Now that the Fourth of July is behind us, we’ve officially hit the dog days of summer. For many of us, that means catching up on the year’s biggest books, movies, and music while relaxing on vacation. To break down the season’s standout works, Chloe was joined in the studio by Vogue’s deputy editor, Taylor Antrim, and senior fashion writer Hannah Jackson.
Of course, sports fans have been spoiled this summer, with the Knicks’ recent win, the WNBA season, Wimbledon, the World Cup, and the Tour de France. Taylor, who’s been following the cycling, is especially focused on Tadej Pogačar—who apparently looks a lot like his son—and Jonas Vingegaard, whose beautiful love story we covered last year.
On the movie front, Taylor, Vogue’s resident horror fan, highlighted two genre films that have taken over the summer box office: Backrooms and Obsession, both directed by up-and-coming filmmakers. Honorable mentions also went to Olivia Wilde’s The Invite and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, from indie darling Jane Schoenbrun.
But perhaps the most eagerly awaited film this summer is Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey. (“It’s a thinking person’s blockbuster,” Taylor joked.) Despite their differing opinions on Oppenheimer, everyone in the studio was excited to see what Nolan had created—though Hannah was a bit skeptical about Matt Damon playing Odysseus.
Speaking of epic literature, Chloe had a lot of summer books she was looking forward to, including several titles recently reviewed or mentioned here on Vogue.com.
It’s also no secret that this has been another big summer for pop girls. Olivia Rodrigo’s You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love is Hannah’s favorite Olivia album yet, and the whole team is counting down the days until we get new music from Gracie Abrams, Charli XCX, and Phoebe Bridgers.
Listen to the episode for more—including a quick update from the Fendi couture show in Rome, courtesy of Nicole Phelps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs for a podcast episode titled What Were Watching Reading and Listening to This Summer
General Beginner Questions
1 What is this podcast episode about
Its a casual roundtable where the hosts share their personal summer entertainment picksTV shows movies books and music theyre currently enjoying
2 Do I need to have listened to other episodes to understand this one
No This is a standalone fun episode You can jump in without any background
3 Is this just a list of recommendations or do you discuss them
Both The hosts name their picks but they also talk about why they like them what mood theyre in and even a few mild spoilers or themes
4 How long is the episode
Typically these summer roundtables run between 45 minutes and an hour depending on how much the hosts get sidetracked
5 Are the recommendations for adults or is there familyfriendly content
The hosts usually mention a mix Theyll often note if something is explicit or if a book is better for mature readers so you can decide
Intermediate Specific Content Questions
6 What kinds of TV shows did you recommend this summer
The picks vary but common themes include light comedies gripping limited series and reality shows you can watch by the pool One host might recommend a dark drama while another pushes a feelgood cooking show
7 Did you talk about any specific books
Yes Expect a mix of new beach reads a thriller everyone is talking about and maybe one dense nonfiction book for ambitious vacation reading
8 What about music Is it a playlist or just albums
Its usually a mix of albums and single songs The hosts might share a playlist link in the show notes or theyll just name artists and songs theyve been replaying
9 Are there any hidden gems or underrated picks
Often yes The hosts enjoy highlighting shows or books that arent in the mainstream headlineslike a foreign film on Netflix or a debut novel
10 Do you spoil the endings of the shows or books
The hosts try to avoid major spoilers They might discuss the first episode or the general vibe but