What We're Reading, Listening to, and Watching This Week (8/16/2026)
Linda-Marie Barrett / Executive Director:
Reading: Just finished Two Thousand Hours of Us by Gayle Forman, coming out in March 2027. Very compelling, engaging, and often poignant story of two people and their circle of friends at pivotal moments in their young lives. Serious themes of domestic abuse, mental illness, and homelessness intersect with the sweetness of first love and finding community in a progressive health food store.
Listening: Enjoying blessed quiet interrupted occasionally by lawn equipment or a neighbor shouting, “Bears up ahead!” We’re also experiencing very loud thunderstorms at the end of very hot days. Such is Hotumn in western North Carolina.
Watching: A friend turned us onto Best Medicine, an American version of Doc Martin. It’s impossible to live up to the perfection of Doc Martin, but as the series progresses, it’s getting there. I really love a good-hearted (once you dig deep), funny curmudgeon.
Candice Huber / Membership:
Reading: I grabbed Time to Play by Erin Ampersand at NVNR, and I'm loving it so far! It's so nice to see a mom and her kids as the main characters in an apocalypse story.
Watching: Still catching up on Big Brother and WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) after NVNR. They're like soap operas with tons of episodes!
Update from Summer Camp: Of course, being at NVNR meant some changes to summer camp, but I was able to explore Baltimore a little with a field trip or two. I also worked on some crochet and cross stitch projects, and I finally earned my illusive "Social Butterfly" badge for talking to so many of you!
Nicki Leone / Communications:
Reading: I brought my brother to my local bookstore and we both came out with an armload of books. They had to give us a box instead of a bag. First up for me is An Arrow in Flight by Mary Lavin, an Irish American writer I should have heard of.
Listening: Wild Seed by Octavia Butler, Gaining Ground by Joan Barfoot.
Watching: Visit with said brother, who is a journalist, always ends up with long talks about books and movies. This time, about movies about reporters and journalism, which is why Spotlight (2015) is now queued up, and I'm looking for a way to watch Deadline - U.S.A (1952)
SP Rankin / Website Administrator:
Reading: Discovering books I forgot I had as I pack for my upcoming move to my new house. Listening: Sam Cooke and Etta James, who are suprisingly good packing companions. Watching: Items get checked off my moving to-do list, which is extremely gratifying.
Andrea Richardson / Sales:
Reading: Still on my true crime binge, I'm reading The Devil At his Elbow (about Alex Murdaugh) for book club.
Listening: I had a great Women of the 90s playlist going yesterday on the porch.
Watching: The current version of Cape Fear - I don't think I like it but I don't hate it and I want to talk about it. I think I'm going to have to re-watch the 90's version now.