The DCS Team Recommends...
What We're Reading This Summer:
John:
I’ve read a lot of books during COVID. I read the series on the forgotten Presidents (go ahead, ask me anything about Zach Taylor or Chester A. Arthur), a number of mystery novels by Lisa Gardner, Lincoln on the Verge, Blackbuck, all great reads. But my favorite read was Small-Time: A Story of My Family and the Mob by Russell Shorto. You have to be a native of Southwestern Pennsylvania to really enjoy this book, as it is a true story of the mob in Johnstown during the 60’s and 70’s when Johnstown was still thriving.
Jane:
I’ve read many books this summer (Erie has had sooo much rain!)
The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré is one I would highly recommend. It is a fictional account of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her “louding voice” and speak for herself. This book is a simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant novel about the power of fighting for your dreams.
Charlie:
While I certainly wouldn’t classify a novel about grief, recovery, and resilience in the face of tragedy as a “beach read,” I just finished What Comes After by JoAnne Tompkins. Set in a small town in the Pacific Northwest following the tragic deaths of two teenage boys, the novel shifts between perspectives to tell the story of a father coming to terms with the loss and how the hole the boys left behind gradually pulls others into its orbit. It’s hard to believe it’s a debut novel -- thoughtful and well written, if a little slow, Tompkins presents her flawed characters without judgment, and lets the reader work them (and the central mystery) out for themselves.
Anna:
Anyone looking for a laugh-out-loud funny read to cap off their summer should look no further than The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man. Ruddy McCann is a cynical protagonist with a once star reputation turned bad in the small town of Kalkaska, Michigan surrounded by an unending cast of weirdo neighbors. After waking up one day with the voice of Alan Lottner, a dead local realtor, in his head, Ruddy has to sort fact from crazy to help track down the voice’s murderers with only his lazy, but lovable pup, Jake, by his side. This story is a delightfully charming read you will not want to put down.
What We're Streaming This Summer:
John:
If you love a great mystery/thriller, this one to watch. The newest Israeli-American co-production for Netflix is a show called Hit & Run, which premiered on August 6, 2021, about a man named Segev Azulai (Lior Raz) whose wife Danielle (Kaelen Ohm) is killed in a hit and run accident in Tel Aviv. With a dark personal history, Segev suspects that there's more to the "accident" than meets the eye. Currently streaming on Netflix.
Charlie:
Reservation Dogs has my vote for best new show of the summer. Set in Okmulgee, Oklahoma (the capital of the Muscogee Nation), it’s a coming-of-age story following four wannabe petty criminals and their frequent run-ins with the law. In addition to featuring one of the largest Indigineous television casts and crew ever assembled, it’s also simply super funny, and sucks you in from the jump. New episodes on Mondays on Hulu.
Anna:
Although I wholeheartedly agree with Charlie’s Reservation Dogs recommendation, my can’t-miss show this summer is The Nevers. Set in Victorian England, the women-led cast find themselves with unexplained abilities leaving them to be society’s deeply hated outcasts. Many of the characters confront gender roles, sexuality, a classic hero complex, and much more all while remaining funny and intriguing enough to watch episode after episode. Currently streaming on HBO. Disclaimer: Probably not family friendly.
Cassie:
When I discovered the classic British sitcom Black Books was available to stream online, I was more than happy to kick back and watch the series again, for the third (or possibly fourth) time! Bernard Black is a comically ill-tempered owner of a used book store, even though he dislikes customers and becomes irritated when they attempt to buy a book. This offbeat comedy series ran from 2000-2004 and won multiple BAFTA awards. All three seasons are available to stream with a free IMDb TV account, or on Prime Video.
Donna:
Mare of Easttown is an HBO-Limited Series (although there is talk of a Season 2). The main character, Mare, is a gritty detective from Delaware County, PA, and Kate Winslet worked diligently to master that unique local accent. There is even a Saturday Night Live parody of the show called “Murder Durder” that is truly hysterical. Mare struggles to determine who killed a young woman in the area as well as solve a case related to the disappearance of several other young woman, all the while struggling with her own personal demons. It is a really good whodunit with a local spin. Currently streaming on HBO Max.
(2) An old-time show, Breaking Bad, is streaming on Netflix. Having been told for years that it was worth the watch, we finally broke down and binged every episode from the very start. The intricately intertwined plot is quite dark as Walt, a mild-mannered chemistry teacher, becomes enmeshed in and masterminds a wide-ranging criminal enterprise that expectedly has harsh ramifications for his family. Over the course of the show, you learn to love and hate Walt in a character narrative that epitomizes how criminal behavior can be learned when people are desperate enough. Currently streaming on Netflix.
(3) Better Call Saul is a spinoff of Breaking Bad also streaming on Netflix. It is a prequel to that storyline, and fills in a lot of gaps regarding character development. Jimmy McGill, who somehow becomes known as Saul, is a highly amusing but flawed human being who hits a lot of bumps along the road. We had watched the first few episodes of the show a while ago, but left it due to the slow and somewhat unconventional story arc. However, that was before we watched Breaking Bad and we have enjoyed it on the rebound. Currently streaming on Netflix.