Oh, sweet summer, how I adore thee! During this first true month of summer, I’ve already enjoyed so many wonderful books, shows, and musical pieces! Check it out below:
I Read…
DAISY JONES & THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid!
The novel explores the rise and fall of a fictional 1970s rock band. It’s written in an unconventional format, presented as a transcript of interviews with the band members, their friends and family, and other people who were involved with the band.
The characters are incredibly well-developed, with each member of the band having their own distinct voice. Especially the women in this book—Daisy, Karen, and Camila—are awfully well-written, expressing solid messages about female empowerment, and causing surprising (but brilliant) twists and turns to the story.
The relationships between all the characters are complex, heartwarming, and heartbreaking. They will haunt me for a long time—as will the book’s life lessons: take no one’s shit, create your own path (even if it does not follow societal norms), support each other, and demand credit where it’s due.
I Watched…
The final season of Netflix’s NEVER HAVE I EVER!
It’s the start of senior year at Sherman Oaks High School, so Devi and her best friends Eleanor and Fabiola are getting ready to apply to universities. Much of the season underscores the anxiety that comes with preparing for their futures—and the show does so with its usual blend of humor, sentimentality, and a good dose of familiar teenage angst.
Even though this season didn’t quite live up to the previous ones (for me, at least), these last episodes were filled with satisfying, bittersweet, and endearing character growth. All in all, the perfect ending to Devi’s story!
I Listened to…
ORPHÉE AUX ENFERS performed by Opera Zuid!
In this opera, Offenbach gives the classical myth a twist: Eurydice hates Orfeo’s music, rejects her bourgeois life and travels to the underworld with her lover Pluto. The gods, bored with their rich and powerful lives, decide to follow Eurydice. Their appearance in the underworld eventually leads to an extravagant, cheerful and liberating party.
The opera is a fun parody of antiquity and the Greek tragedy art form, while showing the age-old conflict between hell and paradise. The music is vulnerable but extremely extravagant and fun. The production is maniacally absurd and wonderfully romantic, with imaginative stagecraft and references to modern times that had me laughing out loud throughout the night—especially the drag queen personification of the “Public Opinion” was a baller!