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Photo by Sasha Anand

"The Kiss Quotient" was released June 2018.

Book: “The Kiss Quotient”

In the 2018 novel “The Kiss Quotient” by Helen Hoang, Stella Lane is a 30-year-old woman who is very invested in her career and has completely avoided trying to find someone to settle down with. This has to do with the fact that Stella has Asperger syndrome, making it hard for her to form emotional connections with people. Realizing that she eventually wants to find someone, she seeks the help of escort Michael Phan and everything changes. The book gives a fun and interesting look into a unique relationship between two very different people: one who has excluded herself from social situations and another who is anything but modest. 

Podcast: “All Things Internet”

YouTuber Rachel Ballinger hosts a podcast called “All Things Internet” with her mother, Gwen Ballinger, as her co-host. The two discuss things that are getting attention on social media, from political and worldwide events to the latest fashion trends and celebrity gossip. They also play games and answer questions sent in by fans, hilariously riffing off each other the whole time. The lighthearted banter between the hosts makes the topics they cover entertaining and relatable. The podcast can be found on Apple podcast as well as Spotify. Ballinger recently started filming the podcast as it is being recorded, posting the videos on the Youtube channel called “All Things Internet Podcast.”

TV Show: Undone

The creators of BoJack Horseman bring a new story with Amazon Prime’s Undone. It tells the story of Alma, a young woman who, before a horrible car accident, led a pretty mundane life. She worked at a daycare and was in an underwhelming relationship with her boyfriend. However, after the crash, she is given the ability to travel through time. Something that was interesting about this series is that Alma was born deaf and received a cochlear implant when she is older, which improved her hearing ability. I appreciated how the sounds heard in the flashbacks from before the implant were muffled to mimic her hearing impairment. The series consists of eight episodes and is Amazon’s first animated series.  

Movie: Judy

The film Judy follows the tragic life of Hollywood icon Judy Garland. It depicts the emotional abuse she faced during the filming of The Wizard of Oz and the effects it had on her as an adult. Garland’s reality was far from the glitz and glam that we saw in her movies. Dealing with a failed marriage and trying to maintain her career, she turned to pills and alcohol to cope with the pressures of fame and fortune. Renee Zellweger (of  Bridget Jones’s Diary) plays Garland, masterfully singing her famous songs including “Get Happy” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” 

Song: “Pluto Projector”

Rex Orange County released his latest single, “Pluto Projector”, on Oct. 17. This release came along with an announcement that his newest album, Pony, drops Oct. 25. “Pluto Projector” is a slow-burner song with dreamy guitar riffs and a strong string section. The majority of the song sounds like a great bedroom pop kind of tune until you reach the end and are hit with an emotion-evoking orchestral end. The sounds of this song aren’t the only things that hit hard. Orange County’s lyrics are about his inner existential thoughts and the person who may understand him better than himself. Please listen at full volume.

Music Video: “home with you”