August was all about pushing ourselves to try new things and broaden our habits, as far as music, movies and books go. Matildas fever swept through the RUSSH office this month and even the most sport-averse among us were glued to the broadcasts. One of the team picked up a collection of poetry for the first time, while another found herself supporting a friend at a Read to Me comic art event. Others were daring enough to give into the Ted Lasso hype. Olivia, on the other hand, is back to gorging on Grey's Anatomy reruns. Who can blame her? McDreamy deserves all our screen time.
Charlotte Agnew
Fashion Director
Watch... The weather get warmer and warmer as we move into spring.
Read… Recipes my mum hand wrote for me recently, as well as Google reviews on everything.
Listen… Patamon, Dua Lipa’s podcast At Your Service, American Life by Madonna, Rosalía and Caroline Polachek.
Mia Steiber
Digital Strategy Director
Watch… Get ready for a common theme. I’m not sure how but I have gone from being completely indifferent to sport to being an obsessed Matildas devotee. But it’s happened. I spent my August timing my life around watching the FIFA matches. I even managed to get tickets to the Denmark game. I also watched the six-part Matildas documentary. This is my life now.
Read… Did I also buy Sam Kerr’s book My Journey to the World Cup? Yes, I did.
Listen… You may not know, but Football Australia has a podcast. And some of those episodes are about key Matildas players. I have of course, listened to them all. I’m obsessed. Please send help.
Nikki Gatland
People & Culture Manager
Watch… Love & Death. This mini series is based on the true crime story of a churchgoing Texan housewife who’s affair leads to a killing. I’m the girl that nods off each night to the sweet tones of a true crime podcast, so this serves as a great aperitif to that. Elizabeth Olsen nails the depths of this character and is a joy to watch.. wait.. horror to watch.
Read… Girl on a Corrugated Roof. With roses are red, violets are blue being about as poetic as I get, this book of poems by Sydney poet Erin Shiel plays well into my 'new financial year, new me' goal of broadening my reading horizons. I love the way these are written and the nostalgic journey they’ve taken me on, reflecting growing up down under.
Listen… I’ve just started doing Jungle Body work out classes and it’s reignited my love of early 2000s hip hop. Think Dr Dre, Eminem and Snoop Dogg blasting from my Mazda 2 on the way to my professional job.
Samantha Corry
Assistant to the Editor in Chief
Watch… I would say I’m quite picky with TV so when I was recommended Ted Lasso I was hesitant, not being passionate about football… But! I instantly fell in love with it and all the characters. It sits in my top three favourite TV shows of all time. Apple TV is producing some of the best shows right now (Hijack with Idris Elba is another absolute banger to watch – even if it has triggered a fear of flying).
Read… I’ve picked up Snow Country by Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata. It's a book that can be hard to follow if you don’t read it carefully, as the author writes sparingly. This book was heavy on the emotions, and I can say I have never read something quite like this.
Listen… Music is my constant companion. I’ve been listening to a lot of music from British indie band Wet Leg. Also on rotation: the DMAs, Lana Del Rey, Fleetwood Mac, and Yoke Lore. It’s definitely been a month of alt rock for me.
Teressia Carr
Senior Designer
Watch… I watched Fleabag for the first time this month. Finished both seasons in about two days.
Read… This month I felt extra cultured and went to a Read To Me event to support my incredible best friend Evie and her unmatched (I’m not biased) comic art skills. Highly recommend if you’d like to enjoy a wholesome Sunday full of belly laughs.
Listen… With A Hammer by Yaeji. A recommendation from our very own Music Editor Alys Hale.
Olivia Repaci
Creative Studio and Campaigns Manager
Watch… Grey's Anatomy. I’m back on my Grey's grind, and going for my third rewatch of this epic show. It is still going strong with 19 seasons under its belt, but while I sit back and wait for season 20 I thought I would relive the delicious McDreamy golden days.
Read… Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. I went through a stage of buying a bunch of books that I thought were good or classic novels I needed to read, but I never actually read them. I stumbled upon Breakfast of Champions in my cupboard, and thought I would give it a go, seeing as I used to have an obsession with Slaughterhouse Five during my highschool days. Am yet to start, no spoilers please.
Listen… adore u by Fred Again.. and Obongjayar. This song was released while I was living it up in Europe and perfectly encapsulates the summer vibes of my trip. It will now forever be a nostalgic bop to transport me to better times.
Cassandra Dimitroff
Production Editor
Watch… I managed to go to a screening of National Theatre Live: Fleabag, which only served to intensify my already canyon-deep love and admiration for Phoebe Waller-Bridge. As a longtime fan of the TV adaptation, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the original play screening, but Waller-Bridge was just as captivating and heartbreaking alone and on an empty set.
Read… Another month, another book about food. After much recommendation, I’ve decided to delve into the archives of A A Gill, a food writer whose reputation precedes him as a fearless and brilliant wordsmith. I’m excited to delve deeper into this one.
Listen… I’ve been lucky enough to make it out to see some live music lately. Most recently a last minute foray to a face-melting set from Golden Features at Hordern Pavillion. I also had a chance to see Meanjin favourites First Beige and Naarm-based Mildlife again for an evening of dance floor chaos, infused with flecks of synth-pop, jazz
Jasmine Pirovic
Arts & Culture Editor
Watch... Just like July, August was a month crammed with as many FIFA Women's World Cup matches as possible. It was a privilege to see the Matildas play both England and Denmark in person.
In terms of TV and movies, after reading This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay, I decided to watch the BBC series, which is equally as brilliant. Big fan of Ben Whishaw. A highlight of the month was catching a screening of Scrapper, a father-daughter film starring Harris Dickinson from Triangle of Sadness. It was quiet, thoughtful, surprising, deeply warm and funny. There's also this scene in Alice Englert's upcoming film Bad Behaviour, starring Jennifer Connelly and Whishaw (what a treat!), that's stuck in my mind. Connelly's character takes a chair to an insufferable influencer played by Dasha Nekrasova and it was so cathartic and satisfying. Not the violence, but the visual of giving into your intrusive thoughts.
Read... The Fraud by Zadie Smith. This book has been a long time coming. I'm currently about fifty pages in and it's surprisingly smutty! In case you needed confirmation, Zadie Smith is great at writing sex, so there's that. Ripped through This Is Going To Hurt – just like the 3 million other people who have read it. Also enjoyed Isabella Trimboli's recent piece for HEAT about reading the diaries of her favourite female writers. The Cut columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton is spot on with her analysis and advice on family grievances. And finally, I've returned to this New Yorker piece about the case against travel more times than is healthy while it seems half the world is spending summer in Europe (I'm not bitter, I swear!). Although I should probably just get over myself.
Listen... Tom Lake by Ann Patchett on Audible. The audiobook is narrated by Meryl Streep and her silky voice makes the experience that much better. She's definitely my pick to play Lara. I really loved this book.
Image: Pinterest @russhmagazine
