Best of Summer 2016
As this summer comes to a close, most Brown students are met with two conflicting emotions: excitement and stress. Getting back to Providence is exciting. We can reunite with friends, finally see the huge blue bear, and buy fresh school supplies (is there anything greater!?). But the stress is also real. So many of us are overwhelmed by the prospect of shopping period, of applying for on-campus jobs, and of getting back into real-world things. Come September, those stretches of empty afternoons will no longer be filled with books and BuzzFeed. Binge-watching Netflix may turn into Netflix n Chill, in which compromises will be made. The horror!But worry not! Blog's compiled our very favorites from the summer of 2016 to get you through these next two weeks. Ignore real-world responsibilities while you still can. What we’re readingBeach reading has been off the hook this summer. So many good titles were released and our favorite news outlets have kept us up to date on the Olympics and the 2016 shitstorm on fire election, among other things. Despite mixed reviews regarding Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, obviously we all read it the day it came out. One Blog staffer also recommends checking out The Girls by Emma Cline, a fictional novel depicting the cult following of Charles Manson. What’s more, according to our staffer, the author “got a $3mil book deal for it or some wack shit like that.” 
Of course, we also gobbled up this summer's political coverage. At times hilarious, at points horrifying, the 2016 election was impossible to escape. We recommend checking out the election podcast “The Upstart,” which comes out every Tuesday and Friday and dissects one aspect of the general election. So many great opinion pieces have also been published this summer, but in our opinion, Charles Blow reigned supreme. Check out his article on white male fragility and his piece last week on why minorities hate Trump. The DNC and the RNC were both events we couldn't stop watching/reading about, too. The highlight? Most definitely Michelle Obama's speech.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZNWYqDU948And at the end of the summer, Olympic coverage was everywhere. Check out this article about how US women outshone the men in medal counts. And of course, nothing is trendier right now than hating Ryan Lochte. Despite being dropped by several sponsors and then tweeting some jumbled nonsense, things may actually be on the up for Lochte. Apparently, he will be on next season of Dancing With the Stars (gag). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU3zuK7ZmrkWhat we’re listening toWhen I asked my fellow Bloggers what music they were most psyched about, I knew I was going to be hearing all about Blonde, Frank Ocean's long anticipated new album. So far, it has been met with rave reviews. One staffer was particularly thrilled that in “Pink + White,” Ocean managed to “get Beyoncé to sing backup for him…nothing more epic.” Many other albums also debuted this summer. Check out the new Noname album entitled Telefone, the new ScHoolboy Q album, and Whitney’s new album Light Upon the Lake for a more mellow sound. And for singles, Blog staffers described Ariana Grande’s new single “Into You” as a “total banger” and “Super Natural” by Danny L. Harle with Carly Rae Jepsen as “sucrose, pure and simple.” In other music news, Gucci was released from prison and everyone hates T Swift now?https://open.spotify.com/album/18Scpsg5OV1iYNtSaCsjwzWhat we’re watchingThere were so many good shows and movies to choose from this summer; picking just one was mega difficult. Although Blog staffers had many suggestions, Stranger Things on Netflix was a clear favorite. Campy, heartfelt, and laced with the right amount of 80’s nostalgia, this show is deliciously binge-worthy and worthy of its many accolades, if you ask us. Winona Ryder is spectacular, the child acting is noteworthy, and the spooky special effects feel just right.
Everyone agrees that the final two episodes of Thrones were incredible. If you, like me, felt an HBO void in your heart after the season ended, check out The Night Of. This mini-series is dark, anxiety-provoking, and ill-fated. Totally worth the stress. And for summer movies, we of course adored Finding Dory, another great addition to the Pixar family. Looking for an animated film that is less mainstream? One Blog staffer also recommends “Kubo and the Two Strings,” a 3D stop-motion fantasy action adventure film directed by Travis Knight. Happy reading, listening, and watching! Images via, via