don’t know its particulars too well. If I find it, I will accept! I will explore that further. But I have an ARC from there of Lucky Red … a western type debut. Have you heard of it?
That’s good you already have a copy of Tom Lake and I’m impressed that you’ve already read the Hoffman novel. Kirkus also said the novel wasn’t one of her best, which is too bad. It seemed like it had potential. But I might try it still. Too much to read as summer winds down. And too much weeding too. ha. Enjoy your books!
I meant Goodreads, what was I thinking?! 😮 I pre-ordered Tom Lake from Amazon, so I got it on the 1st, but now it’ll have to wait. I read Hoffman’s months ago; it’s kind of cute, but not great. Yes, I have heard of Lucky Red. I have been debating to read it or not. If you like it, I’ll consider adding it to my TBR. The Romantic was one of the nominees for the Walter Scott Prize, whose results I follow through a blogger friend. She is very well read and was impressed by it. I’m currently reading The Bee Sting by Paul Murray (longlisted for the Booker this year); liking it so far. It’s fairly long, so it’ll be awhile getting to the end of it.
Oh good to know. So you must be CK on Goodreads, great! Thanks for linking up there. Let me know about Bee Sting and I’ll tell you if I like Lucky Red. My reading has been slow this summer, and I think it’s just my mind is on the new house and all the fix-ups. I have been onto audios b/c there is a lot of weeding to do. But hope to get back reading more. Always like your book updates! thx
You’ve hit on sevral books I am planning to read and listed a few I’d not heard of. Ann Patchett’s book is in line for me at the library, probably a few weeks before I get my turn at it. Never heard of the William Boyd book but it is now on my list as well.
Great garden – I wish I could do that! The intense heat here in North Florida roasts the tomatoes before I get a chance at them. Our vines are withering in this heat.
Hi Tina, I can only imagine how hot it is in North Florida … it must sizzle. The poor plants. It’s hot enough here … and we’ve had to do a lot of watering this summer to keep things alive. But now things are starting to cool off a bit.
The library list for these books will likely be very long. I need to get on them pronto. The Patchett book is near the top. Happy reading!
I like Rhiannon Giddens quite a lot so I’m excited to hear she has an album coming out. We’ve enjoyed watching “Billions” and “Only Murders in the Building” so there are their new seasons to look forward to. But especially there are all those new novels by writers that I like such as Ann Patchett, so August, my birth month, is looking like a good one! Happy birthday to me!
Oh Happy Birthday Dorothy! You need to gift yourself new reads and music. Rhiannon Giddens is wildly talented and her new album sounds good. And I’m glad you have liked the two TV series. I will give both a go. They seem entertaining, which is perfect for the end of summer.
I hope you are seeing lots of birds still. Your photos of them are always so good. Happy gardening & reading.
August did arrive quickly. I work in an elementary school which starts back up very soon, so I’m trying to get all my last summer activities in before then. We’ve got some wildfires here in Utah, but nothing like you’ve had up in Canada all summer long. And I’ve been loving all the zucchini and chard from my garden, too. Have a great week! 😀
Thanks Lark. Your garden must be great. The zucchini plants seem to produce a lot … wonderful. But the deer here have gotten several. I hope it cools off there so the fires go away. The fires here are starting to decrease in number.
It’s hard to believe school is starting back up soon. Good luck with starting back.
Lovely garden! I would love some homegrown tomatoes right about now. Yumm.
We’ll wait to see Oppenheimer when it is available to stream, but I’m going with a big group of girlfriends to see Barbie tonight. We plan to get together at one friend’s home afterward to talk about the movie. Should be a fun night.
I recently read Our Town in preparation for reading Tom Lake, which I received from Parnassus (signed by Patchett) a week or so ago. As soon as I finish my current read, I think I’ll start Tom Lake.
Alice Hoffman’s books are hit-or-miss with me, so I’ll wait to read a few reviews of her latest, maybe getting a copy from the library.
Hi Lesley, the Barbie night out sounds like fun. It looks like a hoot. Will you wear pink?! Tom Lake looks like the book this month, I hope it’s enjoyable. Your signed copy is very cool! I heard Patchett talking about Our Town on the NYT podcast recently and how it’s mixed into her book a bit.
I’m headed to Calif soon … and will get to Newport a bit. Happy reading.
The Romantic sounds good, but there are very few copies at the libraries around me. I have put in a request for Tom Lake. I rarely read Alice Hoffman.
I’ve been curious about Oppenheimer. It’s a little disappointing to me that it has some scenes that are unnecessary and that the movie itself is a little too long.
I do hope you are able to watch Only Murders in the Building. Very funny.
Hi Deb, thanks for letting me know about Only Murders in the Building. It looks fun and perfect for the end of summer watching.
The Oppenheimer movie is a bit too long but good … but intense too. A slice of history & this man’s life.
The library wait lists of the three books above must be crazy right now. I have not attempted to get on them yet … good luck. & happy reading!
Your garden looks great!! I’m hoping we can do some container gardening in CT next summer, at least tomatoes. Things got away from me at the beginning of this season.
I’m excited about a couple of August releases. Tom Lake is at the top of my list and The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store looks good, too. I haven’t read William Boyd, but have one of his novels on my kindle.
We still haven’t been back to a movie theater since the pandemic, though we both want to see Oppenheimer. I want to see Barbie, too. It’s probably okay to go now since we both recently had covid!
Thanks JoAnn, the garden has been a lot of fun work this summer. We’ve had to weed constantly and the deer have sampled some zucchini but it’s worth it! You’ll like the tomatoes next summer.
And you are probably safe at the theater. I think you’re in for a treat when you go back and see either Barbie or Oppenheimer. Pretty big.
Much to read this month. Tom Lake is up there. And could be a nice end of summer kind of read. Hmm. Enjoy your week.
Agree with you. I like Patchett’s non-fiction best. I’m about 70 pages into Tom Lake and I don’t love it yet!
Hi Nicola, uh-oh I hope Tom Lake picks up soon. Patchett’s nonfiction is better in my opinion …. shhhh but don’t say it too loudly, lol. Thanks for stopping by.
I like Ben Kingsley so will look out for the new show.
The August book releases all look interesting, especially an Ann Patchett.
Have a great week!
Thanks Helen, much to read this month …. and I’ll be coming to SoCal soon to visit my parents so perhaps I can read at the beach!
The Ben Kingsley thing is a movie … and hopefully will be streamworthy … in the near future.
Happy August to you.
It’s sad to think about summer soon being over, especially since most of it has been cold and rainy. I even had the heating on some days. Hot and smoky isn’t ideal either, I suppose. Always something to complain about. 😉 Anyway, it looks like a solid month for publications. Tom Lake and the Angie Kim novel are already on my wish list. Like you, Restless is the only Boyd, I’ve read. I quite enjoyed it, so may look into his new one as well. You didn’t mention the Barbie movie! 😉
Hi Stargazer. Ha. I think I talked about the Barbie movie in one of my previous posts. I haven’t seen it yet but I did chat about it. It’s big for sure. Box office history apparently. I think I will wait to stream it.
It is a pretty solid month for books — but I am reading slowly and I’m visiting my parents in Calif. at the moment …. so a bit busy.
I hope things are nice there. It’s burning hot here. Enjoy your late summer!
I’m holding onto the summer, it goes by too fast. I keep hearing about Oppenheimer and the Barbie movie lately, both are on my to watch list. It’s been a while since I read Alice Hoffman also, that one looks good.
Enjoy your week!
Thanks Bookworm. Yes we need to hold on to these summer days. And it’s been forever since I read Alice Hoffman — so I’d like to try her again. Hope your August is fun. Enjoy.
I am glad to see your vegetable garden doing so well! I really want to see Oppenheimer, but will likely wait until it comes out on a streaming service. I pre-ordered a copy of Happiness Falls from my local indie store and am looking forward to reading it. The store owner said that she really enjoyed it. Tom Lake and The Invisible Hour are both books I want to read as well and are on my wish list. My husband and I hope to start on Only Murders in the Building soon. Maybe after Bosch. Maybe before as something to mix things up. We recently went to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem at my daughter’s request. It actually was pretty good. Both her dad and I liked it more than we thought we would.
I hope you have a great week and month of August!
Thanks LF. Mutant Mayhem, I like that title. It’s great that Mouse is into reading & seeing creative things. I’m glad you include her books/movies on your site — it’s terrific really. I love hearing about them.
I’m in California now! Redlands. It’s baking towards the desert. Just visiting for a week. People seem to be liking Only Murders in the Building. We don’t have Hulu — but try it out if you have. Several good books this month. But my mind for now seems to be elsewhere. Have a great week too.
I may have to give Anne Pratchett’s non-fiction a try. I haven’t really gotten into her fiction either. I never finished Bel Canto and the one that Tom Hanks narrated was a bit ho hum.
Lovely garden! Looking forward to getting that going in some form next season.
I’m reading American Prometheus and it’s such a fascinating story of his life and those connected to him. Looking forward to seeing the movie soon.
Only Murders in the Building is worth it if you love Steve Martin and Martin Short, which I do. It’s funny and quite an entertaining mystery as well.
The Invisible Hour looks really good. I’ll have to put that on the list.
Summer went too quickly this year. With our move and the heat it just went too fast. Now my son is back in school! Where did the time go?
Hi Heather, wow he’s already back in school?! That’s wild — it seems so soon. They used to start in Sept. but now it’s early August it appears. Hmm.
The story about Oppenheimer and the turns in his life are pretty unreal. I’m sure that book is something else. See what you think of the movie.
And like me, I think you’d like Patchett’s nonfiction more than her fiction. This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage or These Precious Days are good ones. But I’m hoping her new novel is good.
The garden is a lot of work in progress but we are enjoying it. Your new backyard will be good for it next year. Hope you enjoy these summer days. It’s so hot now I’m in Calif. at the moment visiting my parents. Hope to get to the beach. take care & enjoy your reading.
I love your posts. They are always packed with interesting bits and pieces. I’m eager to read Tom Lake–Patchett is one of my favorite living authors and she just doesn’t disappoint.
My kids agree with you about Oppenheimer–the legal stuff dragged on too long making the overall movie too long. They said Emily Blunt was fantastic as the wife. I am ambivalent about seeing this movie–I have so little free time that while the subject is interesting, I’m not sure I want to invest that much time in a movie.
That said, I am excited for season 3 of Only Murders, though I am waiting for all the episodes as I don’t like waiting a week between them.
The Invisible Hour has an intriguing premise–it’s going on the list!
I’m not sure about The Romantic–sounds like fun, but the writing needs to be good to pull this off.
Oh, and your garden looks great! We had another great year for onions, and I just put in a second planting of spinach and peas. Looking forward to harvesting carrots and beets soon. And another dismal year for tomatoes–the cherry one on the deck is prolific, but the romas and beefsteaks in the raised beds are struggling to produce much. Not sure why.
Hi Jane — thanks! So glad to hear your thoughts on the post and vegetable garden. The heat took a beating on our peas & green beans but the tomatoes came thru. It’s great you are getting a second planting.
I guess I need to see Only Murders Season 1 and I’m interested in Tom Lake too. Set at an orchid sounds good to me. I’m still glad to have seen Oppenheimer on the big screen even if a bit long. But I know what you mean. I think I will wait on Barbie to stream it. Hope your August is going well. Enjoy what’s left.
Your reading list is impressive. I’m thinking I should read Tom Lake soon!
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Mae. Tom Lake is really hot right now. I think I will like it and perhaps you will too. I have an audio copy of it which is read by Meryl Streep … Can’t wait to see if it’ll be good. Happy reading!