Happy July. And 4th! We had a nice Canada Day on Saturday and mostly have been enjoying dog walks, bike rides, a lot of yard work, and a couple evenings out over the long weekend. Yay, good times. We streamed a couple of movies, such as the Canadian film BlackBerry, which is pretty good, and reminded me of those days with the old thumb-dominated mobile phones. Truth be told I was using a flip phone back then and never got a BlackBerry, so I guess I wasn’t that hip to it. And we also watched the movie adaptation of Judy Blume’s novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, which was cute. The young actress does a good job as the inquisitive, coming-of-age Margaret, who’s going through awkward times as a young teen. My husband made it through the movie (thanks to the help of Rachel McAdams as the Mom) and says he gets to pick the movies next, LoL. Have you seen either of these films?
And now for July releases, there’s new novels by such notable authors at Richard Russo, Colson Whitehead, and Laura Lippman among others. I’ve picked a few below in addition that I hope will be good. First off, the debut novel Kala (due July 25) by Irish author Colin Walsh looks like a doozy about three estranged friends who get together for the first time in years and reckon with scary events from the summer of 2003 that shaped their lives, notably in regards to their friend Kala who went missing.
Kirkus says it’s part coming-of-age tale and part brutal Irish noir, and it looks to be a compelling story of love and lost youth that author Smith Henderson says is “at once tender and absolutely gutting.” It could be just the thing to throw into the beach bag.
Next up is the new novel from Silvia Moreno-Garcia called Silver Nitrate (due out July 18), which fellow reader friend Carmen has read and gave a big thumbs up to. It’s about two childhood friends in Mexico, fans of horror films who come to meet a famous director who wants their help to shoot a missing scene of a mysterious film from years past. If he can finish it, the curse surrounding it will be lifted. But then spooky stuff starts to happen to the two friends. Uh-oh.
This one sounds like a roller coaster thrill ride into the world of moviemaking and the occult. And who better than author Silvia Moreno-Garcia to write it. I liked her last novel The Daughter of Dr. Moreau and this one might be even better.
Last up is the memoir Owner of a Lonely Heart (due out July 4) by Beth Nguyen, which reflects on the author’s relationship with her mother who stayed behind in Saigon when others in her family fled to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam War. She didn’t meet her again till she was 19.
Kirkus says it’s a “quietly moving memoir that grapples with what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a refugee, an American.” It’s been called ruminative and searching and one I’d like to read since I enjoyed the author’s 2014 novel Pioneer Girl, which also had to do with a girl’s immigrant roots and self-discovery. Beth Nguyen is likely a writer not to be missed.
As for what to watch this month, the big summer movies are coming soon. I’m gearing up for the new Christopher Nolan epic film Oppenheimer (due out July 21) based on the life of physicist J.Robert Oppenheimer who developed the first nuclear weapons, which were then dropped on Japan in 1945. The film is set during WWII and stars Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer and features a large star-studded cast: including Gary Oldman, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh among others.
Although the movie is about the man and the making of the bomb, I expect the film will have a big anti-war message. Oppenheimer was said to be a complex man in dangerous times who later worked for the nonproliferation of such weapons. And as Christopher Nolan has said: “I think of any character I’ve dealt with, Oppenheimer is by far the most ambiguous and paradoxical. Which, given that I’ve made three Batman films, is saying a lot.” Still the movie re-creates various explosions at the testing sites and the subject matter is dark and intense and includes a 3-hour run time. The filmmaker opted to forgo computer-generated graphics for the test explosions, and the film had a budget of $100 million. Whoa.
So after that, you might need to see Greta Gerwig’s big fantasy comedy Barbie (due out July 21 as well), which looks to be the complete opposite in tone. It features Margot Robbie as the live-action doll Barbie (your favorite play toy from the 1970s, LoL) and Ryan Gosling as Ken her sidekick. It’s about what happens when they get expelled from Barbie Land and go on a journey to the real world. Uh-oh that could spell trouble.
The movie looks pretty fun and clever and if you wanted a Ken doll I guess Ryan Gosling would be as good as any, right? Though I don’t recall Ken being blonde in the 1970s, hmm. The film apparently also had a budget of $100 million but won’t make you sit forever at 1 hour 54 minutes long. Some key scenes were filmed at the Venice Beach skate park in California, so enjoy this lighter goofier movie.
Last up, is a light comedy movie shot in Dublin called The Miracle Club (due out July 14) starring Laura Linney, Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates among others. It’s set in 1960 about a a group of working-class women from Dublin whose pilgrimage to Lourdes in France leads them to discover each other’s friendship and their own “personal miracles.” It seems like a small little movie, but these are three wonderful actresses, so I will likely see it for a few laughs.
As for new music in July, there’s not a lot of new releases. Artists are on the road, playing their previously released tunes. But country singer Lori McKenna has a new album called 1988 due out July 21, and there’s an album due out July 28 of Joni Mitchell’s live performance at the Newport Folk Festival in July 2022 after her comeback from a brain aneurysm in 2015. Wow talk about an emotional show! She followed it up with another great show at the Gorge on June 10 this year with Brandi Carlile and other stars. Enjoy the clip from that here.
That’s all for now. What about you — which July releases are you looking forward to? Happy reading and month to you.
Thanks for the shutout, Susan. Silvia Moreno-Garcia keeps getting better and better. I plan to watch Oppenheimer and Barbie when they make it to rentals on demand, but it’s been a few years now that I’ve been avoiding terribly long movies like plague; The Irishman, RRR, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, and Elvis come to mind. To be honest, this year I haven’t been watching movies at all; I’m mostly concentrating on reading (that’s why I’m on a reading roll of sorts) and watching TV series, but Barbie and Oppenheimer are too big events to ignore. How is your summer reading going? I read All the Sinners Bleed, and boy was that good?! I highly recommend it.
Hey Carmen. It’s good to hear you’re focused on reading and are on a roll still. You help my reading & blogging here just hearing about your thoughts on what you’ve read. My summer reading is a bit slow at the moment — on the third book on my summer list, which is The Postcard. I think our new farmhouse & yard are keeping me busy but I need to get back with the reading more. Glad to hear you liked the new S.A. Cosby book. I liked his two others so will likely read it too. I’ll add it. He can write fight scenes & car chases like no other, lol. And I agree about the long movies, I have trouble with those & usually break them up into two nights on rental. But we will likely watch Oppenheimer in the theater. Hmm. Enjoy your week.
I meant shoutout, btw. 🙂 I’m eagerly awaiting your thoughts on The Postcard. S.A. Cosby’s is veeery dark, intense, and dirt-under-your-fingernails gritty, so persevere because it is soooo good. I gave it 5*. Happy reading!
Carmen, glad to put your thoughts in my post! You’re on a reading roll and getting to more books than me. I will expect Cosby’s to be gritty and intense for sure. But not sure when I will get to it. I have a PW and an Arc that I’ve promised that aren’t even on my summer list, argh! I need to get snapping.
Glad to see that your summer’s off to such a great start. About half the books you mention are also on my radar: the ones by Russo, Whitehead, and Lippman come immediately to mind. That Oppenheimer movie is really getting a lot of publicity, and with that great cast I can’t imagine it being anything short of great. I’d like to see that one some time, and it strikes me as one that should be seen on a big movie house screen rather than at home. But I have to tell you that these days, it’s the “small movies” that I find most gratifying because in general they seem to do a much better job of delving into characters than the big movies do. I love Laura Linney’s work (she looks so different in the movie trailer), and anything with Maggie Smith and/or Kathy Bates in it deserves a look.
Hi Sam. Yeah I agree, the smaller movies are often the best ones of all. They are gems – that are often richer and truer than the big blockbuster films. I figure you can’t lose with those three actresses! And I agree it seems Oppenheimer would be better seen on the big movie screen. We will go to the theater for it.
Let us know if you read the new Russo, Whitehead or Lippman books. I will check your site to see what you’re reading now. Cheers. Happy July!
The Miracle Club is a movie I want to check out. Those 3 actresses are great. The Barbie movie might be fun and the actors are well cast but alot will hinge on the script but Greta Gerwig is talented so if she is the writer/ director it’s worth checking out.
Hi Kathy, Yeah I figure Barbie might have just enough laughs in it with Greta and Baumbach as writers. Granted, it looks a bit dopey but hopefully it’ll have something about it worth watching. And I agree the actresses in the Miracle Club looking like a winning combo. We just saw Kathy Bates in the Are you there God? Margaret movie. Haven’t seen her in awhile. Fun.
I hope you are well and have a nice July. Though it could be very hot, right? Might have to A/C it. Happy reading. & watching.
The Barbie movie looks fun though I was not a big Barbie person as a kid. Miracle Club sounds fantastic and I definitely want to see that.
Have a great week!
Thanks Helen. Yeah I wasn’t into Barbie either when I was young. LoL. So we’ll see. Miracle Club seems like a good one. Happy July to you.
Thank you so much for your excellent overview of new releases for July.
We’ve lately had a run of great book club choices, and I think I need to check out Silver Nitrate as a possibility for a future read. Happily, it hasn’t been discovered yet at my library system, so I’m in line for it when it comes out.
I’m especially delighted with the movies you have brought to our attention. I don’t think you could have shared two movies more distant from each other on the Serious Movie Scale than Oppenheimer and Barbie. And to think that the same amount of movie was spent making each. I will definitely look for The Miracle Club.
Thanks Deb, glad you like these Preview posts. I try to compile them to see what to put on my future radar … and I think it helps just to organize my thoughts. There’s so many books too little time!
Had to laugh at your observation — Oppenheimer vs. Barbie is a pretty crazy dichotomy. I feel like Oppenheimer’s epic tone seems like it’s more of a fall kind of movie, so it surprises me that it’s being released in July. What the heck?!
And The Miracle Club might be just the right antidote between the two big films.
Enjoy your July. & happy reading.
The range of movies seems to reflect Western culture. Too often I think American culture falls on the side of Barbie.
Ha. Good point Deb. Yeah perhaps so.
Great book list. I hope to read a few of them soon, though Paris In July is diverting my attention from new books. I did read the new one by Anya von Bremzen, which has a decent Paris chapter.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Mae. I will check your review of the Anya book. Your Paris project will be interesting. I am listening to the novel The Postcard now, which is mostly set in France. I will see what I think. Enjoy your weekend.
I don’t have many July releases on my list this year, but I do hope to read Richard Russo’s new book this year. Will probably use July to catch up on the books I added to my list the last couple of months.
Hi JoAnn, Yeah I like Russo. His new one is post-Sully which I wonder if it’s a bit sad. I think I need to start with the beginning of the Sully trilogy. I saw the movie of Nobody’s Fool from 1994 which I loved. Paul Newman was great as Sully. I read Empire Falls but maybe the Sully novels would appeal even more.
Enjoy your reading!
I myself am looking forward to the new Moreno-Garcia book. I had not heard of “Kala” but, based on your synopsis, I think I might give it a try. Thanks for your (as usual) interesting monthly roundup.
Hi Dorothy, great to hear you’re planning on Silver Nitrate. I’ve heard good things about it. And lately I’ve read a lot of Ireland-set novels, so Kala appeals to me. It sounds like a slow-burn mystery perhaps. Thx these roundups take a bit of time, glad they appeal. Enjoy your July!
It sounds like you are having a great summer! I am not sure, I’ll get to any of these books or movies, but at some point I will try out one of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s novels. Horror isn’t my usual genre, but I’ve heard so much praise for the author. Hope you will continue to enjoy the summer and the new house!
Thanks Stargazer. The new house & land are taking a lot of time to work on but we are loving it. Later this month will be 6 months since we moved in! What a total game-changer for us for the better. And I have read just one of Silvia’s books but I enjoyed it and don’t ever read the horror genre either. I think I need to check out the new one. I think you might like her. I hope your summer is going well. (PS. I am loving Wimbledon at the moment. I am a tennis nutcase. LoL).
I can’t wait for the Barbie movie! I loved barbies growing up. Laura Lippman is the only author on the list you mentioned that I’ve heard of and I haven’t even read anything by her yet.
Have a great July!
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Hi Ash, thanks for stopping by and finding me here. I will check out your site soon. The Barbie movie looks funny and Barbies were everywhere back in the day, right? And Laura Lippman is quite good. The novel of hers I enjoyed was Sunburn from 2018. That one is crazy! Happy July to you.
I want to see that movie about Oppenheimer. And Silver Nitrate looks like a scary and fun kind of book. Happy July! 😀
Thanks Lark. Yeah Oppenheimer looks a bit dark but we plan to see it likely at the theater. And Silver Nitrate should be fun. I hope to get to it. Cheers. Have a great reading month.
I still have to read The Daughter of Dr Moreau, and now the author has another book out!
I saw a preview for Oppenheimer yesterday and it does look good but very somber–how could it be anything but somber? My son and daughter decided to do a double feature and see Oppenheimer break for a late lunch and then see Barbie. Not sure how that will work, but I understand their logic.
I was surprised Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny wasn’t on your list for this month. I saw it last afternoon and loved–what a fun ride that was, willfully suspending disbelief the whole time! I really liked Harrison Ford in Shrinking and so it was fun to see him again as Indy.
Hi Jane, good to hear you enjoyed the Indy movie. I talked about it a bit in my June Preview — and perhaps you’ve convinced me to see it on the big screen instead of waiting to stream. My favorite Indy movie was #1 Raiders of the Lost Ark with Karen Allen, Lol. I’m not a huge fan anymore but it’s still nice to see Harrison in the iconic role.
And that’s fun about your kids’ double feature plans. Wow. That will be a big change in one afternoon. The Oppenheimer film does look quite grim. Hmm.
Silvia Moreno is really churning out books quickly now. The new one looks fun. We’ll see. Happy July to you!
I hope you’ve been having a wonderful month! So many good books to look forward to. I’m glad you enjoyed Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret. It does look like a cute film. I loved that book growing up. We don’t get to watch a lot of movies but the one I’m really excited about is Oppenheimer. It looks so intense!
Hi Iliana, I agree — the Oppenheimer trailer is intense! It looks dark too. We plan to see it at the theater when it’s out. The Judy Blume movie is pretty cute and worth seeing as a streaming rental. The young actress is excellent as Margaret. The month has been busy but I hope to have more time ahead. And I hope your summer is going great. Happy reading. Thx for stopping by.