Last night a transformer blew in our neighborhood, and our power was out for about two hours. The good news is that a) I found a flashlight that worked (and three that didn’t) and b) Dirty Dancing played twice on cable, so I got to watch pretty much the whole thing, despite the hours without electricity.
In other news, the watermelon in the photo above did, unsurprisingly, cause me to snap a photo and quote Dirty Dancing on Instagram. I carried a watermelon?
Really, though, not many days go by without me quoting Dirty Dancing.
And with that, let’s move onto a quick review of August. How was YOUR August?
What I’m Reading:
I’m actually in the middle of several serious, grown-up books. But if we’re only talking about books I finished this month, then I have to confess that it’s been pretty light fare on my reading list. (That’s what summer’s for, right?)
Irene Hannon is one of my favorite Christian authors, and her latest romantic suspense novel didn’t let me down. Neither the romance nor the suspense is too intense, but she still writes realistic stories with relatable characters. Lethal Legacy was the third book in the Guardians of Justice series about law enforcement officers based in St. Louis, and I really enjoyed it.
I also read the fourth and fifth books of the Mortal Instruments series. I can’t say I regret it, but they weren’t that great either. I loved the original trilogy and had decided not to read the additional books. Apparently, I fancied myself a Mortal Instruments purist. But one tweet from my friend Jessie was all it took to send me to the YA stacks at the library. So, I read them. I liked them. But I think I might have been better off having stopped after the third book.
Now for the good stuff. If you are a fan of YA paranormal novels, I highly recommend Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. It’s the first in a series about angels, and it is awesome. I loved the characters and the way Hand writes dialogue. And now I cannot wait until the third book comes out next year!
Gah! This is the curse of the YA trilogy! The angst! And the wait! The angsty wait!
Anyway. I also finished reading through the Psalms this month. I may not have gotten as much out of the book as I should have, just “checking the box” more days than I’m proud of. But it felt good to follow through and finish something for once. And now I’m off to finish reading through the Proverbs . . . which I started three months ago!
What I’m Watching:
I’d planned on telling you about how much I enjoyed The Bourne Legacy, and how I’m not sure Matt Damon can actually compete with Jeremy Renner. And then I was going to talk again about how we rented The Muppets a couple weeks ago, and Annalyn has barely stopped giggling and shouting, “Mahna Mahna!” since. Finally, I was going to ask if any of you watch Suits on USA. Because despite the fact that I think it’s a pretty boring show, I got sucked into it this summer and ended up really enjoying it . . . which may have something to do with the fact that it’s a show about Powerful Men. Wearing Suits.
And then I was going to be thankful The Muppet Movie keeps me from sounding completely shallow. (In my defense, I heard that Suits is way better this year than last year. So it kind of makes sense that I liked it better this year. Okay?)
But all that is a moot point now. Because for the past few days, it has been all Downton Abbey, all the time at my house. Oh. My. Word! I kept hearing how great this series is and how I should watch it and it’s unbelievable that I’m not watching it and do you not know you’re missing out, Mary?! But honestly, I just couldn’t see it. I mean, really? A show about snobby British people and their servants? On PBS? And you say it’s good?
Surely not.
Um, right. RIGHT. I stand corrected. I was wrong, wrong, wrong! Downton Abbey is simply . . . delicious. I don’t know why I love it. But oh, I do. I love it, and it’s taking every ounce of willpower I have (so, you know, all three ounces) to not devour Season Two RIGHT THIS SECOND.
What I’m Eating: The bad news is that I’ve rediscovered no-bakes . . . and eaten a LOT of them. The good news is that I’m now out of cocoa and refusing to buy more. I think. Yes. No. I’m not buying more! I won’t make more no-bakes! I won’t do it! (I might.)
What I’m Listening to: Yesterday at work, I cranked up my Mumford & Sons Pandora station – and promptly earned points from both our worship arts guys. One when he heard an actual Mumford song and the other when he said, “Are you listening to Imagine Dragons?” Why yes, yes I am. I mean, fine. It was just one song, but I knew it. So that counts, right? I’m cool? Kind of?
I also love Home by Phillip Phillips. Love. It. So all that time I didn’t understand why my friends were going on and on about some guy on American Idol, I was missing out.
And now, a gift for you. (Wait! A warning for you. This video is about eating greasy fast food, and it uses a bit of profanity. If either of those bother you, don’t click. But if you enjoy the occasional burger from Five Guys, you might enjoy this high-larious video as much as I did!)
What were you into in August?
This post was inspired by Sorta Crunchy’s monthly post. And it contains affiliate links.
I was a. ASAP Suits watcher last summer, but this year it was like crack! Harvey isn’t too hard to watch :) I love Mumford and Sons a lot too – just got their new song and am in love.
Gabriel Macht = the reason I watch!
Haha! Well-dressed crack! ;)
You will either love me or hate me when I tell you that these peanut butter no-bakes from Myra require no cocoa powder and are AMAZING. http://myblessedlife.net/2011/08/peanut-butter-no-bake-cookies.html
Uh-oh… :) Luckily, I’m not such a peanut butter fan that I’d make those. However, I did have some cinnamon vanilla no-bakes a while back at a picnic that I’m dying to make…!
Downton Abbey FTW! I love it so much! Now. Do you watch Sherlock? Another wonderful British/PBS show. Seriously makes you wonder why TV in America is not as good!
I haven’t watched Sherlock, but I’ve read great things about it. Once I finish Downton Abbey season two, I might have to give Sherlock a try!
Doesn’t other music sound kind of . . . empty after listening to Mumford?!
You know I liked Suits Season 1 but I think this one had a better ongoing story. The only part I didn’t like was Jacinda Barrett’s (Gabriel Macht’s wife) guest role. It’s probably unpatriotic of me not to love her but I found that a little contrived. Oh, and Grammy – sob!
Glad you enjoyed Season 1 of Downton Abbey so much, one of my faves too. I know I said this before but lower expectations for Season 2!
Loved hearing what you’re into Mary, this was such a fun post. One final thought – I wish you guys got some Aussie TV!
I didn’t know she was his wife. I actually had to look her up to understand what you were saying. I think it’s fair, if not patriotic, to deem that contrived. :) And yes, that finale was a whopper!
Nice! Love this update!! Will have to watch Downton Abbey since I’ve been hearing so much it’s amazing too and if you love it, I know I will too! And I’ll be sure to check out that video. Appreciate you friend. :)
I’m so glad you’ve finally experienced the beauty that is Downton Abbey! I cannot wait for Series 3 to start.
Okay, HOW (?!?!) had I not heard of Imagine Dragons?! This is TOTALLY my kind of music. Digging it so, so hard. Thank you for this!
Love your rundown and you’ve inspired me to do this very thing today!
Well let’s see two things come into my mind for August. I read a book entitled Into The Free by Julie Cantrell-loved it :) And also getting three children packed and ready to leave home to attend college. Now onto September…….
I like this blog post so much I’m going to do one of my own. :) And I love Downton Abbey and Irene Hannon too. I just added that book to my to-read list, so thanks for the heads up. I’m reading a DiAnn Mills one now (The Chase) that’s excellent. Do you read her too?
I also love Suits. I loved it last season too. I love Covert Affairs, Burn Notice (although it may have crossed the line into cheesy-ness), and Common Law too.
I haven’t read the books that you listed but I did just finish “There You’ll Find Me” by Jenny B. Jones. I think you recommended her before and I absolutely loved that book, so thank you!