Unexpected Book, TV and Movie Delights of the summer of ���15

Labor Day. Unofficial End to Summer. But summer of 2015 had
a few unexpected delights���
Books��� Re-read Are You There God, It���s Me, Margaret. How ahead
of the time was Judy Blume ? unexpectedly fresh and relevant, especially since I have a ten-year-old daughter!
Television series��� Humans on AMC��� Synths, a.k.a. synthetic robots, more humane than humans���and complete with
British accents. This BBC drama is a futuristic take on the
���Upstairs/Downstairs��� life with lots of plot turns and heart. Plus, I've read that it's already renewed for a second season.

The Strain on FX��� The second season of New York City under
siege from pulp fiction-inspired, Nazi-backing, vampire-infected creatures took the idea
that NYC could be a dangerous place to bring up kids to new levels. A fabulous multi-racial
cast, inspired by novels of the same name, make this well-written series worth watching. Plus, I've heard: expect more of THE STRAIN next summer! 
Movies��� Jurassic World ���Saw this with my kids and found, unexpectedly, it was lot
of fun for me too Made me think again: how cool would a real Jurassic Park be?

  
Mr. Holmes ���I went for the cast���Ian McKellen as the aging Sherlock Holmes, and one of my all-time favorite actresses, Laura Linney as his housekeeper.
What I didn���t expect is how much this would be a movie about the process of writing. If you are a
writer, go immediately to see.   

  
I Believe in Unicorns ���I streamed this absolute delight of
an indie film about first love on Amazon���and now I believe in
unicorns. If you liked "Fault in Our Stars," I suggest you watch I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS. It's now streaming to a television or computer near you!   

 

  



So here we are at another Labor Day, which has a special
meaning to me. The setting of my new young adult novel, BEFORE MY EYES ,is Labor Day weekend on Long Island,
New York. If you haven���t read BEFORE MY EYES yet, I urge you to do so this
Labor Day. I find there���s something unexpectedly metaphysically rewarding about
reading books at the moment, or in the place, that they are set.
Onward to autumn!
Caroline