Gardening in space, galaxy lights, & the return of pumpkin spice: the August wrap up!
Welcome to the monthly wrap-up of Stacks & Spoons, where I share the books, shows, and headlines I consumed this month, plus snapshots from my daily life. If you enjoy it, make sure to subscribe here.
It’s the last day of August.
I’m drinking an iced pumpkin spice latte.
My window is open and a cool breeze is flowing through.
Fall is coming, friends. I’m buzzing with joy about it (or maybe that’s the sugar and caffeine).
There are astronauts stuck in space. I mean, if I saw what was going on down here, I’d be like, “Oh, Houston? We’ve got a problem. We’re gonna have to stay up here until you sort your shit out down there on Earth.” Then I’d pull out a book and float.
Turns out that’s not too far from what Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore are actually doing up there. Their research is largely focused on trying to grow plants in space, and in their spare time, they’re reading, and doing some photography.
Now and then I think about Beatriz Flamini, who lived in a cave for 500 days and spent her time reading. Icon. But a new bombshell has entered the villa, and her name is Suni Williams. The next 6 months of her life will be dedicated to space gardening, reading, and taking photos of stars. (She’s also the first person to run a marathon in space and a former record holder for most spacewalks by a woman).
Speaking of space, this month I finally got myself a galaxy light! I’ve wanted one ever since I saw Raquel/Rachel on Vanderpump Rules using hers (don’t judge me). TikTok convinced me it would help my anxiety and calm my neurodivergent brain, and honestly, TikTok was right about this one. Watching colorful lights float over my ceiling was so soothing – until the Bluetooth connected to my neighbour’s phone and the sound of men laughing came through the speakers, waking me up in the middle of the night.
According to Reddit, this is a common problem with galaxy lights; they connect to random Bluetooth devices willy-nilly, and suddenly your relaxing light show turns into a terrifying moment of thinking there are men in your apartment.
I figured out how to fix it, though. I just need to connect the light to my phone as soon as I turn it on. Lol. It’s fine. Still worth it. Still love it. Still recommend.
It’s been another slow reading month for me. Deadlines, pain flares, fatigue, blah, blah, blah. But my mum and I picked a new buddy read, and I’ve been making my way through it.
Doing buddy reads with my mum is a fun way to hang out even though we’re oceans away from each other. We love thrillers, and with the new Nicole Kidman limited series, The Perfect Couple, dropping on Netflix next week, we chose the book it’s based on, by Elin Hilderbrand.
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
I love a murder mystery set in a beach town where all the suspects are rich jerks.
Opacities: On Writing and the Writing Life by Sofia Samatar (Thank you to Soft Skull Press for sending me a copy!)
A short read comprised of letters, notes, and questions on writing. I love reading books about writing, but what I liked about Opacities is how it goes beyond the writing process and contemplates the issues in publishing – especially for Black women authors.
What I lacked in reading time this month, I made up for in screen time. Heat fatigue and pain flares kept me on the couch under ice packs, so I watched movie after movie after movie. Most were new to me, some I’d seen before and I just put on for background noise while editing, scrolling, or napping.
MOVIES
Love Lies Bleeding (it took me wayyyyyy too long to watch this but it was worth the wait. So gay. So messy. So cool.)
Long Shot
Set It Up
Ricky Stanicky
The Out-Laws
Brittany Runs A Marathon
Me Time
The Man From Toronto
Players
Rewatches: Twister, True Lies, Murder Mystery 1 & 2, Wayne’s World, Mission Impossible franchise.
TV
Kevin Can F#ck Himself (holy moly wow wow wow!)
The Truman Show is a favourite movie of mine, one that has become more relevant over time as we’ve migrated onto social media and the internet. This episode delves into the film's deeper themes, its commentary on fascism, surveillance states, capitalism, and even religious allegories.
Guess remix by Charli xcx featuring Billie Eilish.
Chappell Roan. Endlessly. Obviously.
How trans autistic people are using joy as political resistance
These are the drag artists and organizers fighting to make queer spaces more COVID safe
2024 Paralympics: How Young Disabled Athletes Navigate Sports and Activism
