Wow were these 2 great months for media. Let’s get right into it!!

PODCASTS

I have tried podcasts; really just Crime Junkie, Dark Downeast, etc., and I enjoy true crime media as much as the next person, but I was searching for something a little lighter. While something lighter didn’t appear, naturally, I stumbled upon Horror Sandbox hosted by Charlie and Eleanor. Listen as they “dig” into horror movies and see what they can find. Complete with their “Rusty Shovel” award for each movie, a breakdown of the entire film, and then a deep dive into the symbolism, and little known facts and history of each movie. This has been a great podcast to enjoy during my daily cemetery walks. 

Being a horror lover, this has become a weekly listen for me and in turn introduced me to a handful of indie horror films I’d never heard of. Their research into each films symbolism, director’s inspiration, and more, have made me watch horror movies through a different lens. One of my all-time favorite horror movies is Hereditary (2018) directed by Ari Aster. They have an amazing episode digging through all of the symbolism and even the history of the demon, King Paimon, who is weaved within this movie. It’s truly very interesting and I highly recommend rewatching the movie after you’ve listened to this episode. 

They tend to keep things lighthearted and I enjoy a podcast that has a bit of banter and personal updates/stories. So if you’re a horror fan like me, I highly recommend this podcast. They just did an episode on Obsession and I am dying to listen.

BOOKS

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

This was my second read by Grady Hendrix and it did not disappoint. I read this in early July when Summerween was in full swing and this was the perfect summerween read. Because of Stranger Things (specifically season 3) I associate 80s with summer and horror. 

The girls friendship dynamics, the order in which the story was told and the ending were all so perfectly done. Once I got about 25-50 pages into this book I couldn’t put it down. And admittedly I did tear up a tiny bit at the ending. 

I gave this book 5/5 stars. 

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

I heard of this book from Katie is Reading on YouTube. My older sister was visiting and we were watching her summerween vlog and decided that we’d read this book at the same time, as a buddy read! 🙂 

This book had me hooked from the start, the pacing was great and I needed to find out what was going to happen so I truly couldn’t put this down until I found out. I think I read it in less than 48 hours. While I did like the main character, I was kind of annoyed with how she was handling this family that pretty much just took over her home. This book did get quite creepy, which is JUST how I like it but be warned if you’re scared easily. 

I gave this book 5/5 stars. 

Club Dead (Sookie Stackhouse Series Book #3) by Charlaine Harris

I recently started reading the True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse Series in June of this year and got hooked. These books are so easy and fast to read. I’ve been sprinkling them in between other reads, like a treat. 

Book #3 was my favorite of the series so far. The fact that all the books have a different mystery that is being solved is great because it really breaks up the ongoing storyline between the characters and is a great way for the author to add in new characters. I am itching to read book #4. Also I love Eric. 

I gave this specific book in the series 5 stars. 

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

My final book was Anne of Green Gables. This is the first classic I’ve read in a really long time. This took me a little bit to get into but once I sat down and read more and more I found myself wanting to go back and see what else Anne was getting up to. 

I love Anne and the way she is so dramatic about everything whether it’s negative or positive. Her monologue’s are truly something and I found myself giggling at her a lot through out this book. Not only do I love Anne but I also really enjoy the trope of the stern, stubborn person that is really showing distaste for the positive, bubbly person. But deep down they know they love this person and the reader does too. And of course, eventually they confess this to this person and the reader always knows it’s coming. But I eat it up every time. 

I gave this book 4 stars. 

CONCERTS

Djo @ Thompson’s Point, Portland, ME

Djo, if you are not aware, is Joseph Keery. You probably know him as Steve Harrington from stranger things or, if you’re cool, you may already know who Djo is because of his viral hit, “End of Beginning”. 

I found Djo in 2023, while at one of the worst jobs of my life. Commuting 2 hours total everyday to the office, dealing with angry patients, insanely packed schedules, and the face that we were all extremely overworked and underpaid. Sadly, I know a lot of people have experienced this or are currently experiencing it. It does get better, I promise. Once you leave that job. 🙂  

During this time, while commuting, I’d listen to music the entire ride to the office and back and it was really the only time of the day that I felt I was able to release any emotion, with no judgement. I was alone and music became my therapy. I discovered Djo’s 2019 album, Decide, and the first song that spoke to me was “On and On”. If you haven’t listened to that song or at least read the lyrics, it is so prevalent in our world today. After listening to that song on loop, I decided (haha) to listen to the rest of the album. That album then became the soundtrack to my life for months, and really years now. I go back to that album every month and hold it so near and dear to my heart. 

Anyways….my husband and I first saw Djo in 2025 with Post Animal (who will be mentioned later and Joe Keery is ALSO a member of), and then I was lucky enough to see him again this year. My sister and I saw him on his 2026 Summer Tour at Thompson’s Point in Portland, ME. This show was RAINYYYYYY. It rained during the entire opening set, a band from Australia called Pond. They were amazing and I really enjoyed their set despite the rain. Once Djo came out, it was legit pouring. He opened the show with a dark, grimey, techno version of his Nirvana-esque song “Awake”. Needless to say, the pouring rain, mixed with this reimagined version of the song, it was kind of amazing. 

By some miracle, the entire rest of the show after the second song, all rain stopped. It was forecasted to rain the entire night. I told my sister it stopped because of Djo. Hehe. But for real; the rain started again as we were walking back to our car after the show. So……..yeah, the rain stopped for Djo. And another perfect Djo show is in the books.

Tame Impala @ TD Garden, Boston, MA

7 days later. My husband and I ventured into Boston and saw Tame Impala’s Deadbeat Tour. We were Boston N1. In case you didn’t know; Djo was the opener for the first half of Tame Impala’s tour. So I saw Djo twice within the span of a week. Which is just so special to me. 

We had never seen Tame Impala before. I have been a casual fan of his since 2016 or so. This was one of my favorite shows I’ve ever been to. To start things off, Kevin is amazing live, his voice sounds as clear as his recorded songs and he just has a special kind of stage presence. Second, THE LIGHTS. Oh my god. I can’t recall ever going to a concert with lasers, and lighting effects like there were here. It really made the show so much more elevated and I think if you’re not even a huge fan of his, you would still enjoy the show just for the imagery. 

Since we were Boston N1, and for the record I called this and said to my husband like days before the concert that this would happen, we had a Djo appearance during Tame’s set. Haha!! So Joe acts in one of Tame Impala’s music videos, “Loser”. Joe came out in his outfit that he’s in in that video, grabbed a cigarette off the stage floor, lit it and just stumbled around on stage, playing his character. Joe is a New England native, and is from Newburyport, MA, so I knew that something special would happen on one of the Boston nights. I think it was fate that it was night 1 cause it didn’t happen again. ❤ 

To recap, Tame Impala puts on a great show, the lights are amazing, and Boston N1 won. 

MUSIC

Please follow my Apple Music!! I make a playlist at the beginning of every month, I’d love to have more friends on there to see who/what you’re listening to. 

Here’s the link to my August Playlist: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/august-2026/pl.u-9N9LabWuaLyRBb

September is here and I’m excited to find some more goodies in the media world. Until next time!

Sincerely, 
Kruxlee