Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: August 2025

Alan:

Hello Heroes!

The dog days of summer. I like dogs. I like days. Why don’t I like August more?

What I’m reading!

• Ancillary Sword - by Ann Leckie. Hard sci-fi in a weird distant future universe populated primarily by humans, with sentient shipboard AIs. I read the first book in this series a few months ago and was intrigued. The story in this one was… not what I expected. The world is a grand space opera, and this book was a much smaller, almost procedural story on one outpost world. It was fun. But a weird way for our main character to spend her time.

• Project Hail Mary - by Andy Weir. I love this book. I’ve read it before but decided to listen to it on my roadtrip to Iowa for the shoot we did with Beck/Woods. And man. What a great book! I’m confident the movie will be great too, though I will no doubt be sad about all the stuff they’ll inevitably have to cut out to make their runtime.

• The Way of Kings - by Brandon Sanderson. I read this when it first came out. But I’m back. I only read the first two books, then decided to wait until the whole series was done to actually read them. Too long waiting between books to keep up with it. I like these books, though not as much as most other Brando Sando stuff. Feels bloated to me. But I still really like it! 

What I’m watching!

• I honestly don’t remember anything I’ve watched this month that wasn’t for the show. I’m so so so tired. (Just got back from driving 40+ hours in 5 days. I’ll be fine once I sleep another 2 nights.)

What I’m playing!

• Sail Forth. It’s a delightful little indie game. I’m sailing around occasionally fighting pirates. I have no idea how to progress in the game, and I kinda don’t care.

Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)

Jono:

Hi everyone! August has flown by with a cross-country move, my kids starting school in a new state, a Cinema Therapy shoot, a Mended Light shoot, and a trip to Davenport for a CT event at The Last Picture House. With all of this going on, I've not had much spare free time for movies, TV, or reading!

BUT I did see The Naked Gun and a sing-along-screening of K-Pop Demon Hunters. The former was very dumb but got me laughing a lot. The latter is hilarious, inspiring, and full of catchy tunes (yes, an episode is on the way). 

As for books, I just started The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley. I look forward to learning more about this central figure of the Civil Rights Movement. Maybe I'll pair it with the Denzel/Spike Lee movie. 

What have you been watching/reading?