End of Summer Recommendations

With the end of summer approaching, I wanted to give some recommendations for music, books, tv, etc.  that I have found to fill my time over the past few months -- that is, in between the never ending episodes of Bubble Guppies, and the billionth trip to the pool.  Here are a few things I found enjoyable this summer:

TV -- ...I don't know if Netflix is considered TV  but if you have a Netflix account and you haven't seen "Stranger Things," you are one of the few who has managed to be out of the loop.  Everyone is talking about this show.  It takes place in the 80s, so there's a lot of 80s references and nostalgia. It is a cross between "The Goonies" and a Stephen King novel.  A group of friends make it a mission to find their friend after he goes missing under mysterious and paranormal circumstances.  It has a horror/thriller element but nothing too scary.  There's a little bit of gore but only enough that it would bother you if you had a really weak stomach.  

The child actors in this show are amazing and Winona Ryder plays the mother of the child who goes missing and she plays it so well.

My boyfriend and I watched this together and we had a hard time turning it off every night to go to bed.  It's so good you'll want to binge it.

Book-- So my book may be controversial.  The "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" script book was released on July 31st at midnight.  I actually went to the midnight release party at our local Barnes and Noble and I was probably the oldest person there without kids (meaning the other grown ups were only there for their kids...) but it was exciting to celebrate a new Harry Potter book.  Except that Jo didn't actually write it and it is just the written form of a medium that's meant to be seen not read...but I did enjoy the book for what it was.  As a die hard Harry Potter fan, I did not have high expectations going into it, already knowing what the plot was and being spoiled on all the twists and turns. 

If you like HP I recommend you give it a try.  Just keep in mind that the characters may not seem like the same ones from the books.  Keep an open mind and just enjoy it for what it is. 

Music-- I just discovered this yesterday and the whole album just released today. My favorite instrument is the violin and I randomly googled violin music to find something new to listen to and stumbled across this.

Lindsey Stirling-Brave Enough

I knew Lindsey Stirling's name and had heard her music before.  I am in love with this album.  It's perfect for background noise while you work (I'm a writer and often have trouble concentrating with other types of music on).  Or it's great for blasting in the car, or jamming out to while you clean the house or play with the kids.  I've had it on repeat on my phone all day today while we ran errands and then did chores and things around the house.  

It has purely musical tracks but also tracks with lyrics by other musicians and they are all good.  I don't often buy music but I am glad I made the investment in this album.

Hopefully you'll find at least one of these recommendations helpful.  Feel free to comment with anything you've enjoyed watching, reading, or listening to this summer!