B (2:31)

We both read a book called Home of the American Circus, which is by Allison Larkin. I had never read anything she'd written before, but a kind of online friend had raved about it. And I'm going to tell you her social media name here real quick. Her name is Marissa, but her Instagram is Backstage Book Review. She is a Broadway dresser. She is Currently dressing on John Proctor is the villain. So she's great. Tons of book reviews. I think she gave this a five out of five. So I had it and I was like, oh, I should probably read this. I think I posted that. I was reading it and then, Jen, you said it was up next for you because you had read and loved a previous book by the same author.

A (3:18)

Yes, I even spoke about it on here. I read her other book, the People We Keep, and I really liked her writing and saw that she had a new one coming out. So I put it on hold at the library and then I saw that you had started reading it and then my hold popped up. So we were reading it at the same time. And then you finished and then I finished and we were both like, oh my God, that was really good.

B (3:40)

Yeah. So do you want to give the, the breakdown about what it's about or you want me to?

A (3:45)

I think we can, you know, pass it off to each other. It's about a girl named Freya who returns to her hometown. She inherited her parents house after their death. And when she goes back, she finds it abandoned and pretty run down. And she also finds her estranged niece Aubrey living there. And as the story unfolds, you find out about the relationships in the family and why Freya left and the weird dynamics in their entire family. And mostly that Freya and Aubrey are, you know, two of a kind and they need to find their way back to each other. Would you say that's pretty. I don't want to give anything away, so.

B (4:26)

No, yeah, yeah. I mean, Freya is. She's 30 years old. She's been away from her hometown for What, a decade? 12 years, something like that. And she's broken. Like she is a broken person, both physically and emotionally and mentally. And she really has no other choice but to come home. And it's through this relationship with her niece, who is like the only person in her family that like she kind of loves in an uncomplicated way. And through a kind of a growing network of found family, some people she knew from the past, some actually just. I think it's all like pretty much people she knew from the past kind of helping her rebuild her life in both like the material sense, like getting the, you know, her physical life and financial situation back in order, but then also her emotional and mental life back together. And it's just a really. It's one of those books, Jen. We're like, we both read so many thrillers where it's like every twist and turn in the book. This is one of those books where, like, obviously stuff happens, but, like, nothing major happens, but you just feel like it takes you on such an incredible journey without these huge OMG moments that. I really, really love those things, and I kind of crave them. After doing the whole thriller rom com thing. I like. I love something that is just beautifully written, that tells a compelling but simple story, and that's really what Home of the American Circus did for me.

A (6:01)

And also, we should mention that the title refers to the fact that the town she's returning to is known for being the home of the American circus. So there is a statue in the middle of the town of an elephant. But obviously there's metaphors between family circus activities and the actual circus. But the thing that I really liked about it was that it wasn't sugary. It was. Sometimes there are people in your family that you just have to accept are not great people. You know, there's so many stories revolving around, you know, people seeing the light and growing and evolving. But it was refreshing to. To see a story about accepting when people can't or don't and letting go. And I think that was a really amazing plot point for me because it was real. And not everything has a happy ending. Even if one part of the story has a happy ending, that doesn't mean everything's fixed. And I loved the realness in that narrative.

B (7:14)

Yeah. And Allison Larkin has this kind of a very evocative way of writing. She is not going to be like, you're not going to read it and be like, oh, that was the most poetic passage I've ever read. But there's such a way that she communicates emotions through. I don't want to say lyrical, but there's just a floating way that, like, you read her prose and it's just like, oh, that was beautiful. Like, I just kind of was enveloped by the words of this book. And it's not one. Like, I mentioned Sharkheart before, which is literally a lot of it. Like, there are stuff that is poetry. This is very different. This is just like, here's a beautiful, wonderful story, and you are going to feel every emotion that you are supposed to feel. Because she is an unbelievably talented and gifted writer.

A (8:11)

She is. And I can't recommend this enough or her other book that I read, the People We Keep. She just like. Like you said, her. Her writing is intoxicating. And you just. You just want. You just know these people. And it's so cliche to say that you feel like you know people and you miss them. So I, I hope that they're doing well in my mind.

B (8:36)

Yeah, that's exactly it. There were times when you can tell by where you are in the book and what is going on that you're like, oh, there is still some bumps in the road to come. And I was just hoping that. I was like, maybe there won't be. Maybe the last half of this book is going to be completely drama free and everything's going to be hunky dory. Obviously, I knew that wasn't going to happen, so I was not dreading it because I knew the journey was going to be lovely to experience. But I was like, I just hope good things happen for these people because they are all lovely, wonderful folks. So anyway, yes, I completely agree. Home of the American Circus. For me, Jen, I will say this is the best book I have read so far in 2025. Obviously you've read the People We Keep, also by Alison Larkin in this year as well. So maybe it is not the same for you and you've read far more books than I have, but for me it is definitely up there at the top and if anything even approaches it, I will be ecstatic because that means I've had another wonderful, fulfilling book reading experience this year.

A (9:48)

That's a Some Like It Pop first.

B (9:51)

Yeah, we've never overlapped in these picks, so that's fantastic. All right, so what do you have next?

A (10:00)

Okay, well, my second one was a TV show that I doubt you'll be interested in, but I wound up enjoying. Or maybe you do. I don't know. You always surprise me. It's on Amazon Prime. Fallout.

B (10:15)

I have not watched it, but I know it very well.

A (10:18)

Yeah, it is based on a video game which I'm always skeptical about until I watch the Last of Us. I'm like, oh, I guess this can work. This is completely different than the Last of Us. And it took me a minute to get into it, but it's a really interesting story and the effects are really impressive. It's also terrifying because it's post apoc, post apocalyptic nuclear fallout, literally. And that's what I was raised, being raised during the Cold War, you know, this was my nightmare every night. So it takes place about a hundred years, hundred or so years from now when there's a nuclear fallout. And then we follow what happened from there the next 200 years after that. And so there's flashbacks and there's strange evolutions of things because of the radiation that will also be in your nightmares. But the characters are really interesting. Walton Goggins plays a remarkable character, as he always does, and.

B (11:24)

Well, hold on, I have to ask because I feel like Walter Goggins could play literally any character, the most boring character in the world, and make that character incredible just by being the actor doing it.

A (11:37)

Yeah. And when the show starts, it's like that. Like he's just pretty vanilla. But then when you figure out what he really is, you're like, oh, my God, no one else can do this. He's just, he, he, he's, he's just remarkable. Also, the lead girl, Ella Purnell, she was also in Yellow Jackets in the first season. No spoilers. And she's really great. There's also some other people, Kyle McLaughlin and some other people that look familiar, such as Leslie Uggams. And it's just really compelling. And, and I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, but it is action packed. It's a lot of fun. It's scary, but it's also funny. And I love anything retro futuristic. I haven't seen Fantastic Four yet, but I love that retro futuristic kind of setting. So I recommend it. And they have season two coming back in a few months, which is always encouraging because I don't. It's really hard to watch season one of something now when you don't know the fate of it, but you know that it's coming back for season two. So I do recommend it. It's eight episodes, real quick watch. Beautifully shot, beautifully acted.

B (12:56)

Let me ask you this question, Jen. You didn't expect to like it? You didn't think this was something you were going to be into? What made you decide to watch it? Was this a boyfriend thing? Wanted to watch it, so you were going along for the ride or what was the impetus to you being like, yeah, let's check out Fallout.

A (13:12)

It was. It was. My boyfriend wanted to watch it and I agreed to watch Last of Us and wound up loving that. So I was like, well, I might as well give this a chance. And I. The first episode, I wasn't like, I don't know about this, but we really got into it and it's so completely different than Last of Us. It just goes in a way different direction and the, the effects and the characters and it's just really enjoyable. It's just really original.

B (13:46)

All right, good. That is Fallout. So I am also going to do a TV show. This is a TV show that we have talked about in the past. In fact, you talked about season one. I am very late at getting to season two. But I finally did watch all of season two of the TV show Shrinking, and since we've talked about it before, I won't necessarily get into it. We've discussed it. I loved season one, and it's one of those shows where I didn't want to have it on in the background. So when season two came out in October of last year, went all the way through Christmas Eve, a new episode every week, I was like, I'm not watching it until I can sit down and dedicate time to do it. And that finally happened this summer. The show stars Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams, also features Michael Urie, Ted McGinley, Christoph Miller, and then two folks that I didn't know before this show. Luke Tenney and Lukita Maxwell has a wonderful smorgasbord of recurring characters, including stars like Lily Rabe, Wendy Malik. Neal Flynn is even bigger in season two. Of course, he was janitor on Scrubs. You also have Damon Wayans Jr showing up this year, and one of the shows co creators and writers, Brett Goldstein, becomes a recurring character in season two. No spoilers about any of that, but of course we know him from Ted Lasso as Roy Kent. And it's just very similar to Home of the American Circus, where like, yes, a few more things happen in Shrinking than in that book, but it's not like this huge, shocking twists type of show. It's just kind of a show where I love to hang out and spend time with these characters. And yes, it can be bumpy, yes, it can be complic, but it is genuinely and almost always just a lovely experience to spend time with them. And each season is 11 episodes. They can range from 30 to 40 minutes. So it does take a little bit of time to get through, which is why it, you know, took some time for me to make my way through. But I really, really love the show and could not recommend it any more than possible. Also, of course, guest stars like Kelly Bishop and Cobie Smulders. And season three is coming, which has some even more incredible people in there. So just love Shrinking on Apple tv. Worth the price of a subscription just on its own.

A (16:22)

It's a wonderful show that you turned me onto. Always like to remind everyone it's filmed in my neighborhood and one of the final scenes in the train tracks is right across the street from my house. So I, I just, I just turned my niece onto it too, because she's coming to visit and they're obsessed with it. It's just, it's it's like easy. Do you know what I mean? Like when you're just watching TV show, it's just so easy to love it. Like you love it from scene one. I just can't get enough of that. That whole crew. The Bill Lawrence crew.

B (16:59)

Yeah, the Bill Lawrence ensemble. Bill Lawrence, who is one of the co creators of the show, he co created it with Jason Segel and Brett Goldstein. Bill Lawrence has been involved with some of the best traditional comedies on TV ever. I mentioned Scrubs, which he was the co creator of. That's where he met his wife Krista Miller, who was a cast member in the show. But he's also done like some single cam and multicam shows like Cougar Town, Spin City and then he was involved with the creation of Ted Lasso. And so it's just like as far as I'm concerned, if he's going to have a comedy on tv, I'm going to check it out. And this one does not disappoint at all.

A (17:40)

Also, Neil Flynn was my neighbor for a few years.

B (17:43)

Oh, really?

A (17:44)

Yeah. Lovely guy.

B (17:46)

Yeah, There you go. And Krista Miller and Bill Lawrence's daughter Charlotte Lawrence is also an actor. We her in the TV show Bad Monkey, which I think we talked about as well. Also created by, by Bill Lawrence as one of the people who created it. So anyway. All right, so what's up next for you, Jen?

A (18:11)

The last I was going to talk about is a movie called Sinners. Have you seen this?

B (18:17)

Yes, I talked about it two months ago.

A (18:19)

You did? Oh, okay. I like keep.

B (18:23)

That's all right, talk about it.

A (18:24)

I keep a list because I don't want to repeat things and then I don't look at it.

B (18:28)

That's right. You're literally in the doc right now.

A (18:31)

So I'm catching up to, you know, pop culture. I had no idea what this movie was about. So either I tune you out really well, which is possible, or my memory is getting so bad that I didn't remember anything. I didn't know that Michael B. Jordan played twins. I didn't know the subject matter, which I'm, you know, I don't know if I want to say exactly what it is, but what you do now I feel bad because I don't. I don't know if you talked about this, but.

B (19:12)

No, no, talk about it. Go ahead.

A (19:14)

I didn't realize how musical it would be and music is the huge part of this and there's a scene in there that I felt like I was almost high watching. I wasn't yeah, but it's so mesmerizing. And if you read it on paper, you would be like, that's never gonna work. But it works and it's beautiful. And I don't understand how Ryan Coogler gets these shots and these moments and these circumstances where I feel like in different hands would be so cheesy and not well done. But it was mesmerizing. And I'm sorry, I forgot you talked about it, but it was just so overwhelmingly good. Like, do you ever watch something when it's over, you're almost mad that it's that good? And, you know, hype tends to ruin things sometimes, but it. I feel like I was undersold on.

B (20:24)

This almost, despite everybody talking about how amazing it is.

A (20:28)

Yeah. I think I kind of tune out the noise now because I'm just so tired of the hype. But it was so good.

B (20:36)

And what I love about this movie that I think I appreciate more than I did even when I saw it is that scene that you mention is not only just a beautiful, well shot scene, it is also, like, integral. It is what is the catalyst for the forward motion of the rest of the film, but it was also communicated to you in kind of a prologue at the very beginning of the movie. Like they told you or at least prepared you for this to happen. And it was so elegantly done that you're like, oh, right, Ryan Coogler is that guy. Like, he is one of the best filmmakers in the world, and yet he is playing with genres in ways that no one else at his level is. I mean, maybe Jordan Peele, but I think that Jordan Peele mostly sticks to, like, one genre where Ryan Coogler kind of bounces. We've seen him do this, which is. Spoiler alert. It's a vampire movie. We've seen him do the traditional boxing Rocky movie. We've seen him do this superhero movie with Black Panther. He just seemed to excel and thrive and elevate everything that he does across all genres. So, yeah, to me, Centers is the best movie I've seen all year, and I haven't seen a ton of movies, but it is definitely at the top for me heading into the second half of 2025.

A (22:10)

Yes. So my whole point of that was to echo Matt's sentiments from his eloquent.

B (22:16)

Recapping of it in May, which you did not remember.

A (22:20)

I 100% remember that happening.

B (22:22)

Yep. Okay, good. Okay. All right, fine. All right. So I'm glad we got to talk about that again, because I have continued to think about sinners since I saw it in May. But. All right, so I'm going to. I've talked about cruising before, but I'm going to talk about it a little bit more this time because I. I'm in the middle. Smack dab in the middle of. I don't want to call it an experiment, but it's been an interesting journey. So we are finishing up on. We're recording this. Spoiler alert. Pulling the curtain back a little bit on Wednesday, July 30th, I have gone on four straight cruise weekends the weekend of July 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th. I will be on four cruises in the month of August. One this weekend starting on August 1st, one on the 8th, and then I'm going on one starting on a Saturday with my brother on August 16th. That's actually what they're calling a showcase cruise for the new Star of the Seas, which is actually launching at the end of August. I got invited to go on one of their. It's like it's in previews, so I'm getting to do that. And then I'm going on one on August 22nd. And I've talked about cruising, how much I enjoy it, how much I love it. I love the shows and the entertainment and the beaches and the water and all of the relaxing and stuff. What I want to talk about this is like, I have really had an opportunity to take these four weeks and not consciously, but kind of subconsciously use this time to really sit with myself. When I go on cruises, I don't generally interact with a bunch of people unless they are somebody who is paid to interact with me. Like, I'm not somebody who goes and meets people and talks to people and becomes friends with people. You know, if I'm at a poker table or something and I talk with somebody, great. If I'm sitting next to somebody at a show, I'll talk to them. Wonderful. A lot of people like to talk in the dining room on cruises. I'm happy to do that, but that's not what I'm doing going for. So I had an opportunity to just kind of sit and think and go through a lot of things. And it really was a lovely experience. And what made it even more interesting and lovely is that the third weekend in July, I ended up on a cruise with somebody I went to high school with who I have not seen in 26 years. She and I are Facebook friends, but we were never super close in high school, mainly because she's a year older than me. I transferred in a quarter into My junior year, so a quarter into her senior year. So we didn't grow up together by any means, but we did theater together. She was Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. Her senior year I was Harry the Horse. So like we were in the show together. And then that summer, me, two of my guy friends, her and another one of our girlfriends, like we spent a lot of time that summer after she graduated together, but kept in touch a little bit, but not super close. Anyway, long story short, I've had the weekends of like being by myself and kind of just sitting with the relaxation and reading and thinking and doing what you do when you're by yourself and not, you know, talking with bunch of people. Then I've had the opportunity to spend about half of that cruise, she was on it with a, with a friend of hers. They were getting away from their respective children. But I spent like, you know, a day and a half with her on that cruise, her and her friend Lee. And it was great. It was wonderful to just have that opportunity to one be with somebody that you have known for a quarter century, but then also to meet a new friend. So I don't know where I'm going with this, Jen, but just like these experiences that I've had the last four weeks and hopefully we'll have in the next, in the next four weeks have really just kind of been a balm for me in a lot of ways. Reminded me that like while I do tend to air towards not isolation because I'm around people all the time, I hang out with friends, I go to the gym, I see my family, but like I do prefer just kind of being alone, sitting on my couch and not being with a ton of people. It did remind me that relationships are important to maintain. And I got that because I decided to go on two months straight of cruises because I could. And so I've taken a lot from this experience over the last two months or over the last month and I feel like I need to write about it, but I don't know exactly what that will be or if I actually will or what I will actually say. But like, I feel like some of the personal evolutions that I've gone through over this past month have been really important and really striking. So my recommendation, go on a cruise by yourself, go on a cruise with friends, whatever, go on a vacation by yourself, go on a vacation with friends, do whatever. But don't keep yourself to just one of those things. Explore all aspects of your, of yourself, of your personality, of your social barometer and be open to Things that might be different than what you expect them to be. So long, rambling way to say that I enjoy cruises, whether they're by myself or with people that I know well.

A (27:28)

I would say that was a mental health journey.

B (27:31)

Yeah. Yeah. It wasn't like purposely. I just like being on the beach and in the water. And then it ended up just being kind of a really nice cathartic, in a way, thing to do. It also helped that I was reading Home of the American Circus. I finished Home of the American Circus on the cruise on the Friday. And then I saw Tamara and her friend Lee that next day. So, you know, just kind of lots of emotions swirling in a lot of different ways.

A (28:00)

That's good for you.

B (28:01)

Yeah, absolutely. All right, Jen, those were our July picks. What are you looking forward to in August?

A (28:10)

Well, TV Wednesday and Peacemaker Season 2 are coming back. That's two different shows, not Wednesday and Peacemaker, but that's an idea.

B (28:21)

That would be a very interesting show.

A (28:24)

I am cautiously optimistic about the Naked Gun. I've seen some really good reviews. Okay.

B (28:30)

What? Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson are dating now?

A (28:34)

I guess so. I guess so.

B (28:37)

Wild.

A (28:38)

So. And then I'm. I'm doing a mat and I'm going to some theater which.

B (28:44)

Yeah.

A (28:44)

What are you seeing shows in August, Some Like It Hot. I'm seeing Shucked. And this weekend I'm seeing Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood bowl starring Cynthia Erivo and Adam Lambert. But not. But not Josh Gad.

B (29:01)

Oh, no. Did he drop out?

A (29:03)

He got Covid.

B (29:04)

Oh, I didn't know that.

A (29:06)

Yeah, he just pulled out today, so.

B (29:08)

Oh, that's awful.

A (29:10)

But another podcast that I follow, Ellen and Joey. Joey's in it. Joey Toronto's in it.

B (29:17)

Yes, yes.

A (29:18)

And was approached about being Herod. So we're keeping good thoughts for Joey and we'll see. I'll have to report back.

B (29:27)

Yeah, hopefully that is something that you are able to talk about on next month's show because that would be fantastic.

A (29:33)

So we're very excited about that.

B (29:36)

Yeah, you mentioned. One of the things that I was going to. Was going to mention Peacemaker. I loved Peacemaker season one. I did not expect to, but I thought it was absolutely delightfully silly. And I cannot wait to see their opening credits song. So I cannot wait to see that there's another TV miniseries type thing that it's not like a drama. It's songs and stories with Kelly Clarkson. I think it's going to be like three episodes starting in mid August where she. I think she just like it's like a Kellyoke thing and tells stories. I don't know what it's gonna be, but I love anything Kelly Clarkson does, especially when she is singing. And then at the end of the month is the beginning of the college football season. Ohio State and Texas will kick off the season on August 30th. It's also my mother's 65th birthday, so we are looking forward to celebrating a lot of things at the end of this month with my mom, but also the beginning of Ohio State's national title defense. So college football peacemaker Kelly Clarkson, what more could you want?

A (30:44)

I'm also going on a trip to Seattle and doing a fun pop culture thing. I am doing a Twin Peaks road trip.

B (30:52)

Oh, of course you are.

A (30:53)

Twin Peaks is my favorite TV show of all time. And we are going to go see some of the filming locations because I'm a dork.

B (31:01)

No. That's awesome. Very, very cool. Because when you were. When you were in New York, did you go to the Arconia?

A (31:08)

We did. We went to the Arconia and we went to. Oh, the friends building in the Village.

B (31:15)

Oh, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. Okay.

A (31:16)

The Arconia was all under construction, so it was covered in the scaffolding.

B (31:21)

Oh, that stinks. Yeah, that's coming up, too. That's in September. The next season of.

A (31:26)

Yeah, that's on my list for next month. Yeah.

B (31:34)

All right, everybody. That's all that we have for this month's episode of Some Like It Pop. Make sure that you reach out to us on social media, audreyradio or at patreon broadwayradio.com and tell us all the things that you loved in July and or are looking forward to in August. We appreciate you following along with everything we do here at Broadway Radio via Patreon. We could not do it without you. Have a wonderful month, and we'll be back to talk to you in September.

A (32:00)

Sa.